Dave's Gourmet Specialty Foods was started by Dave Hirschkop and reportedly reflects his love of quality foods and ingredients. Dave started a taqueria is Maryland called Burrito Madness. He created the "hottest sauce in the universe" to control unruly drunks at his establishment. It had another effect in that it drove many customers to his establishment for the sauce due to its flavor and heat.
The label on this one is very light-hearted. The main illustration depicts a pepper sunbathing near a protective umbrella with a drink in reachable distance. It also proclaims to be the "hottest sauce in the universe!" (presumably hotter that the original sauce). In the circle outside the illustration that contains the words "Dave's Gourmet", the words are separated by tiny red peppers. It's fun without being too corny or silly.
The pour is very slow and controlled. This condiment is quite thick and I even had to shake the bottle slightly to encourage the contents to make an exit from the spout. The sauce is also a very dark red. There is no visible sediment but the darkness and thickness of this are pleasing to me.
In the matter of taste, there is a heavy garlic and onion flavor with a VERY slight hint of fruit, maybe a lemon lurking behind the scenes. It's quite savory and rich and I found myself exhaling vegetable flavor through my nose. A smokiness is present which could be many things but my tongue caught the suggestion of possible paprika. Don't take that to the bank though. There is also the expected tomato flavor but it's complimented well with the other ingredients and isn't overpowering like other sauces I've sampled.
When it claims to be "the hottest sauce in the universe" it may not be that far from the facts. I was IMMEDIATELY assaulted with a furnace in my mouth that had me scrambling for my water glass. sharp pains in the center of my tongue was the front line of the assault followed quickly with the roof of my mouth pulsating in warmth. The lip burn was instant. Mind you, this was not a tingling of the lips but had me soaking my lips in my water glass briefly. Also the lip burn and mouth burn persisted for a surprisingly long time. Indeed even in the after effects my top left side lip felt numb but swollen.
You may purchase this sauce for $10.99 from their site. This seems to me quite a reasonable price for a flavorful sauce but, to be honest, this sauce may not be going on much at the old homestead. The heat is on the border of painful for pain's sake.
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