Chili sauces - different types, tastes and spiciness

Hot sauces from our own Chilli Manufaktura

A good hot sauce is the quickest way to give a dish bold flavour and a kick of heat. You may know them as chilli sauce, spicy sauce or simply hot sauce – here they all mean the same thing. We make ours from chilli peppers, vegetables and fruit and bottle them in 100 ml. The range has 12 varieties: classic hot sauces without fruit, fruity blends, sweet-and-spicy recipes and a smoky barbecue sauce. The heat runs from a gentle 6,000 SHU to over 600,000 SHU, so whether you are only starting out or have eaten chillies for years, there is a bottle for you.

How to choose a chilli sauce by heat

Heat is measured in SHU (Scoville Heat Units) – the higher the number, the hotter the sauce. We sort our hot sauces into four levels, so you can find your match quickly:

If you are new to spicy food, start with the Jalapeno sauce or the mild Sea Buckthorn sauce with honey. With some experience behind you, try the medium hot Salsa or Cayenne, and if you want a real challenge, go for the extra hot Habanero. The Carolina Reaper sauce is meant only for seasoned fans of extreme heat – add it a drop at a time.

Chilli sauces by flavour

• Classic hot sauces – Jalapeno, Cayenne, Habanero and Carolina Reaper, with the full flavour of the chilli peppers themselves,
• Salsa and barbecue – tomato-based Salsa and smoky Barbecue with smoked peppers, made for everyday cooking and the grill,
• Fruity hot sauces – chilli combined with fruit for a sweet-and-spicy sauce.

The fruity sauces contain: Fiesta with apricots (20%), Mango with mango (20%), Cabernet with Cabernet Sauvignon grapes (20%), Plum with plums (25%), Strawberry with strawberries (25%) and Sea Buckthorn with Honey with sea buckthorn juice (16%) and bee honey (10%).

What goes well with hot sauce?

• grilled meat, steaks and marinades (try Barbecue or Habanero),
• burgers, hot dogs and tacos,
• pizza, pasta and rice dishes,
• eggs, scrambled eggs and omelettes,
• nachos and tortilla chips,
• chilli con carne, curry, soups and stews,
• cheese, vegetables and as a dip.

Tip: start with one or two drops and add more as you go. Shake the bottle before use. If you are looking for chilli in another form, have a look at chilli mash & pastes, dried chillies and chilli powder or Chilli Drops, which let you season food drop by drop.

Ingredients and production

Our hot sauces are made in our own Chilli Manufaktura. In several recipes chilli peppers make up 60% of the ingredients, joined by vegetables, fruit and spices. You will find the heat in SHU and the full ingredient list on every product page.

FAQ about hot sauces

Which chilli sauce is the mildest?
The Jalapeno sauce with 6,000 – 10,000 SHU. It is a good choice for beginners and goes with almost any dish.

Which hot sauce is the hottest?
The Carolina Reaper sauce with over 600,000 SHU, made for experienced lovers of spicy food.

Which hot sauce goes best with a barbecue?
The Barbecue and Habanero sauces suit grilled meat. If you like it sweet and spicy, try Fiesta or Mango.

What does SHU mean?
SHU stands for Scoville Heat Units, the unit used to measure the heat of chillies. The higher the number, the hotter the sauce.

Do the sauces contain vinegar?
Yes, but only a minimal amount – you will not taste it in the sauce.

Which hot sauce makes a good gift?
Take a look at our chilli gifts or chilli sets, which put several sauces into one package – for example the hot sauce gift set 4 x 100 ml.