This sauce will forever be known on FierceSauces.com as being the very first Jamaican made hot sauce to be reviewed here. Growing up on the islands I was spoiled by having the luxury of various traditional home-made sauces, so this is also the very first time I actually paid for a hotsauce from the islands. Let’s take a closer look at the Eaton’s Jamaican Crushed Peppers sauce.
Review: Eaton’s Jamaican Crushed Peppers.
Manufactured by King Pepper Products LTD.
King Pepper Products Ltd. Hague Industrial Estate
P.O. Box 43, Falmouth, Trelawny Jamaica, W I.
Tel: 876 954 4462/3 Fax: 876 954 3681 E-mail:customerservice@eatonsjamaica.net
The Aroma
A rather mild “tangy” scent when the bottle is first opened, but as I explored it further it was very clear that this sauce would be overwhelmed by vinegar and citric acid. I absolutely hate hot sauces where the main thing you smell or taste is vinegar, however the use of cane vinegar did add a bit of complexity to the overall scent. I got Tehya our 15 year old (pepper lover as well) to take a whiff and her comments were as follows.. smells like cheap ketchup with a bit of a sour or tangy finish.
The Taste.
I wasn’t expecting much after allowing my nose to get acquainted with the sauce. As mentioned in previous reviews, I eat with my eyes first and I was really impressed by the bright colour of the sauce from the outside of the bottle and even the bottle itself was well labeled. Yes, that tangy smell did work it’s way into the actual taste and it gave the sauce a bit of a sour (tart) finish. After my 2nd teaspoon full I got a hint of some sort of fruit flavour (could be the cane vinegar) and noticed that though you’re greeted immediately with heat, it does not last that long. I would say the “raw” heat lasted about 2 minutes and you could only feel the effects on your tongue for about 5 minutes overall.
One thing I did find a bit confusing is that on the image on the label it shows Scotch Bonnet peppers and one would assume those were used in the sauce, however it had a bit of a Tabasco characteristic to it.
Texture.
The label reads “shake well” and it must be followed, as the sauce tends to settle to the bottom due to it’s consistency. Overall a bit runny and you could easily see the corn starch at work with the gelatin-like texture. The sauce itself is “thin” with rather large specks of pepper flakes and a lot of whole pepper seeds. If you’ve ever had a popcorn kernel’s skin get stuck in your throat you’d know how apprehensive I was when I saw those large pepper flakes.
Final Comments.
Not as impressive as I hoped, with a 2 out of 5 for the overall sauce and a 2.8 for heat. The tangy taste would be well suited for breakfast meats and eggs. I would also put this on roasted meats (chicken and pork) and on cold cut sandwiches. I don’t think it would add any real value to stews, soups or sauces unless it’s just a bit of heat you’re looking for. I believe I paid around $2 for the sauce so I guess I got what I paid for. I must mention that I was quite impressed to see a “best before” date stamped on the outside of the bottle as well as a batch code.
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