Brian Moon is definitely loco. In the world of hot sauce, a little insanity seems to do a world of good (see Dave’s Insanity if you don’t believe us) for the creative process. In a moment of lucidity, Brian signed the agreement through the folds of his straightjacket to send us some of his great hot sauces. For that, we are truly grateful. Thanks, Brian!!

We’re proud to feature Loco Luna Gourmet Foods, who offer yet another great set of hot sauces out of the Lone Star State. Brian Moon has established a foothold in the hot sauce biz with his Loco Luna hot sauces. We’ve seen the ads previously in Chile Pepper Magazine, so we were thrilled when Brian asked us to give his humble creations a run through our kitchen and palates. Here’s a few words from the crazy man himself….

Tell us a little about the moment that you just KNEW that the sauce you created was one that would be enjoyed by scores of adoring fans?

It was really an interesting process in arriving at the right “secret formula” (i.e. flavor and heat level) for Lava Gourmet Hot Sauce. From the beginning I realized that anyone could make a sauce with heat, but to be special we needed to have a delicious taste to go with it. Thus we set out with the goal of having a hot sauce with great flavor and satisfying heat. To get it right, I would play mad scientist, tweaking the flavors and spices along the way, and then try the new batch out on my family and friends. This went on for a while as I experimented. I felt confident that I had found the right combination when we had a pool party and made the latest version of Lava Hot Sauce available. The sauce disappeared very quickly with chips, hamburgers and BBQ and everyone started asking if they could get some to take home. Soon after that, some of their co-workers started calling to ask where they could buy Lava Sauce (some of the guests had taken a bit of the sauce to work the next week). These were hardcore chile heads as well as those with less of a tolerance for heat. I was pleased that we had come up with an original sauce that appeals to a wide variety of tastes from both a flavor and heat perspective. I was also pleased that the Lava Sauce didn’t melt through the containers I had it in!

When you were playing with your formula for what is now your Lava sauces, did you have a model you went by or was it all your invention?

The model I had to go by in formulating Lava Gourmet Hot sauce was my wife. Now that’s hot! Seriously, I have been something of a salsa chef at home for a long time, but hot sauce was a new arena. In addition to sampling a lot of different hot sauces, I did my research on the basics of hot sauce manufacturing. After doing my homework, it was really a matter of experimentation. I started with a basic recipe and added unique ingredients, experimented with preparation methods and techniques and eventually created a flavor profile that I was truly proud of. I figured if I could create a unique a taste with the perfect blend of heat that I was so good that I would crave it every day, I was on to something.

What has been the most challenging aspect of being in the hot sauce business? The most enjoyable?

The most challenging aspect to the hot sauce business has been not eating all of the inventory myself. Lava Sauce is just so good! Actually, I’ve also found it challenging to create a well known brand. Loco Luna Gourmet Foods is a new company. We came on the scene at Christmas of 2004 and in that time we have found successful retail placement with some wonderful stores like Grapevine Market, Central Markets and Market Street supermarkets. We also can be found in various spots in Florida, the Carolinas, Canada and specialty and gift shops in a number of cities in the south and southwest. This is a nice achievement for a small company in a short amount of time. This branding also includes a broad internet presence for distribution purposes. I’m always looking to increase distribution and I’d love to see more traffic and direct sales from www.locoluna.net. We have what I think is an exciting website with plenty of humor, great information, links and some interesting pictures of what I call ‘Lava Sauce on Tour’. This consists of sets of pictures of Lava Gourmet Hot Sauce in famous and not so famous locations around the world. Come visit us online today!

If someone asked you why they would like the LAVA sauces more than any others, what would you tell them?

In my experience, most hot sauces are in one of two varieties: abusively hot or flavored with little more than vinegar and chile powder. For me, neither of these is a recipe for a satisfying eating experience. There are some really good hot sauces out there, but I’ve found them to be in the minority given the huge number of choices available to the consumer. We aim to be different from the normal hot sauce by providing the perfect blend of great taste and satisfying heat. With that in mind, I believe that the best way to convince someone that they will like Lava Gourmet Hot Sauce more than others is simply to let them try it. When you look at Lava Sauce, you can see that it is richer than most, with flecks of fire roasted chiles and fresh herbs evident in the ‘meaty’ sauce. Then there is the taste. You first taste the subtle natural sweetness, then you will taste the flavors of fresh herbs and finally you will notice the heat! We’ve found that when people try Lava Gourmet Hot Sauce, they like it and they want more. Pretty soon the addiction is complete! I like to think that everyone from the most deranged hot sauce junkie to your ninety-eight-year-old grandmother can enjoy Lava Sauce’s surprisingly rich and complex character whether it is the mild, medium or hot Lava Sauce variety that you prefer. So why will people like Lava Gourmet Hot Sauce more than other hot sauces? Simple: the unique combination of great flavor and satisfying heat. Go with the flow!

