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Multi-Review: AlphaNerdz- Pain2 Hot Sauce
By Buddah | September 8, 2008 |
For those of you that are unfamiliar with the creator of Alphanerdz sauces, here’s a bit of information to help you get to know the man behind the sauce.
Cap’n
I live in Brisbane Australia, always loved cooking & had my own cafe for a while where my Thai curries soon got very popular and I started to learn about the asian curry techniques of increasing heat without losing the flavor of your meal.
I’d always been a chillihead although the range available here consisted of asian birdseye, green jalapenos & long horns, & hot sauce meant tabasco. A few years ago when I got my own place where I could have a garden, I started growing these odd things called Habaneros and soon met some local chilliheads who had the same passion & then ran into Mick Stillman from Ol Man Stillmanz whos range of hot sauces are a true inspiration.
After messing with a few jars of what I know (asian curry pastes) I made a few sauces just for my own use from surplus pods & passed them around. The feedback was so good I had to do more. So with advice from Mick & others over at thehotpepper.com I continued my journey.
The ‘pain’ sauce was a recipe I came up with to cope with the heat of a Naga Morich…as no Nagas were available when I made it I just crammed it full of Habs and sent it out for feedback. Later that year when a friends Naga crop came in I added a few & some other ingredients & TaDa ‘pain2′. The response from all corners of the planet has really caught me off guard…as an eg. an email just arrived while I’ve been typing this -
“Hey Bent, how’s it hanging? Thought you might be pleased to know that I am very glad I ordered 2 bottles of your Pain2. One of the bottles has already been licked clean”
I really don’t know how to respond except to make more. Oh and maybe a new recipe for Christmas when our Summer pods come in.
~bent
And now let’s get on with the review…
BILL with assistance from SANDI:
Today fellow chiliheads I (we) will be reviewing a sauce that hails clear from Australia. The sauce is named AlphaNerdZ ‘pain2′. I really like the label, simple yet colorful, and all of the ingredients are listed in percentages. It doesn’t get much easier than that. The first two ingredients being pears and habanero’s lead me to believe that this sauce will be right up my alley. In addition to the 30% habanero’s there is also 13% Naga paste. Needless to say at 43% of the contents being heat I really expected a real burner, but we’ll get to that in a moment.
Ok-so I patiently await the arrival of my partner in crime to get home from work so that I can rip the lid off pain2 and give her a spin. Sandi finally gets home, and after a SHORT discussion about the bottle, off comes the lid. I give the contents a sniff and the first thing that stands out is cinnamon. After a few more whiffs the best I can describe this sauce is a fruity, cinnamony, habaneroie aroma. Yea I know those aren’t exactly words but I think you get the picture.
Well after snorting all the fumes out of the pain2 bottle I decide to take a hit…huh, not bad, so I give her another pull. Good stuff. Real tasty and WAY less heat than I thought it would have. By now Sandi is kind of giving me one of those “so how is it” looks so I pass the bottle to her and she just goes for it. I think she expected to get really burned just because I have been known to trick her once in a while, but that wasn’t the case. I think she actually liked it more than I did.
So anyway there we sit playing “puff puff pass” for a bit discussing what we are going to use this sauce on, and honestly I don’t think we really decided on a particular food because by now we have almost killed the bottle, using it on taco’s, pizza, burgers, as well as trying it as a steak dip and some things I can’t remember. I just remembered that we are on a diet?! No wonder I ain’t losing weight!!!
Anyway, this sauce is really good! I’m not real hip on the cinnamon but that doesn’t kill it by any means. We actually have been using it more than any other sauce lately so that should say something. Only real negative would be the shipping rates, but maybe someone like Bret could figure out how to get some here to sell at a reasonable price.
Thanks Buddah, Bent (the maker), Cap’n and everyone else!!!!!!!!!!!
Bill
BUDDAH:
I first noticed this product from Bent(the Alphanerd himself) over at TheHotZoneOnline when they did a couple of reviews for this hot sauce. When an offer went up to sample it, I contacted Bent and asked if he would like to do a review. Once we had the particulars worked out, I was excited by the prospect of doing this very unique hot sauce. Bent is from Brisbane, Australia so this would be the first Australian hot sauce I have ever tried.
I love the artwork on this bottle. I see that pepper and it reminds of my favorite hot pepper, the Trinidad Scorpion. I would buy the bottle just because of that. Although, there are no Trinidad Scorpions listed in the ingredients. Too bad, maybe next time.
Ingredients: Pears, Chillies (Habaneros 30%, Asian Birdseye 18%, Long Green 5%, Jalapeno 5%, 13% Naga Morich Paste, Gari, Vinegar, Garlic, Cinnamon, Black Olives, Brandy Essence, White Pepper.
I don’t usually sniff my sauces, but because these ingredients were so uncommon in hot sauces, I just had to see what would stand out. I am not sure at all what I smelled, but I would definitely say that it smells like it is going to be hot. I am not just saying that because it is called pain2(squared), I am just calling it as I smell it. I was a little intimidated by the heat, especially after reading Joe’s HZO review, but once I sampled it, I was relieved that although it packs a lot of fire, it is in no way overwhelmingly hot. I am just not sure what I am tasting. You would figure someone as big as me who loves food so much, would be able to distinguish the many flavors going on with this sauce. I can not. There is a familiar habanero taste, but beyond that, I just don’t taste the pears or black olives, (which I am thankful because I am not a fan of olives). I don’t taste the jalapenos nor the garlic and I am not really sure what brandy essence is supposed to taste like. I don’t care though because this sauce is special.
So what food did I eat with it? Take a look…
Everyone of those things that I applied it on was great. Although I didn’t use any on the corn relish, the mac ‘n cheese was my favorite application. The chicken salad also kicked much butt and you get little heat because the mayo and chicken seemed to absorb it all. Which brings out the flavor so much more. Sometimes when you are eating something hot, the heat makes you forget about the flavor because it builds and builds until you are on fire and that is the only thing you notice. This is why I love trying hot sauce with mayo in chicken salad.
Bent, you made a very good hot sauce, and this is just your first attempt too. What will happen over the years when you get a little experience under your belt? The Chileheads of the world will rejoice for sure. Thanks for making this review possible. I am glad my tongue got a chance to dance with your pain. Errr…pain2 that is.
HUDD:
Alpha Nerdz Pain2
Made in Australia
Ingredients: Pears, Chillies (Habaneros 30%, Asian Birdseye 18%, Long Green 5%, Jalapeno 5%, 13% Naga Morich Paste, Gari, Vinegar, Garlic, Cinnamon, Black Olives, Brandy Essence, White Pepper.
I went to the Alphanerdz website but it was not up and running yet so I couldn’t get any info or suggested uses for the sauce. So I just had to wing it.
This sauce is my first product from outside of North America. The label is pretty neat looking with a pepper with a face, and an engorged brain with big ole nerd glasses on. As I was taking it from the package, my son was taking a pizza from the oven. I’ve never dumped hot sauce on my pizza before so I figure this will be a first.
I opened the bottle and took my usual first whif to see how hot it smells. Pain2 has a different smell to it. After looking at the ingredients list I can see why. I’ve started to learn that sauce isn’t just tomato, vinegar and peppers like I once thought.
So I pour a good amount on a slice of pizza and take a bite. I must admit, I didn’t like what I was tasting. The Pain2 has a different taste from anything that I’ve had before. Again this is from the unusual ingredients. So at this point I’m thinking that I’m going to have to give my first unfavorable review.
The next day I’m eating chips and salsa, and I decided to grab the Pain2 and pour a drop on a chip. Now this I liked. It had a much different taste on chips than on the pizza. Could’ve been the mixing of Pain2 and pizza sauce just was a bit much. Anyway, I ended up eating over half the bottle on Tostitos. The naga morich really came through and left a pretty good burn in my mouth for quite a while after eating the chips.
The next thing I tried Pain2 on is some wings. Now it tasted even different on the wings. The heat from the wings seemed like it intensified the heat of the sauce. I had four wings covered in it and when I finished them I was lit up pretty good. This burn lasted for a while also.
My biggest complaint with AlphaNerdz Pain2 would have to be the shipping rates, and of course the maker has no control over that. Shipping from down under is about 15 bucks. Other than that as long as you don’t use it on pizza (my opinion) it ended up being an okay sauce. It is different from the norm and has some good heat to it.
To contact Alphanerdz, you can email Bent direct via email, contact “at” alphanerdz.com He can also be reached over on The Hot Pepper forum.
Here are more AlphaNerdz reviews from our friends at The Hot Zone Online: Passow’s review & Joe’s review…
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Topics: General, Hot Product Reviews, Reviews | 19 Comments »
Thanks everyone, really glad you liked it. My scrapbook is now full so I’m off to hit some big kitchens for backing.
My new thing ‘Chronic.Pain’ is the same recipe but without the pears & put into a 110 ml jar – this means minimum postage to anywhere on the planet (AU$8.80 to U.S) and a less expensive product all round.
Thanks again
Nice reviews folks. I’ve finished off my bottle of Pain2 adding a little to this and a little to that. Spiced up some scrambled eggs pretty good. Just a very unique taste.
We’ve finished off our bottle also. What a unique sauce! Love the flavor. I think the pears were a nice touch to give it the sweet…even though I don’t care for pears. The brandy essance adds to the sweet also. \
Thank goodness I couldn’t taste the olives…can’t stand them. But whatever they add to this sauce works.
Hey Bent, thank you for allowing TTF to review your product. The reviews that I’ve read on this site, The Hot Pepper, and The Hot Zone Online have all been favorable. Sounds like you’re doin’ something right! Keep up the good work, and we wish you the best. If we can help you in any other way please let us know.
Welcome to TTF. Thanks for letting me organize this review for you. Sorry it took longer than you expected. It is a good product that will find a niche in American stores if you ever find yourself sending your products here. Again, try contacting Bret at Jungle Jim’s so we all can pick up for more at next year’s Weekend of Fire event. That gives you 1 year to get Mick, Neal and your products on a pallet and shipped together. A reasonable timeframe.
OK….I know I’m gunna catch holy hell for this nut why the heck is everyone sniffing and snortin this sauce?
I eve see Bill is taking hits and pulls and puffs off of it. (puff puff pass) A new game?
Bill, are you smoking it?
Anyway, sounds like a good sauce, Bent…. I love your video.
OK…..Cap’n
WHEN DO US IDIOTS GET SPELLCHECK!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry Parker-I coulda said that I took a “suck” off the bottle but that ain’t my way. Also when giving the sauce a sniff the smell is sooo NOT like anything I am use to. Never once did I notice the presence of vinegar in this sauce wether it be smell or taste. THAT is unusual.The day we first opened the bottle it was a beautiful summer day and we were sitting on the back porch and sitting there passing this bottle back and forth between us just kind of reminded me of when times were a little different and things were good and you shared. This sauce IS good and that was my take on it. :sunshine::dtu:
One another note-the pizza we used this sauce on used alfredo sauce instead of a tomato based sauce. I can see like Hudd said where it wouldn’t work on pizza with a tomato based sauce. It really is a shame that you can’t get this sauce more easily.
Hey :nerd:-what was on your mind when you made that chicken salad? Not sure if I wanta’ hit the beach or eat something.
It’s called subliminial advertising.
Fair enough…I wish Marla shared my passion for hot foods like Sandi does!
I know they are for Jodie.
NO PRESENCE OF VINEGAR? I NEED TO TRY THIS. GREAT REVIEW.
Great review guys! Sounds like a really good sauce that I need to try. I have to go Wiki ‘gari’ now, I never heard of that before…
Hehe – the smell of ‘pain’ lol. One of my taste-testers gave me hell once because I did a batch that didn’t have enough of the pain smell.
Also, yes, the heat is deceptive. It will appear hotter on some foods than others, have to remember theres a lot of very hot fresh peppers in each bottle but I’m not keen on taking out my or anyone elses tastebuds on the first bite. So theres a bit of smoke & mirrors to draw it out.
HUDD: I’ve been working on the site tonight (1 am here now) it still looks lame ATM but should be up within a week.
I’m hoping to be able to post a few pics of pain in action if thats o.k. Personally I like my pain2 like this:
CLICK HERE
that pic looks good, but why ruin it with that green stuff.
it stops the grease from the burger making the roll soggy
Hmmm…I might have to try that one day. What do they call this green stuff?