A while ago, Joe and Linda created a sauce, in conjunction with CaJohn, to help raise money for the charity Autism Speaks. Now the world will finally know what this little guy tastes like.

Epidemic Proportions by The Hot Zone Online Ingredients: Fatalii chilies, Red Savina Habanero, vinegar, garlic, onion, Tequila, lime juice, cilantro, crushed red peppers, Naga Jolokia, Mexican oregano, salt, spices.

Hot sauce collectors out there are probably going to have fit, but I received two of these in the mail…and I opened one! Eek! But have no fear, it was a higher number (108 out of 150). Right off the bat I have to comment on what a cool little collectable this guy is. With it’s snazzy, easy to read label, interesting color, perfume bottle shaped…uh…bottle, and white and blue wax, it’s really neat!

That being said, it’s a pain in the ass to open, and the shape of the bottle and small opening for the sauce also make it hard to pour out the contents. But it’s a collector’s bottle, so that’s not really meant to be easy to open….me thinks. The color of the sauce is a very interesting shade of green with bright flecks of color suspended within. It’s like a Christmas tree that you can eat…Willy Wonka couldn’t even think of that one!

After struggling I finally got a good sized dollop on my tasting spoon. Thickly pureed, I like thick. Remember how I said this thing was green in color? Well it tastes green as well. Way too much cilantro and oregano although the oregano isn’t as overbearing as the cilantro. I wonder if some of the peppers were unripened as well because it tastes a little off when it comes to the Savina, Fataliis, and Nagas. Not bad, but not quite the full flavored punch that’s in my taste databank for these.

Next comes the onion then the garlic. I sure do love garlic and this satisfies my craving for it because it’s sneaks in and out of the sauce and ends up being the primary aftertaste. Next comes the Tequila and knowing Joe and Linda, they probably put some high quality bottle into it. Following that up are the salt (which also becomes an aftertaste) and the lime juice. The more I eat this the more it reminds me of a Mexican style sauce mixed with a margarita. Boy do I miss those El Coyote margaritas back in Los Angeles.

Be careful, this thing gives you a fast endorphin rush. A few tastes and I was already light headed….my kind of sauce. The heat on this is fast hitting and long lingering. Since CaJohn had his little hands on this I wonder if he did his new magic trick with the heat that he’s getting so famous for. Overall, one interesting sauce with one heck of a burn.

Taste: 7.1, Heat: 9.4124