Hoppin Hot sauce is one of Americas favorite condiments. It is a condiment that is used in almost every meal in America, but why do we like to put hot sauce on everything? Is it because we are hot? I am just curious. I think it comes from the fact that we love to spice things up, and the hot sauce is a spice.
This past summer I spent a week in NOLA with my family and decided to buy a bottle of Hoppin’ Hot Sauce, a repackaged store-brand bottle of Louisiana heat that I’d never seen before. Having eaten spicy food all my life, I was curious if a bottle of liquid hot sauce would be a safe introduction to the world of spicy food, or if it would be too much.
Hoppin’ Hot is a hot sauce that uses habaneros as its main ingredient. The sauce comes in three different flavors: Original, Habanero, and Ultimate.
Hot Sauce Hoppin is full of California vibes, owing to its creator’s fondness for the state’s cuisine. It includes components produced in the area (such as zesty Meyer lemons) as well as two delicious chiles from just south of the California border. So, how do all of these components interact? Is it a taste standout? Is the heat well-balanced? And how practical is it? Let’s take a look inside a bottle and discover what’s going on.
SUMMARY
Hoppin Hot Sauce
4.8
Hoppin Hot Sauce is made with Meyer lemons, puya peppers, chipotle meco, and spices, and it’s pure California feel-good taste magic. The taste is the main attraction, and the heat is just right to allow it shine.
Heat Level: Moderate
Pros:
- Fantastic taste
- Heat that is suitable for the whole family and is well-balanced
- Extremely practical
Flavor
There’s a lot to speak about when it comes to taste, but let’s start with the components in Hoppin Hot Sauce: salt, Meyer lemon concentrate, chipotle meco powder, spices, caraway seeds, guar gum, xanthan gum, water, distilled vinegar, puya pepper, dried garlic, salt, Meyer lemon concentrate, chipotle meco powder, spices, caraway seeds, guar gum, xanthan gum
There’s a lot going on here, including the catch—all it’s “spices,” which always keeps us guessing. The good news is that you can anticipate a lot from Hoppin Hot Sauce’s taste.
It has a lovely vinegar tang that pairs well with Meyer lemon’s fresh tangy-sweet flavor. It jolts your taste buds awake. On the back end, you get those chili peppers and spices, and it’s full of depth and wonderful taste. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but it tastes like a much better Taco Bell sauce. Seriously, I’ve never had a spicy sauce that has Meyer lemon, and this sauce has made me reconsider what’s possible with only a few ingredients. It’s fantastic.
We’ll talk about how hot these are later, but the chiles and other spices used here provide a lot of flavor as well. The puya peppers offer a fruity flavor that pairs nicely with lemon, while the chipotle meco provides depth and a hint of smokiness. You’ll get a touch of nuttiness from the caraway seeds, as well as some wonderful sweet-pungency from the dried garlic, on the rear. When you combine all of these ingredients, you create one of the most addictive sauces I’ve ever tasted.
The sodium content is 75 mg per 1/2 tablespoon, which is 3% of your daily limit. That’s not terrible, and it gives you just enough salt to make you feel like you don’t need to add any more. Just keep in mind that Hoppin Hot Sauce is moderate, so you may end yourself using a lot in one session.
Temperature Harmony
Both puya peppers (5,000 to 8,000 Scoville heat units) and chipotle meco (2,500 to 8,000 SHU) fall into the medium heat category. Hoppin Hot Sauce doesn’t specify its Scoville heat level, but with the dilution (water and vinegar at the top of the ingredients list), it soon becomes a mild hot sauce. This is one that the whole family will appreciate.
And it’s that mildness that works so nicely here. Hoppin Hot Sauce’s tastes are so distinct and complex that you want them to take center stage. Actually, the spiciness is only one of several layers of this spicy sauce.
The heat is only there for about a minute, and it’s a really relaxing meal. You will, however, feel more if you use enough Hoppin Hot Sauce. The spiciness builds up a little, so it’s more of a low-medium heat than anything else.
Usability
Hoppin Hot Sauce will be used on practically anything thanks to its bold taste and well-balanced heat. It goes well with potatoes, eggs, and chicken in any Mexican meal. It creates a delicious aioli when combined with mayonnaise.
Hoppin Hot Sauce is also a great complement to anything that already has chipotle pepper, since it adds a distinct lemony touch. It’s the sort of unexpected twist that will make your visitors grin.
The bottle of Hoppin Hot Sauce features a good-sized spout opening. And that’ll come in handy since you’ll be using a lot of this sauce in one session. I had to restrain myself from putting four teaspoons on my plate. It’s also a little thicker spicy sauce, which means it’ll remain right where you placed it when you pour it.
Collectibility
Hoppin Hot Sauce has a lot to offer, and I’m not just talking about the taste. John Hoppin, a native of California, is the guy behind the sauce, and his love for California food is the driving force behind it. That enthusiasm is palpable. This is, as I have said, one of the finest spicy sauces I’ve ever experienced.
John Hoppin also has his own podcast where he talks about his multiple sclerosis experience (and shares these details with fans of his hot sauce.) He is a great role model for people with MS and other impairments in the workplace.
The label has a vintage feel to it, with a playful typeface and a focus on the Puya peppers, which John first encountered when he began cooking at a young age. It’s basic and modest in comparison to the amazing deliciousness that awaits you inside. As a result, it may not stand out in a crowd. Hoppin Hot Sauce, on the other hand, doesn’t need a lot of fluff on the exterior since once it’s opened, it’ll be difficult to shut.
The Score
Hoppin Hot Sauce is made with Meyer lemons, puya peppers, chipotle meco, and spices, and it’s pure California feel-good taste magic. The taste is the main attraction, and the heat is just right to allow it shine.
| SCORE AT THE END | 4.8 |
| Overall Taste | 5 |
| Temperature Harmony | 5 |
| Usability | 5 |
| Collectibility | 4.5 |
| X-Factor | 5 |
On a scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest) (highest)
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