I was wondering through the parking lot tailgate event that was this years Peppers On The Beach when I came across an unassuming vendor stand called Pluck-Tree-Peppa. I picked up the bottle, read the ingredients and figured it was just another Scotch Bonnet sauce. I asked for a sample and was caught by surprise. The sauce was fantastic!

Pluck-Tree-Peppa Gourmet Pepper Sauce: Hot Ingredients: Vinegar, onions, tomatoes, olives, garlic, Scott Bonnet Peppers, Habanero Peppers, Thai Peppers, Xanthan gum, recao.

Let me explain why I was caught off guard. I’m not that big of a fan of Scotch Bonnets (or “Scott Bonnet” as it reads on the ingredients) and feel they are a bit overrated in the flavor department. Don’t get me wrong, they are a tasty pepper, but I’m just not head over heals in love with the things like it seems everyone else is. When I tasted this sauce the flavor profile screamed Scotch Bonnet and I found myself loving it.

So, without further ado, here’s the flavor rundown for the Hot version of Pluck-Tree-Peppa Gourmet Pepper Sauce. Right up front is a slight acidic sweetness from the tomatoes mixing in with the Scotch Bonnet flavor and vinegar. That then moves into a well rounded blast of garlic which then brings it around to the fruity Habanero. After that the onions followed by the olives hit.

Then we start to get into the aftertaste. This is where the Thai peppers lay along with the cilantro like recao. The label may say hot but I’d put it around a medium. It mainly hits in the center of the tongue and eventually hits in the back of the throat and sides of the mouth.

I really can’t get over how good the Scotch Bonnet flavor is in this sauce. It’s so bright and ambient that you’d have to have the palate of a shovel not to enjoy it’s presence. One thing I also was amazed by was how stable the flavor profile of the sauce was when I cooked with it. I could still taste every aspect of this sauce no matter how many ways I prepared it. Hats off to the guys at Pluck-Tree-Peppa for a truly top notch concoction!

Taste: 10, Heat: 6.58