So the label of Dave’s Cool Cayenne Hot Sauce sort of says it all, with its laid-back chili pepper soaking in the sun. This is one cool Louisiana-style sauce – in attitude and flavor – with enough tang and heat to make it very addictive. It’s tasty and well-balanced, but is it as usable as, say, the Tabascos of the hot sauce world? We take a closer look at Dave’s Cool Cayenne to give you the skinny.
Flavor:
Dave’s Cool Cayenne is a thin sauce, but the color makes it look a bit fuller than other Louisiana-style hot sauces. It’s a beautiful orange hue, so pretty that you can almost taste it before it even hits your lips.
Its ingredient list is simple, but deeper than many other comparable sauces: red chilies, water, salt, acetic acid, xanthan gum, garlic, and onions.
You’ll notice – no vinegar on that list at all. The vinegar tang comes from the acetic acid (the component in vinegar that gives it its tang), The tanginess hits you right before you feel the chilies hit your tongue, which never really makes it to the back of your throat.
You get the garlic and onion flavors after a few bites of Cool Cayenne. It’s not something you taste up-front, but when these fresh flavors hit, they’ll have you coming back to this sauce for more.
There is a bit of saltiness to the flavor, too, but Dave’s Cool Cayenne is actually pretty reasonable in its sodium levels compared to many Louisiana-style hot sauces. It has only 15 mg per serving, significantly less than Tabasco Original Red or Slap Ya Mama.
Heat Balance:
Dave’s Gourmet is known for some crazy hot (and flavorful) sauces, but Cool Cayenne comes at its heat balance quite differently. Think of the spiciness of Cool Cayenne as a “warming” experience instead of a “bang” of heat.
There’s sort of a coolness to this sauce. The flavors build up to the cayenne warmth, which allows you to really be bold with usage on the plate. For hot sauce fans, there’s no real harm in using too much because the balance of tang and warmth is really lovely and the heat doesn’t linger. This aspect of Cool Cayenne actually makes it a fun sauce to match up with something that already has some heat elements to it.
Cayenne peppers range typically from 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville heat units, but the eating experience with this hot sauce is much, much less. We’d guess around 5,000 Scoville heat units at the top, putting it in line with eating a moderately hot fresh jalapeño pepper. This is a very eatable sauce.
Usability:
Dave’s Cool Cayenne is built for everyday use, so get ready to dash it on just about everything. This is fantastic on omelettes, chicken, pizza, wings, burgers, you name it.
I found it really tasty with avocado. Try this: Get some crusty bread, lay down some butter, slather it in Cool Cayenne, and then top with avocado. Simple, but crazy tasty. You can thank me later.
Notice how I didn’t say add salt? Even though this is a bit lower in sodium it still gives you enough of a salt kick to enjoy and that’s a win win for salt lovers like myself.
Collectibility:
This bottle’s label truly gives you the laid back vibe that you can taste in this sauce. Two peppers lounging on the beach in the sun, both with smiles on their faces that read “no worries here.” It’s a fun twist to the Dave’s Gourmet line where mega-heat is so prevalent. For that alone it’s a great collectible to pair with one of Dave’s hotter sauces, like Dave’s Insanity.
But don’t be surprised when this hot sauce goes fast. I think everyone can try this cool, mellow warmth and be happy they did. It’s a no worries kind of hot sauce: Easy to recommend and tasty on nearly everything.
The Score:
Dave’s Cool Cayenne is a surprising offering in a Dave’s line well-known for big heat. It’s warmth grows to a very eatable simmer with a tasty peppery flavor and vinegary tang. This is a daily-driver hot sauce that can be used and enjoyed on near everything. (Amazon)
FINAL SCORE | 3.9 |
Overall Flavor | 4 |
Heat Balance | 4 |
Usability | 4.5 |
Collectibility | 3.5 |
X-Factor | 3.5 |