Karma Sauce has been a hot sauce whose products I’ve had almost all positive impressions of. I’ve previously reviewed their Bad Karma sauce here as well as the Hot Ones Los Calientes Rojo which is made by Karma for Heatonist / Hot Ones. While it was before I began this blog I’m also a huge fan of their extremely hot but extremely tasty Scorpion Disco. Ghost Island is a sauce that I’ve heard good things about and I’m always a fan of mustardy or curry hot sauces and this has both.
Karma describes Ghost Island as a tropical Caribbean style sauce, and there are elements there with the tropical fruits of mango and pineapple as well as habanero peppers. Things take a more West-Indian turn with the addition of mustard and curry, though the West Indies are also in the Caribbean. The pepper blend for this sauce also includes fatalii peppers and ghost peppers in addition to the habaneros. Fatalii peppers are interesting, both because until this review I’d always read the name as “fatalli” and assumed they were an Italian variation on a super-hot pepper. Turns out it’s fatalii with one L and two Is and it’s a pepper that originated in central Africa, and is known for being extremely fruity and citrusy. The curry, mustard, and fruit are all strong in the aroma of Ghost Island, making it smell like warm baking spices with a twist. The texture is medium-thick and though mostly smooth there are still some pepper and vegetable bits inside.
The three pepper blend has a strong immediate bite when tasting this sauce straight. Karma Sauce do seem to be fans of sweet heat sauces and this one is no exception. With two sweet fruits plus orange juice, sugar, and agave nectar this sauce is sweet but the heat level and other savory flavors provide enough balance. While I don’t get mango funk or a distinct pineapple or orange flavor there is a general sense of fruitiness that’s supported by the fruity flavor of the habaneros and fataliis. The mustard and curry flavors are prominent as well, with the mustard giving the sauce a nice piquant sour edge and the curry flavors being mostly warming spices that accent both the fruity flavors as well as the savory flavors of the peppers, onions, garlic, and mustard. The ghost in Ghost Island is ghost peppers and while not at the forefront the characteristic smoky and slightly acerbic does peak out some adding some additional complexity as well as heat. Karma Sauce Ghost Island has a lot going on – sweet, fruity, fiery, warming, and piquant all at once but it manages them all in harmony.
Despite the complexity of flavors I didn’t find anything that this sauce wasn’t great with. The curry and mustard flavors make it great with chicken salad. The mustard flavor makes it a great sauce for sausages. The fruity elements make this work beautifully with pulled pork. It elevates deli turkey cold cuts to greatness and the noticeable but manageable heat combined with the sweetness make it a perfect pairing for a breakfast burrito to get your blood pumping. Like other Caribbean sauces it’s great with rice and beans and with seafood as well.
I’m happy to recommend Karma Sauce Ghost Island. This may be the tastiest Karma Sauce sauce I’ve had yet. The heat level is perfect for daily use – enough heat that you feel it, but not so high that non chile-heads can’t enjoy it. This sauce is also all natural with no artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, or thickeners.
skitzoandro
Sounds good and thank you for the review. Been teetering on buying it for a while now, and it is on my list.
JakeStout93
Agreed, this is definitely a top tier sauce
TranslatorRoyal8710
Been on the lookout for this one
lostinapotatofield
One of my favorite sauces too. The flavors work perfectly in a lot of dishes. Hot enough to feel it while mild enough to really slather it on a meal.
SecuritySky
great review, dad
Qotho1
Been wanting to get this one as well. Thanks for the review!
Mixngas
This is a great sauce!
LincolnshireSausage
I love this sauce. Just finished a bottle of it last week and am missing it. All of the Karma Sauces I’ve tried have been great.
