Dschafer: My mother went up to Zest Fest with my aunt this past weekend and she ended up bringing me one of these great little bottles of fire.The Caffeinator-XXX.After reading the reviews, my experience was a lot like DK’s the first thing I thought about putting it on after tasting it was a hamburger.I also have to agree it is a good combo.

Welcome to TTF Dschafer!

Man, it’s hard to believe that it’s been almost two years since this review. I haven’t had this sauce since then. Glad to see that Sam is still making it. I’ll have to pick up a bottle of it and give it another go. All of a sudden I’m craving hamburger steak … and it’s not even lunchtime yet.

Ol’ Benito on May 1, 2009 at 8:04 am said:

Very creative sauce. I want to try it.

Welcome aboard Ol’ Benito!

Sam on April 20, 2009 at 9:26 pm said:

Thanks man. Since we are starting to come up with a lot of products that don’t contain honey it was seemed like the right thing to do. I wanted to make a really big deal about it, but I knew this review was still in the works and I didn’t want to make it totally obvious it was me. One thing that I thought for sure would give it away was the fact that this sauce was in the Chile Pepper Hot Sauce Issue.

On the topic of Chile Pepper Magazine, anyone have the latest issue? This one caused a little hootin’, hollerin’, and fist pumping! In their ad for The Fiery Food Challenge one on side is John Dilley of Defcon fame(sp?) on the other side is a pic of me, Tina, Zane, and Maxx. This was a total surprise and it will always be something Maxx can talk about, once he’s able to talk.

Saw the family in Chile Pepper. Pretty cool!

on April 21, 2009 at 9:09 pm said:

you spelled 2rd wrong

the collector thang was a joke

thats it

DK on April 21, 2009 at 7:38 pm said:

Critical? Nothing life or death about it. It’s just a matter of if you’re doing your job properly as a reviewer, then you provide as much information as possible about the product so people can make up their OWN minds based on whatever THEY consider important.

And what’s being a collector got to do with it? Hell, YOU collect. Again, read my post on why people collect. It’s not just about the label, that’s for sure. Or just about any one thing for that matter. Collector’s make decisions based on multiple factors, and they appreciate knowing as much about a product as possible before making a purchase, same as anyone else.

As for my spelling, I think it’s more a case of your reading.

you spelled 2rd wrong

the collector thang was a joke

thats it

on April 21, 2009 at 7:04 pm said:

First line of DK’s Poop Deck has a misspelling. :fu2:

Show me a purdy label and I might buy it, but that don’t mean it will taste good. Show me a ugly label and I might not be inclined to buy it. Give me a person who has tasted both and then I will know which tastes best. That is the critical part of the review people care about the most. Unless of course you are a collector.

Critical? Nothing life or death about it. It’s just a matter of if you’re doing your job properly as a reviewer, then you provide as much information as possible about the product so people can make up their OWN minds based on whatever THEY consider important.

And what’s being a collector got to do with it? Hell, YOU collect. Again, read my post on why people collect. It’s not just about the label, that’s for sure. Or just about any one thing for that matter. Collector’s make decisions based on multiple factors, and they appreciate knowing as much about a product as possible before making a purchase, same as anyone else.

As for my spelling, I think it’s more a case of your reading.

DK on April 21, 2009 at 6:06 pm said:

I think you need to read my comment again.

And while your at it, read this:

CLICK HERE

There’s three bottles pictured that don’t even have labels.

Here’s a definition of a product review :nerd:.

PRODUCT REVIEW: An essay or article that gives a critical evaluation to help users make more informed purchasing decisions and improve their shopping experience.

If all you’re telling people is how it tastes, then you are OMITTING information about the product that could be helpful in their decision to make a purchase.

A more proper name for a “blind” review would be a “Taste Test”.

First line of DK’s Poop Deck has a misspelling. :fu2:

Show me a purdy label and I might buy it, but that don’t mean it will taste good. Show me a ugly label and I might not be inclined to buy it. Give me a person who has tasted both and then I will know which tastes best. That is the critical part of the review people care about the most. Unless of course you are a collector.

on April 21, 2009 at 5:31 pm said:

People look at Blane and think what a big doofus. Then they listen to him and they think, what a big :bleep: :moon:hole. But we have looked past all that and have found the sweetie princess beneath the packaging.

Yes, the label can make or break the sales of the product, but if someone gives you something good, unless it has something that will offend you on the label or the maker is a KKK alumni, I don’t think it matters after the fact. I think this review can demonstrate that the taste is the reason we want to buy something and not so much the packaging. Unless of course you are a collector.

I think you need to read my comment again.

And while your at it, read this:

CLICK HERE

There’s three bottles pictured that don’t even have labels.

Here’s a definition of a product review :nerd:.

PRODUCT REVIEW: An essay or article that gives a critical evaluation to help users make more informed purchasing decisions and improve their shopping experience.

