“How many have over 100?”
Carlos Fagundes, manager of Bruno’s Shop Smart in Lakeport admits grocery stores offer many of the same items — milk, cereal, impulse buy pulp magazines. But in this case he is referring to hot sauce.
Yes, the searing condiments responsible for countless dares, panting tongues and the occasional weeping, fetal collapse. Bruno’s and its sister store, Ray’s in Clearlake, stock over 100 different hot sauce options.
The addition of this wall of flame was included in the store’s recent renovation. And it has already spiced up interest.
“I’ve had customers say ‘I got this in Arizona and you have it here,’” Fagundes reported. But, he warned, “some are extremely hot.”
Once upon a time, the most potent bottle on an American shelf — apart from moonshine during the Prohibition era — was the classic blend of vinegar and relatively mild red peppers known as Tabasco. And the classic Louisiana condiment still commands 18 percent of the market for spicy additions.
Over the last few decades, however, not so faint hearted Americans began reaching for more fiendish chiles. First, the daring turned to jalapenos, which generally heat up to 5,000 or 6,000 on the Scoville scale.. Next the habanero gained a fearsome reputation for blasting taste buds, thanks to its devilish tendency to reach 350,000.
Since then we’ve added datil, ghost and more exotic hybrids to the palate scorching list. In fact, sales of the hundreds of hot sauce labels hitting shelves each year jumped 150 percent since 2000 — outpacing barbecue sauce, ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard combined.
And so at Bruno’s and Ray’s you can pick up a vial of Salvation Sauce, Satan’s Blood, Mr. Blister or the hot selling Crapper John’s. Dave’s Gourmet Total Insanity is a fireball, cushioned only briefly by a sweet and fruity vinegar before the sauce decides to play havoc over your lips and tongue.
There are also playful labels, associated with the Three Stooges or Elvis. Sgt. Pepper’s Balsamic Blackberry is tangy, sugary and rich, but with an earthy finished sharpened by salt.
Not every sauce features a fiery blaze. Tahiti Joe’s Tropi-Garlic leans on the rasp of bulbs, honed by red peppers. Dave’s ginger peach is a thick balance of fruit and a rooted bite.
There are colorful bottles and trinkets. Day of the Dead comes with a plastic skeleton attached to the bottle. Many feature clever names — some far too risqué for a family establishment.
“There are another 50 or 60 more that I can’t bring in,” said Ryan McKinney, Bruno’s Person in Charge, who stocks the wall of fire.
So how do people choose from over 100 labels?
“The names,” McKinney said with a laugh. “They go after the flashy ones.”
Well, how else? Who, after all, could resist Frostbite, a clear liquid spiked by capsaicin extract?
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
