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Review: Zane and Zack’s Honey Company
By admin | November 8, 2007 |
By Buddah
Sam of Zane & Zack’s Honey Company sent out some of his spicy goodies to me to bring to FMK. There was so much food and hot sauce it didn’t get much attention I am afraid past this initial first few hours.
There were 6 jars:
1- Leandra’s Chipotle Cream Cheese Spread: Honestly I didn’t like this one at all, while I heard DK really enjoyed it. I will admit I do not like cream cheese too much so I should be disqualified by my opinion.
2- Han’s Honey Mustard: This was out of place on a chip, I do believe it would’ve been best served on some ham or turkey and then we could’ve had a better feel for it.
3- Honey-Chipotle Gourmet Sauce: This is an “Award Winning Product” and was the consensus favorite at FMK by far.
4- Honey-Jalapeno Gourmet Sauce: Another award winner, which CaJohn declared to be his personal favorite.
5- Tina’s Too Hot Honey-Habanero Gourmet Sauce: It didn’t get too much attention because the Chipotle was the real tongue teaser. It did get Chilehead Ed & yours truly’s attention. This is the product I want to discuss mostly in this review.
6- Three Brother’s Hot Pepper Sauce: Finally, this is a Hot Sauce with honey, unlike the other thicker products this is the lone completely liquid product. It is actually really good, but this might be better served with a separate review another time.
Why review the Tina’s Hot Honey-Habanero Sauce and not the others? Well, this one made me smile the most and had the biggest heat of just about any product I had at FMK outside of CaJohn’s new products coming soon to a hot store near you. I am not even sure it is that hot until the tip of my tongue is burning and I am flushed in sweat as the burn increases after each bite. I sampled it at FMK on various crackers and chips that were laying around. This was long after I had multiple dips into all the other products Sam had sent. I lingered over the Chipotle product the most because it was so darn good. This is probably my favorite because I can continue dipping away without hesitation due to the sweetest of honey. The Habanero product I need to rest in between heat intensed bites. I don’t even remember the heat at FMK to tell you the truth. I just remember talking to Ed and discussing how good it tasted with a decent burn. Hell, it has more than a decent burn, it packs a wallop. I almost feel wimpy because it is just a honey dipping sauce/spread. Honey for goodness sake! Should honey be allowed to pack a wallop?Yet, it is the honey in the Habanero product that keeps you coming back for more pain. I love this product and I can’t eat it too much of it because of the high sugar(2 grams per serving), so I am blessed that the heat keeps me at bay from going nuts on the jar. Unlike the Chipotle one, which I have to use one teaspoon at a time even if it has less sugar (1 gram) per serving than Tina’s Hot Honey-Habanero. Both products are irresistably good in their own right, but the burn from Tina’s product has me cranked for more. I tried spreading it on some swiss cheese slices and it was a match from Heaven. The combo danced in my mouth with joy.So the taste was great, but let us discuss the down part of these products. The Honey-Chipotle is a dreadful, almost horrorfying black goop. It might scare away people from buying it. I think they might be scared to even try it. The bottle has a pleasant old fashion design with a black and white picture of Sam’s kids (Zane & Zack) on the label. Its cute, but the jar comes away looking like a candle product that on a shelf might get lost because the background part of the label is black. A remarketing strategy might lend to a wider audience perhaps a honey colored label that would stand out and in a different styled jar.
The Habanero jar has a picture of Sam’s wife Tina, again in what looks like an olde tyme theme with the black and white picture. The Habanero sauce is a vibrant and non-threatening orange chunkiness. It has a similar look to Defcon’s Habby Horse horseradish product. It is hard to identify any of these products as a sauce though. These are clearly spreads in my world. Of course, I don’t live on the NorthWest part of the country where this might be classified as a sauce.
These are minor issues because I just love the taste and I don’t care what the jar or label or even the contents looks like as long as the taste is where it is at now. Yet, success of a product is not what one person thinks, it is what the masses think. I have seen this type of product on the shelves of Marshall’s, Home Goods, and World Market in the eccentric aisles. Where you can find all types of spreads, sauces, mustards and mixed drinks mixed in with a lot of other odds and ends. A place where products go to die because no one but weird people like me ever buy food in a place like this. Sam, heed my warning. Your product is outstanding, but you need to think bigger. You need to think what the consumer thinks. A jar of black goop is not appetizing to most. A jar that could be a scented candle or bath salts is not what you want. I might not know much, but I did learn some things with my Business Administration degree. A teacher once told me, “if you do not think like the consumer, you can never sell to the consumer.” A good, or a great product like yours sometimes needs a makeover. My recommendation is to sell the blackness of the Chipotle spread in the name. “Dark Heat: Honey-Chipotle Spread” or “Nightmare in a Bottle : Honey-Chipotle Spread”. As for the Habanero Spread, how about “Tina’s Flames: Hot Honey-Habanero Spread” or “Fire in a Bottle: Honey-Habanero Spread”, just to keep the “Nightmare in the Bottle” theme alive. LOL. Okay, its just an idea.
Great product people, hop on board the Honey bandwagon, its a nice ride!
Order today 1.866.458.0699
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Topics: Hot Product Reviews | 19 Comments »
Nice write up :nerd:. We like the Honey-Chipotle Gourmet Sauce as well.