If all you’re telling people is how it tastes, then you are OMITTING information about the product that could be helpful in their decision to make a purchase.

A more proper name for a “blind” review would be a “Taste Test”.

DK on April 21, 2009 at 7:58 am said:

Would have been nice to at least have an ingredient list, but other than that, the “no label” thing is ok. The only thing is that the product can’t be reviewed completely as a whole, the label is integral with the product and part of why people buy the bottle to begin with. So there’s an aspect that is being completely overlooked if you leave out the label. It’s a product review, in my opinion, it needs to be reviewed as the complete package, as it’s sold to the public.

People look at Blane and think what a big doofus. Then they listen to him and they think, what a big :bleep: :moon:hole. But we have looked past all that and have found the sweetie princess beneath the packaging.

Yes, the label can make or break the sales of the product, but if someone gives you something good, unless it has something that will offend you on the label or the maker is a KKK alumni, I don’t think it matters after the fact. I think this review can demonstrate that the taste is the reason we want to buy something and not so much the packaging. Unless of course you are a collector.

ChileHeadEd on April 21, 2009 at 7:20 am said:

Good review guys!
I realy like the idea of the reviews being done with no labels on the bottles, great idea!
I tried this sauce at the Fiery Food Show (same one I think)and although I loved the idea, the texture and grit of the grounds turned me off a bit, if you changed to a finer gring, similar to turkish coffee I think that would be a winner!

Would have been nice to at least have an ingredient list, but other than that, the “no label” thing is ok. The only thing is that the product can’t be reviewed completely as a whole, the label is integral with the product and part of why people buy the bottle to begin with. So there’s an aspect that is being completely overlooked if you leave out the label. It’s a product review, in my opinion, it needs to be reviewed as the complete package, as it’s sold to the public.

@ArizonaJack – agree with you about “passing” on it with the whole coffee thing, but this really is a good sauce. Lot’s of black pepper for you to enjoy.

@Sam – “Caffeinator-X” huh? Guess you gotta go with the caffeine/coffee angle.

I think this sauce would be a great “gift” sauce. Very unique, and would be a nice surprise for folks that aren’t the chileheads we are, but do like hot sauces.

Congrats on the pics in Chile Pepper.

Justin on April 19, 2009 at 11:08 pm said:

not sure what i think about this but i will probably try it eventually. i really like the
“sons of Sam” for the new name though.

Thanks man. Since we are starting to come up with a lot of products that don’t contain honey it was seemed like the right thing to do. I wanted to make a really big deal about it, but I knew this review was still in the works and I didn’t want to make it totally obvious it was me. One thing that I thought for sure would give it away was the fact that this sauce was in the Chile Pepper Hot Sauce Issue.

On the topic of Chile Pepper Magazine, anyone have the latest issue? This one caused a little hootin’, hollerin’, and fist pumping! In their ad for The Fiery Food Challenge one on side is John Dilley of Defcon fame(sp?) on the other side is a pic of me, Tina, Zane, and Maxx. This was a total surprise and it will always be something Maxx can talk about, once he’s able to talk.

I’m not a coffee guy so sould probably pass if in a store ( if the label said coffee) .

Coarse ground black pepper is one of my favorite tastes ( I use whole black peppercorns in my homemade soup and chili ) so it sounds lke I might like this.

Vinegar based? Sounds like a winner to me. Love it.

sounds like one of sams products. thats not a bad thing though, i like it untill i get to the bottom of the bottle and theres no juice left because i forget to shake it up before every use.

Sam on April 19, 2009 at 8:01 pm said:

Thank you for doing this review. Brian and DK, sorry for making it all super secret, but I wanted only honest opinions and no fluff. You guys did the job! A very special thanks to for getting it all set-up! There was supposed to be one more reviewer, but sadly they were too busy.:cry:

This was the proto of the sauce. The real deal (which is a finer grind thankfully) comes with two different labels, Caffeine Capsaicin Nirvana, or Caffeinator-X. There is also a XX version (hotter), and a XXX version (pain inflictor) which contains natural pepper flavoring (extract). The XX and XXX are only available with the Caffeinator label

No fluff from me Sam, even with Love as an ingredient.

Don’t know if I would want to try the one’s with the extract, this stuff is pretty hot as is. I’m not a fan of extracts anyway.

I enjoyed doing the review without the knowledge of who produced the sauce. Although I was curious as to if it was a “start up’ company or if it was a new product from an existing compay. Kinda cool to see that it was a little of both.

I completely missed the Onion and the Love in the ingredients. :cry:

This was the proto of the sauce. The real deal (which is a finer grind thankfully) comes with two different labels, Caffeine Capsaicin Nirvana, or Caffeinator-X. There is also a XX version (hotter), and a XXX version (pain inflictor) which contains natural pepper flavoring (extract). The XX and XXX are only available with the Caffeinator label