We saw that plans are in place for an Extreme Lava hot sauce. Anything else that’s new on the drawing board there at Loco Luna?

Lava Gourmet Hot Sauce comes in three heat varieties currently: mild, medium and hot. We will be releasing the Extreme version before long. This is for those who really like it hot! It will have the same great flavor of Lava Sauce, but it is not for the faint of heart! Additionally, we are working on a new line of hot sauces that I think will be unlike anything out on the market currently. I’m pretty excited about this one. And finally, we have a snack item flavored with Lava Gourmet Hot Sauce that should be available for Christmas. If you’ve been to any of our tastings in Austin, then you will know what I’m talking about. We are always working on new ways to heat up your taste buds so visit us often online and ask for our products at your local stores!

So what’s in all this stuff? An Ingredient List!

Lava Mild, Lava Medium, and Lava Hot: habanero and other chili peppers, garlic, worcestershire sauce (water, vinegar, corn syrup, molasses, salt, hydrolyzed corn, soy, and wheat protein, chili pepper, caramel color, dehydrated onion and garlic, sugar, spices, anchovies, tamarind, natural flavors, sodium benzoate (a preservative)), cane juice, lime juice, salt, vinegar, tomato sauce (tomato puree(water, tomato paste), water, less than 2% salt, citric acid, spices, tomato fiber, natural flavor), and other herbs and spices.

Joe’s $0.02 Listen up…

Lava Mild: The bottle may say mild, but I thought this was a little spicier than the word “mild” might indicate. The key word for this sauce is “versatility.” It’s tasty and mild enough to use with a wide variety of foods. If I had my druthers, it would be a little thicker…but you simply can’t go wrong with its taste.

Lava Medium: After trying the Mild sauce, this one gave me the clue that the sauces got better with increasing heat level. This one worked well when mixed with a marinade for London Broil, although we nearly overcooked it out on the grill (fire, good…too much fire, bad). I liked it more than the Mild but less than the Hot, but don’t let that dissuade you. It’s still the first one of the three that I grab to try on or in food.

Lava Hot: Now this is more my speed, and makes me really look forward to the release of the Extreme Lava hot sauce. More habanero and less worcestershire makes this sauce delightfully and tastily good on many kinds of food, but I liked it best on meat…chicken, steak, ribs, ostrich, emu, whatever. Animal flesh, meet Lava sauce. Lava sauce, meet animal flesh. Bon appetit!

Linda’s $0.02 I’m brilliant…

Lava Mild: There is hardly any of this left. It’s just so multipurpose. I like all three sauces with red meat, but if any were to be appropriate for chicken, it would be this one. Also, this sauce seems to be great both in AND on stuff. The mild makes some great burgers when mixed in the meat.

Lava Medium: This is the first of the three I tried, and I tried it the next day after receiving it, though other sauces needed trying. I remember telling Joe that it was a bit spicier than medium, but had great flavor. I found this to be a great addition to soups, stews and chili. It was the perfect one to start with.

Lava Hot: Just like the medium, with great flavor, but hotter. It has the right combination of flavors, especially a nice balance of salt. This sauce is better on stuff than in stuff because the flavor almost gets lost. But, if you’re looking for the perfect burger sensation, use the mild in the meat mixture and the hot on top. Yuuuuummmmmy!

Don’t just take our word for it! Here are some online reviews of these sauces:

Hot Sauce Blog review

Give these reviewers a shout and ask them to review Loco Luna’s products as well.

Alien Zombie
Feeling Saucy
Sauce Rater
Hot Sauce Guide

Want to review Loco Luna’s products for yourself? Go here and leave your own opinion:

www.rateitall.com
www.thehotpepper.com/viewforum.php?f=3

Recipes

Honestly, we didn’t create any unique recipes with these sauces..at least not yet. If you have found a way to use these sauces in a cool new way (with food, people…get your mind out of the gutter), then give Brian a shour through www.locoluna.net.

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI