We occasionally love a little kick in our gourmet cuisine. A dash of spice can often upgrade any main dish or side, and take it to a whole other calibre. As a heavy spice user, hot sauce does accompany our pantry of varied seasonings, but only for certain dishes (we use Sriracha, serrano peppers, Thai chilies, and others).
In collaboration with Fuego Box, this FT Kitchen Spotlight Series is a spicy one. We recently had a tasting session with our crew after a late afternoon gathering. Since the we love to grill and cook, it was the perfect setting to test out some sassy new flavourings. A smörgåsbord it was, however lest we forget, veggies can be kicked up a notch too.
With subscription boxes globally in full effect, I can always get into food related boxes easier than other genres, but this one is far different than others I’ve tried since it’s hot sauce. It’s not just hot sauce, Fuego Box’s speciality is curating artisan hot sauces from across the globe, and we were all in!
Boxes: one month or quarterly from $12.95 to 29.95. Pay as you go, or grab a prepaid box. Ships to US, UK and Canada.
The brand focusses on the craft of developing hot sauces and full flavour, so there are no extracts just quality sauces. There’s plenty of variety for every type of dish, from mild to super sweltering heat. Here are the contents of the two boxes that we received.
What To Expect:
In each box, you get an informational card describing each item inside.
Box #1: Frankie V’s Spooky White (a yellow/whitish colour made with white and orange habaneros), Born to Hula (BTH) Ghost of Ancho (made with smoked Bhut Jolokia peppers), two sachets samples of hot sauce, and 33 Drops of Hot Sauce (a pocket size journal made from recycled paper and red coloured ink is made with drops of fermented hot sauce. Write down spicy hot sauce ventures, and heat levels of each sauce by the journal’s flavour wheel categories.
Box #2: Dragon’s Blood Elixir and Red Robot Classic Hot Sauce, as well as Born to Hula (BTH) Smokehaus Blues. Spooky White had extremely good flavour but very hot. In my opinion, between Spooky White and BTH Ghost of Ancho, it would best suit a large pot of chili, Shakshuka, a Bloody Mary style drink, nachos, bbq-shrimp, or if you fancy spicy soups.
The good part about the Spooky White is that even though it’s very spicy it’s doesn’t linger as long as the BTH ghost of Ancho, in my opinion. The flavour comes through clearly in all of the sauces: crisp, potent and with a full-bodied taste of each ingredient. The best part is that these weren’t salty like some commercial hot sauces either. All of our sauces were in the mild, very hot, and powerful range.
Top Three:
Our favourites were Born to Hula Smokehaus Blues, because of the smoky taste and it has a unique spice flavour that was delicious on pasta, and would work on grilled favourites, roasted meat, or in stir fry. Also tasty, the Red Robot Classic and Dragon’s Blood Elixir, which suited vegan burritos, meaty tacos, scrambled eggs, and salsa. The Dragon’s Blood Elixir hot sauce is like a spicy salsa itself. The info. card says to try it on Thai food, so that’s next. Red Robot is more of an everyday hot sauce. It’s versatile, and has the great taste of garlic and onion with peppers, it’s was good on homemade pizza for a more subtle spice.
It’s totally understandable that heat is not for everyone. If you’re into venturing out and taking a risk to discover an array of tasty hot sauces, then this box is for you. A lil’ burn just might do you some good with caution. These sauces would be a great gift for your spicy brethren, or if you are looking for a way to upgrade your “Taco Tuesday …” you’re welcome!
Have you tried unique hot sauces or Fuego Box before?
The goods: Subscription boxes-Courtesy of Fuego Box. Eco-printed napkins-c/o Gudrun Sjoden. All opinions expressed are my own. You can get your very own saucy subscription here.
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Like the concept it comes with information cards great idea to try in different dishes great review.
Like the concept it comes with information cards great idea to try in different dishes great review.