“HOT DAMN!” was not the words that came out of my mouth. What came out, after trying a toothpick drop amount of this sauce, was something much more inappropriate, which I cannot write in this review. I then ran for the milk and needed to lie down for a few minutes. The habanero chipotle burn of Da Bomb Beyond Insanity Hot Sauce goes straight to the back of your throat and lingers for about 30 minutes. This is not a hot sauce to efff around with, this is one to use extreme caution with. Now you may be thinking, does it even have flavor or is it just Satan hell hot? Well, let’s break down Da Bomb.
Video Review
Flavor
The ingredients in Da’ Bomb are: habanero peppers, chipotle puree, water, orange juice concentrate, natural pepper flavoring, tomato paste, potassium sorbate, and sodium benzoate.
If you like a smoky chipotle taste that is hotter than hell, then this is your the evil buddy you’ve been looking for. You can smell the smoky chipotle peppers right when opening the bottle. You can taste the smokiness (and a little sweetness from the habaneros and orange juice) right away and as this builds the tomato paste is more pronounced, giving Da Bomb some acidic properties in this flavor profile.
This will overtake anything you eat if you don’t treat it with respect. This is a sauce made for drops, not for drizzles (and DEFINITELY not for pours if you’re a sane human being).
Heat Balance
I forget if I mentioned this already, but this is HOTTER THAN HELL AND YOU’LL CRY AND FEEL LIKE YOU WANNA DIE IF YOU TRY ANYMORE THAN A TINY AMOUNT! Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell, I just needed to make it clear that even if you blast through a habanero pepper easily, this sauce will get you. Da Bomb claims 135,600 Scoville units, and it feels like that and more. I can certainly appreciate that this spiciness comes from pure habanero pepper and chipotle, not a high heat/no flavor chili pepper extract.
This is a back of the throat heat and it lasts and lasts (and lasts). This is not a sauce to give unknowingly to your friends (unless you never want to see them again.)The balance of heat, smokiness, and sweet is ok, but not great: the heat hits quick and lingers. It’s met with that smoky sweetness soon after the hammer hits, but it gets steamrolled some by the spiciness.
To really appreciate Da Bomb, it may be best to mix it with another more neutral ingredient that can take on its flavor. I mixed a toothpick amount into some sour cream and plopped it right on top of my burrito and it was amazing. It really brought out the smoky flavors of the chipotle.
Usability
Da Bomb Beyond Insanity, with that smoky chipotle, is a hot sauce that you can pair with any meats where you want a real kick in the $#@! It’s delicious when mixed in a wing sauce (making some seriously hot wings) and an awesome addition to any steak sauce. But again, you won’t want to use a lot. This is a lingering heat that can overtake a meal if too much is used.
The tricky part for usability is the spout. It’s the size of two pencil erasers which I think is WAY too big for a sauce of its nature. This spout should make it way harder for this crazy beast to be let out of its cage.
Collectibility
Da Bomb walks the talk on its packaging. The bottle is a thicker glass and shaped like a little bomb. The bomb on the label with burning fire behind it really paints a nice picture of what you’re about to walk into when you taste this hot sauce. Its font and labeling have an old school vibe to it which adds to its charm.
It’s definitely a fun collectible sauce – it just looks wicked, mean, and fun all in one. This is the kind of bottle you keep even after Da Bomb Hot Sauce is all gone to remind yourself of what a badass you were to finish this spicy monster.
The Score
Collectible packaging meets big heat that tends to linger. Careful – too much will overtake your meal. Smoky and sweet – but use a drop or two at a time!
| FINAL SCORE | 3.8 |
| Overall Flavor | 3.5 |
| Heat Balance | 3.5 |
| Usability | 3 |
| Collectibility | 4.5 |
| X-Factor | 4.5 |
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