Alright, there was a post last week about Paolo From Japan selling the same sauce for 20 dollars a bottle (well not this one, but I’ll explain in a second).
I had this brand of sauce 7 years ago, in Taiwan, and remembered it being quite good, but I wasn’t into hot sauce back then. I have tried to find it since then and could never locate it in Taiwan. Well, I saw the Paolo post last week, and I was kinda bothered that they charge 20 dollars a bottle just because he is a big name YouTuber in Japan. So, I got to digging, and by digging I mean I Googled the hot sauce name and it was literally the second result (Paolo was the first….),
I went in with trepidation because it would have to be ordered from Japan, and I thought there was be customs nonsense or high shipping or whatever else, but I was a little drunk and loose with my credit card, so I ordered 5 bottles, posted here and said I would post here when I got it.
Well, I got it today, in exactly one week! First things first, I calculated the price per bottle from Japan. A little less than 9usd per bottle for 5 bottles. 60ml a bottle, so it’s definitely a bit pricey, unfortunately. Considering Paolo charges 20usd a bottle though, I think I did very well. As a bonus, I calculated a rough estimate if I were to ship it to the US, and the shipping is a lot more expensive, but if you order 10 bottles it comes out to 10.50~ a bottle..
Now, about the sauce. They brand it as a soy sauce hot sauce. It is made with soy sauce, yuzu, and their special mash of chili peppers and a few other things I can’t remember. It’s special Japanese name is kanzuri haha. This specific bottle I got is the Carolina Reaper version. They also have a habanero and “umami” flavor sauce that are less hot. (Paolo doesn’t sell the Reaper version)
I only had one drop tonight because I ate dinner before I got the sauce, but oh boy this stuff is pretty damn hot. I posted a chili flake I got from Japan that said ghost pepper stuff, and a lot of people here flamed me and said Japan doesn’t do spicy… Well, eat your words, this stuff is HOT. It’s not hot on your tongue though, it crept into the back of my throat and was like a small torch with just a drop. The flavor was absolutely fantastic. No vinegar taste at all and a very unique flavor profile because of the soy sauce. I didn’t taste the yuzu, but again, I only had a drop. It had the very floral/fruity taste of super hot peppers as well.
I would put this specific version as being somewhere near Tabasco Scorpion, but the heat is in a different place in the mouth. I am really looking forward to adding it to a meal and seeing what it does.
TLDR: Paolo From Tokyo charges twice as much for the same sauce, get it cheaper! It’s pretty damn delicious, but a little pricey.
I don’t know if links are allowed, but I Googled Kaminari and it showed up as the second link on a store called Anything From Japan. Fantastic service!
te__bailey
I am going to order some, I got the Paulo sauce when it launched and it was incredible.
The bottle looks similar but it’s the sauce that needs to live up to it! The company he used looked excellent but I’ll happily get it cheaper if it’s legit.
te__bailey
The Paulo sauce does have reapers.
MagnusAlbusPater
Interesting. I may have to try this in the future. Is it 100% determined the Paolo sauce is exactly the same and not some special blend he’s had commissioned however?
4 Comments
Alright, there was a post last week about Paolo From Japan selling the same sauce for 20 dollars a bottle (well not this one, but I’ll explain in a second).
I had this brand of sauce 7 years ago, in Taiwan, and remembered it being quite good, but I wasn’t into hot sauce back then. I have tried to find it since then and could never locate it in Taiwan. Well, I saw the Paolo post last week, and I was kinda bothered that they charge 20 dollars a bottle just because he is a big name YouTuber in Japan. So, I got to digging, and by digging I mean I Googled the hot sauce name and it was literally the second result (Paolo was the first….),
I went in with trepidation because it would have to be ordered from Japan, and I thought there was be customs nonsense or high shipping or whatever else, but I was a little drunk and loose with my credit card, so I ordered 5 bottles, posted here and said I would post here when I got it.
Well, I got it today, in exactly one week! First things first, I calculated the price per bottle from Japan. A little less than 9usd per bottle for 5 bottles. 60ml a bottle, so it’s definitely a bit pricey, unfortunately. Considering Paolo charges 20usd a bottle though, I think I did very well. As a bonus, I calculated a rough estimate if I were to ship it to the US, and the shipping is a lot more expensive, but if you order 10 bottles it comes out to 10.50~ a bottle..
Now, about the sauce. They brand it as a soy sauce hot sauce. It is made with soy sauce, yuzu, and their special mash of chili peppers and a few other things I can’t remember. It’s special Japanese name is kanzuri haha. This specific bottle I got is the Carolina Reaper version. They also have a habanero and “umami” flavor sauce that are less hot. (Paolo doesn’t sell the Reaper version)
I only had one drop tonight because I ate dinner before I got the sauce, but oh boy this stuff is pretty damn hot. I posted a chili flake I got from Japan that said ghost pepper stuff, and a lot of people here flamed me and said Japan doesn’t do spicy… Well, eat your words, this stuff is HOT. It’s not hot on your tongue though, it crept into the back of my throat and was like a small torch with just a drop. The flavor was absolutely fantastic. No vinegar taste at all and a very unique flavor profile because of the soy sauce. I didn’t taste the yuzu, but again, I only had a drop. It had the very floral/fruity taste of super hot peppers as well.
I would put this specific version as being somewhere near Tabasco Scorpion, but the heat is in a different place in the mouth. I am really looking forward to adding it to a meal and seeing what it does.
TLDR: Paolo From Tokyo charges twice as much for the same sauce, get it cheaper! It’s pretty damn delicious, but a little pricey.
I don’t know if links are allowed, but I Googled Kaminari and it showed up as the second link on a store called Anything From Japan. Fantastic service!
I am going to order some, I got the Paulo sauce when it launched and it was incredible.
The bottle looks similar but it’s the sauce that needs to live up to it! The company he used looked excellent but I’ll happily get it cheaper if it’s legit.
The Paulo sauce does have reapers.
Interesting. I may have to try this in the future. Is it 100% determined the Paolo sauce is exactly the same and not some special blend he’s had commissioned however?