Bitter: ⭐⭐✰✰✰
Salty: ⭐⭐✰✰✰
Sour/Tangy: ⭐⭐✰✰✰
Sweet: ⭐⭐✰✰✰
Umami: ⭐⭐✰✰✰
Heat: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰✰✰✰✰✰
Quick Flavor Notes: Garlic, fruity, mustard, earthy
Recommended: Yes
Texture: Medium and creamy
Ingredients: Garlic, Habanero Peppers, Non-GMO Canola Oil, Lime Juice, Distilled White Vinegar, Dijon Mustard, Water, Chili Powder, Black Pepper, Salt
Torchbearer’s most popular hot sauce amongst aficionados is their Garlic Reaper (even though I personally prefer their Zombie Apocalypse) but it is extremely hot. For some that’s the draw, after all pleasure combined with pain is part of what makes certain hot sauces exciting. For others, especially those just getting their feet wet in the hot sauce an spicy food world or those who have a naturally lower tolerance it can be too much. While I enjoy Garlic Reaper there are times when I’m looking for something that isn’t super-hot whether that be my mood at the time or if I’m about to take a flight or a long drive the next morning and don’t want to tempt fate. Torchbearer has responded with a sauce that’s very much like Garlic Reaper but without the Reaper.
Like Garlic Reaper Torchbearer’s Garlic Habanero earns respect for transparency in naming and ingredients with garlic and habanero peppers being the first two. Like Garlic Reaper this sauce also includes canola oil (and props to Torchbearer for avoiding soybean oil here) which gives this sauce a creamy emulsified texture. Lime juice and whtie vinegar carry over from Garlic Reaper as does the chili powder and black pepper. The only difference, other than the choice of peppers obviously, is that Garlic Reaper contains mustard powder and granulated garlic. Garlic Habanero skips the granulated garlic and substitutes Dijon Mustard for the mustard powder. Dijon Mustard is typically made from brown mustard seeds which have a stronger mustard flavor than the typical yellow mustard seeds. Dijon Mustard is also often used as an emulsifier in dressings and sauces so its presence here likely adds to the creamy texture. Speaking of which this sauce is medium in consistency with a smooth creamy texture. The garlic, mustard, and habaneros all come through in the aroma.
While “Magic is real, we bottle it” is Bravado’s tagline Torchbearer apparently has some magic going on up in Mechanicsburg, PA because they somehow made this sauce taste extremely similar to Garlic Reaper despite the considerable difference in heat. Changing the main pepper involved does introduce some differences of course, and the habanero base of Garlic Habanero is fruitier than the reapers without the characteristic reaper astringent quality. Without the furnace-level initial heat punch that Garlic Reaper has the other flavors of the sauce also come through more. The garlic stands out more in this sauce with a raw fresh garlic flavor that has plenty of bite. The mustard flavor is also more prominent, possibly because of the Dijon inclusion instead of just mustard powder, which adds a tangy piquancy that’s great against the sweeter habaneros and the rich oil base. There’s also a more noticeable smoky sweetness in this sauce from the habaneros and the chili powder, the latter being overpowered by the more extreme reaper flavor in its sister sauce. Like Garlic Reaper, and like similar oil-containing sauces such as Trader Joe’s Habanero Sauce, the inclusion allows the fat-soluble flavor elements of the peppers to be released which gives you a more full-bodied pepper flavor and also coats your tongue more so that the heat tends to be a bit higher than a similar sauce without the oil would be. The result is a sauce that’s creamy, rich, piquant, very garlicky, fruity, a tiny bit sweet, and hotter than many basic habanero sauces. Being a habanero sauce that heat comes on quickly but doesn’t linger nearly as long as their reaper version does.
One of the places Garlic Reaper works best is on Pizza and Garlic Habanero carries that tradition forward, possibly even better as you can add more to slice without completely overwhelming the other flavors. The creamy texture also makes this great as a sandwich spread and I loved the garlicky mustardy fruity bite that it added to a ham and turkey club. Of course like Garlic Reaper this is also amazing on chicken strips and wings, and as an added bonus with the naturally creamy consistency and lower heat level there’s no need to cut it with butter for wing duty.