9 Comments
Bitter: ⭐⭐✰✰✰
Salty: ⭐✰✰✰✰
Sour: ⭐⭐✰✰✰
Sweet: ⭐⭐⭐✰✰
Umami: ⭐⭐✰✰✰
Heat: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰✰✰✰✰✰
Quick Flavor Notes: Warm curry spices, fruity, mustard, peppers
Texture: Medium-thick, smooth with small bits
Recommended: Yes
Ingredients: Peppers (habanero, fatalii, ghost), orange juice, apple cider vinegar, mango, pineapple, organic sugar, mustard seed, lime juice, water, agave nectar, salt, onion, curry spices, garlic
Karma Sauce has been a hot sauce whose products I’ve had almost all positive impressions of. I’ve previously reviewed their Bad Karma sauce here as well as the Hot Ones Los Calientes Rojo which is made by Karma for Heatonist / Hot Ones. While it was before I began this blog I’m also a huge fan of their extremely hot but extremely tasty Scorpion Disco. Ghost Island is a sauce that I’ve heard good things about and I’m always a fan of mustardy or curry hot sauces and this has both.
Karma describes Ghost Island as a tropical Caribbean style sauce, and there are elements there with the tropical fruits of mango and pineapple as well as habanero peppers. Things take a more West-Indian turn with the addition of mustard and curry, though the West Indies are also in the Caribbean. The pepper blend for this sauce also includes fatalii peppers and ghost peppers in addition to the habaneros. Fatalii peppers are interesting, both because until this review I’d always read the name as “fatalli” and assumed they were an Italian variation on a super-hot pepper. Turns out it’s fatalii with one L and two Is and it’s a pepper that originated in central Africa, and is known for being extremely fruity and citrusy. The curry, mustard, and fruit are all strong in the aroma of Ghost Island, making it smell like warm baking spices with a twist. The texture is medium-thick and though mostly smooth there are still some pepper and vegetable bits inside.
The three pepper blend has a strong immediate bite when tasting this sauce straight. Karma Sauce do seem to be fans of sweet heat sauces and this one is no exception. With two sweet fruits plus orange juice, sugar, and agave nectar this sauce is sweet but the heat level and other savory flavors provide enough balance. While I don’t get mango funk or a distinct pineapple or orange flavor there is a general sense of fruitiness that’s supported by the fruity flavor of the habaneros and fataliis. The mustard and curry flavors are prominent as well, with the mustard giving the sauce a nice piquant sour edge and the curry flavors being mostly warming spices that accent both the fruity flavors as well as the savory flavors of the peppers, onions, garlic, and mustard. The ghost in Ghost Island is ghost peppers and while not at the forefront the characteristic smoky and slightly acerbic does peak out some adding some additional complexity as well as heat. Karma Sauce Ghost Island has a lot going on – sweet, fruity, fiery, warming, and piquant all at once but it manages them all in harmony.
Despite the complexity of flavors I didn’t find anything that this sauce wasn’t great with. The curry and mustard flavors make it great with chicken salad. The mustard flavor makes it a great sauce for sausages. The fruity elements make this work beautifully with pulled pork. It elevates deli turkey cold cuts to greatness and the noticeable but manageable heat combined with the sweetness make it a perfect pairing for a breakfast burrito to get your blood pumping. Like other Caribbean sauces it’s great with rice and beans and with seafood as well.
I’m happy to recommend Karma Sauce Ghost Island. This may be the tastiest Karma Sauce sauce I’ve had yet. The heat level is perfect for daily use – enough heat that you feel it, but not so high that non chile-heads can’t enjoy it. This sauce is also all natural with no artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, or thickeners.
Sounds good and thank you for the review. Been teetering on buying it for a while now, and it is on my list.
Agreed, this is definitely a top tier sauce
Been on the lookout for this one
One of my favorite sauces too. The flavors work perfectly in a lot of dishes. Hot enough to feel it while mild enough to really slather it on a meal.
great review, dad
Been wanting to get this one as well. Thanks for the review!
This is a great sauce!
I love this sauce. Just finished a bottle of it last week and am missing it. All of the Karma Sauces I’ve tried have been great.