Here lies High Desert Sauce Company Ghost of Saffron –
8.8/10
I first met this sauce at a shop called Hot Sauce Werkz in St Louis. I was able to taste test this sauce before buying it, because they have free samples. I asked the dude working there to recommend one sauce above all, and this was his choice! Saffron is the most expensive spice, apparently worthy enough to boast over $12million in saffron fraud in Spain. Apparently around 90% of saffron is harvested in Iran and then shipped the Spain where it is packed… I’m just now realizing that these reviews are just another excuse to go down a rabbit hole of useless information. Will I ever use this knowledge? Why are you even reading this section? Let’s get into the review!
REVIEW: This is the second sauce I’ve had from HDSC, and I find it interesting that both made me think the same thing, and that is the fact that this tasted like a delicious salsa. Give me a tub of this and a party sized bag of tortilla chips, and I’d destroy it in one setting with no shame. This sauce is absolutely perfect for some white people tacos, and truthfully really really amazing on breakfast burritos as well. The heat level is a bit lower than I figured it would be (in the lower half of medium), since ghost is right there in the name, but it wasn’t necessarily disappointing. I’m not a huge fan of the ghost pepper taste, and I’m coming to like it more since I’ve been doing these reviews, but I did taste the earthiness in there, and it paired well with the tomato and the spices used. I’m also a bit unsure if the saffron had a part to play in that taste layering, as I can’t remember ever having saffron before as an ingredient, and certainly not isolated. I also did not taste the carrot much, which is a bit of a surprise to me since that’s one of my favorite ingredients in a hot sauce. This has a great tomato flavor. I would love to be a fly on the wall during the mixing of this recipe, because I typically don’t enjoy a canned/bottled tomato as much, but I’m learning that maybe I’m just a bit more particular with that. Vinegar is one of the main components of this, but I didn’t feel like it was a particularly strong aspect. Perhaps overridden by the cacophony (positive) of flavors. Rest in Peace, Spicy Prince
Feel free to suggest your favorite taco sauce, recommend another variety of HDSC, or tell us your experience with this sauce!
Ingredients: Fire Roasted Tomato (diced tomato, tomato juice, sea salt, citric acid), Cider Vinegar, Distilled Vinegar, Carrot, Garlic (Roasted Garlic, Fresh Garlic), Onion, Pepper Mash ( Vinegar, Scotch Bonnet Pepper, Ghost Pepper), Pure Avocado Oil, Kosher Salt, Agave Nectar, Lime Juice, Smoked Paprika, Cumin, Mexican Oregano, Saffron
by SecuritySky
Dining and Cooking