A hot sauce company that proclaims the end of the world is coming to get you and only you, so you better start saving your souls from the apocalypse.
I’m always looking for hot sauces to try, and when I saw this at a local store, I knew I had to try it. I can’t say that it was the best hot sauce I’ve ever had, but it was very filling and offered a great flavor. I’d have to say that it’s definitely a hot sauce for those who go looking for something different. It’s not intense, but it’s definitely hot, and that’s what hot sauces are all about. I do recommend it, though.
In an effort to find out what the ZA does to a test subject, zombie, I made a batch of the recipe, tasted it and figured it’s something more than merely hot sauce. I decided to test it on my dear wife to see if the fire of the sauce would help to protect her. I’ve subjected her to several hot sauces in the past and she has always emerged unscathed. But, she didn’t emerge unscathed from this test. I gave her a big spoonful of the hot sauce and she started to vomit. I gave her a second spoonful and she threw up again. I gave her a third spoonful and she threw up again. After a fourth spoonful, she finally cleaned her bowl. I then
If you need a hot sauce to burn a zombie’s face during the apocalypse, Torchbearer has created a winner and named it accordingly. The Torchbearer Zombie Apocalypse Hot Sauce is really spicy, with ghost peppers and habaneros. But is there a taste behind this extreme heat? And is it possible to use something that hot? We dove headfirst into the zombie apocalypse (and hope to survive it!) to tell you all about it.
Aroma
It’s not often that the ingredient list of a hot sauce starts with super hot peppers, but Zombie Apocalypse Hot Sauce does….. And more. Ingredients: Ghost pepper, habanero peppers, carrots, mandarin oranges, tomatoes, garlic, distilled white vinegar, vegetable oil, sugar, chili powder, salt and pepper.
So yes, it’s not a typo. The super hot ghost pepper is immediately followed by the very spicy habaneros before moving on to the other ingredients. We’ll come back to the spiciness later, but just know that it’s a natural sizzle. No pepper extracts are available. Just good old chili in all its fiery, spicy glory.
Zombie apocalypse hot sauce on a spoon
From the first bite, you feel that fire, but also the natural sweetness of the pepper (which is particularly pronounced with these two fruity peppers). There is also a spicy flavor present due to the distilled white vinegar. But Zombie Apocalypse Hot Sauce is definitely not vinegar sauce. Things are much more subtle, at least when it comes to that.
The sweetness of the chili quickly dissipates in comparison to the sweetness of the roots. After a few bites, I tasted the earthy sweetness of the carrots, but I was surprised I didn’t taste the tangerines. I’m sure it’s there, but it blends into the general flavor. Finally, the tomatoes add a nice acidity to this spicy sauce, and the fresh garlic provides a little in-between flavor.
Overall, once you get past the intense spiciness, the flavor is well balanced. It’s a wild ride to get there – some would say an intimidating heat – but you’re rewarded with a super hot sauce with a legitimate flavor.
On salt: One serving of Zombie Apocalypse contains 20 mg per teaspoon, or 1% of your daily requirement. That’s very little, especially considering most people probably won’t get beyond that serving because of the extreme spiciness.
Heat balance
Let’s talk about ghost peppers and habaneros. The ghost pepper (also known as Bhut Jolokia) is very strong (855,000 to 1,041,427 Scoville heat units), but it is not as strong as the peppers that dominate the scale, such as the Carolina Reaper (1.4 million to 2.2 million Scoville heat units), and the habaneros are just as strong (100,000 to 350,000 Scoville heat units). Compare these numbers to those of a regular jalapeño (2,500 to 8,000 SHU) and you know you’re playing with fire.
Each bottle should contain fifteen whole ghost peppers. And I (and my tongue) believe it. Torchbearer Zombie Apocalypse hits the nail on the head with 500,000 Scoville thermal units. There is so little dilution between the pepper puree and the other ingredients.
In a nutshell: If you think the regular hot sauce at the supermarket is spicy, this sauce is not for you. Period. If you like the spiciness of the habanero type and enjoy it when your mouth is on fire….. then this hot sauce might not be for you. No, it’s for wackos who are thirsty for heat, sweaty and like hot sauce. If so, run into the arms of this zombie apocalypse, because you’ll love it.
Experience: This heat affects the tongue and lips immediately after consumption. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes, but after the first few minutes the intense pain subsides and you can continue for a little longer. I never recommend using more than a teaspoon at a time, and I’m only talking about that amount because the high heat doesn’t last very long. It doesn’t give you the sharp, lingering pain that pepper extract hot sauces do.
