According to Sontava! (the exclamation mark is part of the name), their products are not just sauces, but accents. And thick ones at that. They take pride in the fact that their sauces are made from just a handful of natural ingredients, and they should. This is definitely one of the better habanero sauces out there and one that I usually have at the ready in the pantry.
The extra hot version of their habanero sauce contains fresh habanero peppers, fresh carrots, fresh onions, lime juice, vinegar, fresh garlic, salt, and there’s some xantham gum in there as well as a stabilizer. The peppers are grown in the Tropical Andes of South America and are “unlike any in the world” according to the website. This all comes together to make a darn tasty sauce
The first thing you get upon tasting the sauce is that distinct flavor of habaneros followed by a little acid and a good peppery finish. The fresh carrots and onions help to enhance the taste and give it some depth, though there is not much of the sweetness you might have expected from them. The sauce does have vinegar, but it is further down on the list of ingredients, and it definitely does not dominate the taste. It also has salt, but not too much (it has a lower sodium content than most hot sauces). This is definitely a thick sauce and will require a few strong flicks of the wrist to get it out of the bottle, but then a little goes a long way.
It does not seem that hot at first bite, but it is not long before you know that heat is there. And of course, the more you eat the hotter it gets. This one is on the upper end of the hot heat level and approaching fiery. But the heat is not going to have you running from the room in agony. The average mortal will definitely feel the pain, but for chiliheads this is one that burns so good! For those who have tried Melinda’s habanero sauces, this one has a similar flavor, though I would not call it a straight copy.
The Sontava! Habanero Sauce goes particularly well on eggs, but this is one that I use on just about everything. Of course it is a good topping for tacos and burgers, but it is a darn near perfect pairing with pizza. You can also add it to soups and sauces to kick them up and add some flavor without turning them into lava, as long as you are judicious with the amount added. And mix some of this in with a bowl of queso to really wake up that cheese dip!
Sontava! has four varieties of hot sauce, all of which are good. I prefer the Habanero Extra Hot, but the Habanero Hot is fine for those looking for the taste it delivers at a slightly lower level on the Scoville scale. The Mango Habanero has a similar heat to the Habanero Hot and brings a little more sweetness and fruitiness. And count the Sontava! Jalapeno is a starter sauce that delivers good flavor without as much heat. As a plus, these sauces are very budget-friendly. They retail at four bucks and I usually find them at my local market between two and three bucks.
Sontava! grows its peppers in South America, but I believe the sauces are bottled right here in Texas because that is the address they have on the website (Flower Mound, TX). They are widely available across this state in most grocery stores, and I am guessing you can find them in the stores in other parts of the country or in specialty markets. The Habanero Extra Hot is my favorite, but you can’t go wrong with any of the sauces from this company.
Tale of the Tape:
Ingredients: Fresh Habanero Pepper Mash (Water, Red Habanero Peppers with Seeds), Fresh Carrot, Fresh Onion, Acidulant (Natural Lime Juice), White Vinegar, Fresh Garlic, Salt, Antioxidant (Citric Acid), Stabilizer (Xantham Gum)
Serving Size: 1 Teaspoon
Calories: 0
Fat: 0g
Protein: 0g
Carbs: 0g
Sodium: 105mg