Torchbearer knocked it out of the park with this one creating a sauce that brings a very similar flavor to Garlic Reaper (and I’d argue an even better balance) with a solidly medium heat level that almost anyone can enjoy. This is one I highly recommend whether you love Garlic Reaper and want something for those days you don’t crave violence or you’ve been hearing so much about it but aren’t sure if you’re ready for reapers yet. This sauce is also all natural with no artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, or thickeners.
by MagnusAlbusPater
1 Comment
Bitter: ⭐⭐✰✰✰
Salty: ⭐⭐✰✰✰
Sour/Tangy: ⭐⭐✰✰✰
Sweet: ⭐⭐✰✰✰
Umami: ⭐⭐✰✰✰
Heat: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰✰✰✰✰✰
Quick Flavor Notes: Garlic, fruity, mustard, earthy
Recommended: Yes
Texture: Medium and creamy
Ingredients: Garlic, Habanero Peppers, Non-GMO Canola Oil, Lime Juice, Distilled White Vinegar, Dijon Mustard, Water, Chili Powder, Black Pepper, Salt
Torchbearer’s most popular hot sauce amongst aficionados is their Garlic Reaper (even though I personally prefer their Zombie Apocalypse) but it is extremely hot. For some that’s the draw, after all pleasure combined with pain is part of what makes certain hot sauces exciting. For others, especially those just getting their feet wet in the hot sauce an spicy food world or those who have a naturally lower tolerance it can be too much. While I enjoy Garlic Reaper there are times when I’m looking for something that isn’t super-hot whether that be my mood at the time or if I’m about to take a flight or a long drive the next morning and don’t want to tempt fate. Torchbearer has responded with a sauce that’s very much like Garlic Reaper but without the Reaper.
Like Garlic Reaper Torchbearer’s Garlic Habanero earns respect for transparency in naming and ingredients with garlic and habanero peppers being the first two. Like Garlic Reaper this sauce also includes canola oil (and props to Torchbearer for avoiding soybean oil here) which gives this sauce a creamy emulsified texture. Lime juice and whtie vinegar carry over from Garlic Reaper as does the chili powder and black pepper. The only difference, other than the choice of peppers obviously, is that Garlic Reaper contains mustard powder and granulated garlic. Garlic Habanero skips the granulated garlic and substitutes Dijon Mustard for the mustard powder. Dijon Mustard is typically made from brown mustard seeds which have a stronger mustard flavor than the typical yellow mustard seeds. Dijon Mustard is also often used as an emulsifier in dressings and sauces so its presence here likely adds to the creamy texture. Speaking of which this sauce is medium in consistency with a smooth creamy texture. The garlic, mustard, and habaneros all come through in the aroma.
While “Magic is real, we bottle it” is Bravado’s tagline Torchbearer apparently has some magic going on up in Mechanicsburg, PA because they somehow made this sauce taste extremely similar to Garlic Reaper despite the considerable difference in heat. Changing the main pepper involved does introduce some differences of course, and the habanero base of Garlic Habanero is fruitier than the reapers without the characteristic reaper astringent quality. Without the furnace-level initial heat punch that Garlic Reaper has the other flavors of the sauce also come through more. The garlic stands out more in this sauce with a raw fresh garlic flavor that has plenty of bite. The mustard flavor is also more prominent, possibly because of the Dijon inclusion instead of just mustard powder, which adds a tangy piquancy that’s great against the sweeter habaneros and the rich oil base. There’s also a more noticeable smoky sweetness in this sauce from the habaneros and the chili powder, the latter being overpowered by the more extreme reaper flavor in its sister sauce. Like Garlic Reaper, and like similar oil-containing sauces such as Trader Joe’s Habanero Sauce, the inclusion allows the fat-soluble flavor elements of the peppers to be released which gives you a more full-bodied pepper flavor and also coats your tongue more so that the heat tends to be a bit higher than a similar sauce without the oil would be. The result is a sauce that’s creamy, rich, piquant, very garlicky, fruity, a tiny bit sweet, and hotter than many basic habanero sauces. Being a habanero sauce that heat comes on quickly but doesn’t linger nearly as long as their reaper version does.
One of the places Garlic Reaper works best is on Pizza and Garlic Habanero carries that tradition forward, possibly even better as you can add more to slice without completely overwhelming the other flavors. The creamy texture also makes this great as a sandwich spread and I loved the garlicky mustardy fruity bite that it added to a ham and turkey club. Of course like Garlic Reaper this is also amazing on chicken strips and wings, and as an added bonus with the naturally creamy consistency and lower heat level there’s no need to cut it with butter for wing duty.
Torchbearer knocked it out of the park with this one creating a sauce that brings a very similar flavor to Garlic Reaper (and I’d argue an even better balance) with a solidly medium heat level that almost anyone can enjoy. This is one I highly recommend whether you love Garlic Reaper and want something for those days you don’t crave violence or you’ve been hearing so much about it but aren’t sure if you’re ready for reapers yet. This sauce is also all natural with no artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, or thickeners.