10. 10 has a very prominent position in the history of mankind. 10 is one of the bases of the decimal numeral system (ie: The base-10 system) ; the Roman’s represented it by the letter “X”; 10 is the number of spacetime dimensions in Superstring Theory (although I prefer Bosonic String Theory myself…I’m old school); there are 10 Commandments and 10 plaques in the Bible; the Torah records 10 generations between Adam and Noah and 10 generations between Noah and Abraham; something that scores perfectly is considered as “a perfect 10″; Capricorn is the 10th astrological sign of the Zodiac; and so on and so forth.

This time, 10 represents another important event. It’s the name of the sauce commemorating the 10th Anniversary of the founding of CaJohn’s company. Made with 4 of the world’s hottest chiles and a few other select ingredients, this sauce is the world’s hottest non-extract sauce! Heat has never tasted better.

CaJohn’s 10 Ingredients:Fatalii Chiles, Red Savina Habaneros, Orange Habaneros, Onions, Distilled Vinegar, Mustard (Vinegar, Water, #1 Grade Mustard Seed, Salt, Tumeric, Paprika, Spices), Garlic, Naga Jolokia (aka Naga Morich) Powder, Black Pepper, Chile Caribe, Cayenne, A Select Blend of Dehydrated Vegetable Powders

I was luck enough to try with in front of CaJohn and his group at the 2007 Fiery Foods Show and boy did it light me up! The number 10 is the top of the heat scale and this sucker nails it! Each pepper hits different spots on your tongue and at different times, which is a very unique feeling. Sort of an, “Ow…Ow…Ow…Ow.” type feeling.

Then the Naga hits you. Past experiences with this pepper has proven that it takes no prisoners. It’s a mean, gnarly shaped pod of pain that will leaven even the most rugged Supermen begging for mercy. This sauce is no different. The Naga is down towards the bottom of the list of ingredients and yet it’s heat and flavor are still prominent!

Now, don’t get me wrong, while heat is the main goal of this sauce, it has a lot of flavor. It is a chunky sauce more reminiscent of some of his purees so the texture is very complex when rolled over the tongue. The sweet and sharp tastes of the peppers are the first thing to hit your mouth along with the oh so familiar flavor of onions. I like that the onions are not over powering like they are with some sauces. Also making it’s appearance on the taste buds is my enemy…mustard.

Before I go any further I have to explain. I hate mustard. Typical mustards make me gag even before I taste them because of their neon yellow color. The taste doesn’t sit well with me either. The flavor prominently shows up in this sauce. Oddly enough, that’s the only qualm I have with 10. But as I stated, I don’t like mustard. If you do, then you’re sure to like 10!

Here’s may favorite part. I get to make collectors jealous. While I don’t collect hot sauces (I eat them), I received my only bottle of hot sauce that I refuse to open, thus going in my collection of empty “consumed” bottles. At the 2007 Fiery Foods Show I received from CaJohn himself, a signed prototype of 10. It does not contain the Naga and has the early label. I have no clue as to how many were made, but I’ve got a signed one and I’m happy as a peach (that’s assuming if the peach had emotions and a way to express it. Man, that’s a scary thought; a happy peach. Even more, imagine a bunch of unhappy peaches. Would they have mouths? Would they bite? What if all of those peaches were connected to one hive mind while on the tree. Hundreds of peaches screaming out at once would be quite an unnerving sight. It also brings up an interesting ethical question; should we even pick them? Once they are separated from the hive mind, or the tree as it were, which would be a traumatic experience I might assume, would the peach then gain individuality? What a crummy deal, it would only get to experience a brief moment of that individuality while he sat there rotting on the shelf until it blinks out of existence. Forever lost to the aether. Makes one think of our own fleeting experience in this plane of existence, doesn’t it? All because of one happy peach). But I digress. Buy CaJohn’s 10, it’s great.

Taste: 8.9 (remember, I hate mustard), Heat: 10 (there’s that number again)