Bottom Line: The Torchbearer sauces Son of Zombie, Garlic Reaper, and Zombie Apocalypse deliver good taste and plenty of heat but should be used judiciously.
Torchbearer is a craft hot sauce company known for making some very hot and very tasty concoctions, and their products have started to become more readily available throughout the country. I have to admit, though, that I have been remiss in trying their sauces even though I have seen them regularly recommended. (Hey! There are a lot of hot sauces out there.) I happened to be in World Market a few weeks ago and noticed a sampler three-pack of 1.7 oz bottles and decided that I should finally find out what these are all about. It included the Son of Zombie Sauce, Garlic Reaper Sauce, and Zombie Apocalypse Sauce, all of which I had previously seen recommended in other places. Here are my thoughts on each of them:
Son of Zombie Sauce: This one has a sweet and smoky taste that starts out with a bit of a kick. It is very similar to a hot barbeque sauce, though it doesn’t go overboard on the sweetness. It beings around the Medium level on my scale, and quickly builds from that. I don’t know that it quite reaches the XXX Hot level promised on the bottle, but it definitely goes beyond the Hot level on my scale and flirts with Fiery. The more you eat of this the hotter it gets, and it would certainly make some good wings or hot drumsticks.
Garlic Reaper Sauce: This sauce has a nice creaminess with some tang and it brings a definite punch of garlic. The first bite delivers some heat, but doesn’t seem too bad at first. Buckle in, though, because that builds quickly as this one jumps beyond Fiery while rounding the corner to Insane! This is definitely a sauce for garlic lovers, but only those that can handle the heat. And the garlic taste will disappear after a few bites to be replaced by numbing heat. Apply this with care if you want to keep from melting your taste buds! And I am thinking a few drops of this could make some really good and fiery alfredo sauce.
Zombie Apocalypse Sauce: While all three of these sauces bring the heat, this one lives up to the Apocalypse in its title. It has a strong peppery taste, like when you bite into a dried ghost chili. It is creamy and has a nice richness and just a little bit of tang. But by the second bite, it has jumped beyond Fiery and is already up to insane. To enjoy the taste of this, you are going to have to do a drop or two at a time and space those out. Otherwise, the numbing effects will take over. Both this and Garlic Reaper sauce would be good to add to chili in small doses. They should also work well to kick up some Indian food.
Basically, the last two of these are among the hottest non-extract sauces I have ever had. The taste is really good, but you only get that for the first bite or two before the numbing takes over. So be warned that the Reaper and the Apocalypse live up to their names. And even the Son of Zombie sauce will be beyond the tolerance level of average mortals. I definitely want to see how these work in various recipes because I believe they can kick up the heat while bringing good taste if used judiciously.
As mentioned, I found these at World Market and they have several of the larger bottles available there as well. If you have a local hot sauce shop (which in the ideal world would be on every block), they almost certainly carry this brand. But if you can’t find them at a retailer near you, the sauces are available for purchase directly from the Torchbearer website. And they have quite a few selections beyond these three signature sauces, so feel free to put together your own sampler pack.
Nutrition Info:
Son of Zombie Sauce:
Ingredients: Honey, apple cider vinegar, tomato paste, water, garlic, ghost pepper, habanero, distilled white vinegar, brown sugar, canola oil, lemon juice, molasses, mandarin orange, diced tomato, carrots, mustard powder, turmeric, garlic powder, onions, salt, crushed red pepper, white sugar, chili powder, oregano, black pepper
Serving Size: 2 Tbsp.
Calories: 50
Fat: 1g
Protein: 0g
Carbs: 10g
Sodium: 80mg
Garlic Reaper Sauce:
Ingredients: Carolina Reaper pepper, garlic, canola oil, water, distilled white vinegar, lime juice, granulated garlic, mustard powder, chili powder, salt
Serving Size: 1 Tbsp.
Calories: 45
Fat: 4g
Protein: 1g
Carbs: 3g
Sodium: 50mg
Zombie Apocalypse Sauce:
Ingredients: Bhut jolokia peppers, habanero peppers, carrot, mandarin orange, tomatoes, distilled white vinegar, vegetable oil, garlic, sugar, spices
Serving Size: 1 Tbsp.
Calories: 45
Fat: 1g
Protein: 0g
Carbs: 1g
Sodium: 20mg