Thank you. Sam also sent me some good honey bbq sauce as well, and been playing with it in different foods this past week. Look for it soon coming to a food emporium near you.
Thank you :nerd:, your honest opinion does mean a lot to me. I really appreciate you getting these products out there for the FMK to try. Hey, I saw your vid on Big’s Taste the Pain page, apparently there is more video that was cut off? I do so love seeing people in chile pain.
I hope I wasn’t too harsh in my critique. I will email my thoughts on the bbq sauce over the weekend. I have just one more thing I want to try with it first. I am enjoying my chicken salad lunch featuring your honey-chipotle gourmet sauce mixed in. Yum Yum. No coincidence to this review, but its a good blend with the mayo.
My video was a 3 parter, not sure UB fixed it or not, but there was an issue yesterday posting them together on the server. I have the link if anyone wants to download it from the host, I can email it to them.
Sam,
We cracked the samples last night and I made some notes. I’ll get that info to you next week once I’m back.
I don’t think it proper for me to comment on your products in a public forum, with me marketing my own products in the same industry. Although your offerings are entirely different than ours.
One thing I will have to disagree with :nerd:, the Leandra’s Chipotle Cream Cheese Spread is wicked good and I DO like cream cheese so we are diametrically opposed on that one. That fact that you disqualified your opinion is noble of you. I wish more people would do that when reviewing products.
Sam, the
video is going to be revamped and reloaded on the website, once I figure out how to do it. One of the Trial By Fire organizers in Yorkton is a videographer and he’ll be showing me what software to use.
Good review though :nerd:, keep em coming.
No not too harsh! That is the kind of feedback we are looking for. The chipotle is awful to look at. One of the reviewers on firedawgssalsablog hit the nail on the head, “looks like worm dirt”! You aren’t the first to say that the packaging could use some work. Maybe next year we can work on changing a few things around to give it a bit more visual appeal. I have a bunch of new products I’m working on so you may start getting random stuff in the mail. If you hate something don’t be afraid to say so and you can always email me if you have any questions. I would also like that link so I can see the complete vid.
Cool UB, I’ll look for the email. Once again if you hate something let me know. All criticism is good criticism.
Hate is not a word that would be associated with anything we have sampled in Z&Z product line, not at all.
Suggested tweaks and thoughts will be on their way next week.
Well I am glad I can help you Sam. Keep the freebies coming.
Anyone else that wants to use and abuse my palette fill free to send me your products too. 
I have to say that besides all the great products that I have had a chance to try, I feel blessed with meeting, talking and even chatting with a quite a number of great people. From the Chileheads to the Manufacturers, even to the Sellers like Bret and Big Show, its been a great ride and I hope it doesn’t stop.
Who would have thought that after stomach surgery that I would be tempting fate with hot sauce? Not me. Who would of thought that I would be doing reviews on some Pirate’s website? Not me. Who would of thought that some stupid postal worker from Long Island, NY would be such a Jewishbadassmofo? Well I kinda knew that all ready.
I am really honored to be an acquaintance with the lot of you. Have a great weekend all!
UB kick serious ass this weekend!
Who would of ever thought I farted in your breathing mask at FMK? Not me ;-)
Nice review :nerd:, keep up the great work.
Yep, same here as
mentioned in the article. I wiped out the cream cheese fairly quickly! 
Yep, I agree. Well said UB. Who cares about pros and cons of XYZ, I want pros and cons of the product being reviewed.
You do a great job with you’re writing :nerd:. It’s an honor to be aquainted with you as well. Your enthusiasm is addictive and unparalleled. Keep it up bra.
Hell, just the fact that a gator wrasslin’ redneck from the swamps of SC can draw pictures and spell his initials ought to show you that anything’s possible if you put yer mind to it!
Ditto!
DK Says:
November 9th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
“Hell, just the fact that a gator wrasslin’ redneck from the swamps of SC can draw pictures and spell his initials ought to show you that anything’s possible if you put yer mind to it!”
I thought Leroy taught you how to spell?
I definitly could’t get enough of the honey Habanero, it was so good, and had a beautifull orange color and nice consistency. It was sweet than hot, I like that combo a lot.
I liked all your stuff, that was just my favorite! The chipotle tasted good, but damn it was ugly!
Ed
I’m still kickin myself in the arse for not takin the chance to try Sams products at FMK. Missed the AJ Jerky as well this year…So much to catch up with that I missed alot of new stuff. The Chipotle Cream Cheese spread sound sgood…Thank you for the review :nerd:!!
I tried the Chipotle at Zest Fest, having a fondness for smoke :-) Had more at FMK & this is one I would definitely get again. I expect chipotle produts to look unappealing- they ain’t much to start with being shrivelled, wrinkly-looking prunes! Y’all have fun with that one ;-)
“shrivelled, wrinkly-looking prunes”
Thanks Jim. I wouldn’t know anything about that.
Hey Jim, how do I get in touch with you? I emailed you last week, but haven’t heard back yet. You get my email or I get it wrong again?
Jim’s ignoring you :nerd:, it’s not him, it’s you.
Have a good weekend everyone.
We’re packed and ready to leave early tomorrow morning.
Everybody play nice, ok?