After all the talk of extreme spiciness, it’s not unreasonable to say that Zombie Apocalypse Hot Sauce is actually pretty balanced in terms of flavor and spiciness. With a super hot sauce, this is a difficult task.
Utility
Compared to other extreme hot sauces, Zombie Apocalypse is quite drinkable. It is a natural sweetness of ghost pepper and habanero that is so delicious in all kinds of dishes, fried foods and even snacks.
I tried it on pizza and on eggs in the morning. Thumbs up for both of them. It’s also a great sauce for chicken wings and enhances any other sauce mix that lacks some spice. The carrots, tomatoes and garlic give the dish a very nice combination of flavors and make it a good sauce for potatoes and rice.
The key was to put little bits of sauce in each bite so as not to overdo the heat. Message: It’s a thick hot sauce, so Zombie Apocalypse is on top of the dish instead of rooting around in it and crawling under it. You see what you get, so use that to your advantage.
Community
Torchlight sauces in general are super collectible. Check out our reviews of their Garlic Reaper and Honey Badger hot sauces to enjoy the overall style. They always have cartoonish labels that tell a story to support the name. In this case, the Zombie Apocalypse label is exactly what you’d expect from a sauce so close to Armageddon. Cartoon zombies (dare I say it, a bunch of wild and crazy men?) hanging over a vat of ghostly pepper slurry. One of them is wearing a Chili Pepper t-shirt. I like it.
You should consider their sauces as a collection. The whole thing is a fascinating visual (and tasty) journey. Seriously, I’ve never met a Torchbearer sauce I didn’t like.
Assessment
Torchbearer’s sauces continue to prove themselves, and the Zombie Apocalypse hot sauce is no exception. It’s incredibly spicy, but it’s made with natural chili peppers (ghost pepper and habanero), so it has a lot of natural burning sweetness. This extreme spiciness is well balanced from a flavor perspective, and the cartoonish style of the label makes it a collector’s item.
| FINAL ACCOUNTS | 4.4 |
| General taste | 4.5 |
| Thermal equilibrium | 4 |
| Sociability | 4 |
| Collecting | 5 |
| X-FactoR | 4.5 |
On a scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest)Zombie Apocolypse Hot Sauce is the brainchild of Jeremiah Johnson, a.k.a. “The Torchbearer”. Johnson is a self-described “food writer, cook, and historian of the zombie apocalypse”. In his blog, Johnson reviews over 50 different hot sauces, rating them on their “zombie apocalypse potential”. His obsession with the subject matter has culminated in a hot sauce company that’s now selling a variety of different sauces with names like “Spike-a-Shroom” and “Candy Corn Heat”..
Read more about torchbearer zombie apocalypse hot ones and let us know what you think.
Frequently Asked Questions
How hot is the zombie apocalypse hot sauce?
“Torchbearer Zombie Apocalypse Hot Sauce Review” This sauce is made very much like Tabasco, with a similar jalapeno flavor. The sauce packs quite a punch though, and the 20g of hot sauce in the container is a lot. This gives the sauce a pretty darn scary flavor, but it can be enjoyed in moderation. I did find that the sauce is a little more spicy than Tabasco, and I’m not sure I would recommend it to someone who is new to hot sauce, but if you are a hot sauce fan then I’d definitely grab a bottle of this.
What is the hottest torchbearer sauce?
There is something in the world that gives life and makes it a little more special. No, it is not the first thing that comes to mind. Yes, it is the food that you put in your mouth. Yes, it is the food that is made with love. It is the hot sauce. What is the hottest torchbearer sauce? We make it ourselves. You want to eat it?
What are the hottest hot sauces in the world?
I’m a big fan of hot sauces. I know they’re not everyone’s cup of tea, but for me they’re a great way to add flavor to my food without adding much fat or calories. I’ve always loved the spicy flavor, but the last few years I’ve noticed a trend—hot sauces are getting hotter. I’ve had some really hot sauces over the years, but not too many. Recently, though, I’ve tasted a lot of sauces that are on the hot side. The title of this blog comes from my love of hot stuff. I love spicy foods, and I read blogs all day long for hot stuff. So naturally, I decided to start a blog all about hot stuff. My blog reviews the best hot sauces in the world, and gives you a short and easy to understand explanation of what makes a hot sauce hot.
