Sgt. Pepper's El Chipotle Picante Pumpkin: It's flavor season!

On my spiritual journey to Mason City, IA's Atomic Blast Hot Sauces, I picked up this sauce when the owner, Dan the Godfather, suggested it after I requested some more unique hot sauces packed with flavor. I was not disappointed; when you're good to the Godfather, sure enough, he's good to you. This little gem comes from Sgt. Pepper's out of Austin, TX, where they like to keep it weird. Sure enough, the mad blend of sweet and savory spices, pumpkin, and cider vinegar is the pinnacle of mad genius and what makes me love what I do (well, what I do for free in between teaching, eating, and sleeping).

Let's look at the facts: Sgt. Pepper's is, despite the low level of heat, a true hot freak's hot sauce; made in the back of the Tears of Joy hot sauce shop, it's a true "American Dream" hot sauce: one man (J.P. Hayes), one commercial kitchen, and one mission: flavor and heat...not just the hot freaks, but the foodies in all of us. I can safely say that this is one of my favorite hot sauces ever. After plowing through a bottle in about a day, I can only urge you to gather your tired, your hungry, your poor stomachs and taste buds yearning to be free of the vinegar tang too commonly tied to hot sauce and let flavor ring!

Good Hurts: This sauce isn't meant to melt your skull down the back of your throat, but make no mistake about it: this velvety smooth blend of southwest and sweet spices is a hot sauce through and through. It leaves a sort of a low murmur of spice accentuated by the fact that this sauce is meant to be eaten bite after bite, again and again. Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce (actually a blend of onion, vinegar, garlic, tomato paste/sauce that helps the chipotle stay flavorful in a can) are usually pretty serious on their own, but some of the more exciting ingrediants like pumpkin, garlic, and cinnemon actually cool down the heat a bit.

Flavor: Pumpkin is, of course, one of fall's best flavors. This sauce, however, is made for every day, all year round. The rich, picante flavor of smokey chipotle pepper, onion, cumin, and garlic perfectly marries the sweet cinnemon, pumpkin puree, and apple cider vinegar. This sauce is, in a way, like Thanksgiving in a bottle: sweet and savory combined in one bottle that is packed to capacity with mouth-watering flavor. I've never tasted a sauce so delcious that I felt could go on so many foods. Not to sweet, not too salty, but just right; Sgt. Pepper's has clearly earned its rank as a true commander of hot sauce.

Availability: I had to know where this sauce came from and where I could get it. I found it at a hot sauce store in Iowa City, where they offer other unique flavors, like Tejas Tears and Blackberry Balsamic. The Tears of Joy website can help you out, but many other online hot sauce sellers have it too. If you're in Austin, don't just enjoy the music...live the sauce. If you can't find the sauce, demand it!

Good for: The sky is the limit with a sweet, smokey, spicy, savory sauce like this. Slather it on corn chips, tacos, burritos, or any traditional Mexican or Tex-Mex food. Add some fall flair to salsa or marinade. This sauce is aware of its amazing range...they recommend putting it on cheesecake! Sure enough, it was a real winner. Ice cream, too. This sauce is a must have because it adds new dimensions of variety to the world of hot sauce. This sauce may use pumpkin, but it really is the sauce of all seasons.

Review:
Heat: **
Flavor: *****
My Review: 9.7/10

This hot sauce is a must have because it adds new dimensions of versitility to a market overcrowded with sauces described with words like "death," "insane," or "inferno." A thousand bottles of those sauces come and go, but Sgt. Pepper's Pumpkin Picante is one in a lifetime.