I admit I am bit of a wimp when it come to the heat. I do like Tabasco and the Tabasco Buffalo - Apparently I did not get the gene from my dad who would hang peppers to dry from our kitchen cabinets. Once they were just right he would take bread in one had and pepper in other taking alternating bites. Tears would run down his face but he never flinched.
I'm pretty much a hot sauce junkie too, but I tend to stick to the more commercial brands most of the time. I have a pretty high tolerance, but for whatever reason habaneros haven't been agreeing with my stomach for the past few years. I can eat ghost peppers or fresh jalepenos that are way hotter with no problems, but I get nauseous if I try to eat habeneros. I also tend to like different sauces for different things. While I love jalepenos, pablanos, cerranos, and many other green peppers, I've never been crazy about the verde or tomatillo sauaces. Chicken - Lousiana style Cajun Red Hot Sauce of some sort. While I would put Frank's in this category, I find it a little too buttery so I usually go with something like basic Louisiana. Mexican Food/Breakfast - Tapatio. Breakfast - Chipotle Tabasco is my favorite, but I still like the traditional too. Thai - traditional Thai Chile sauces Chinese, Vietnamese - Siracha I'm in AZ, so there are also a lot of restaurants that have some really good salsas as long as you make it a point to ask for their hotter blends. My mother in law gave me some Tabasco-flavored dark chocolate for Christmas. It was awesome. You don't even really taste the tabasco. For me, it just tasted like good dark chocolate with a med spicy aftertaste. My wife disagreed and was a little angry that I asked her to try it... I also got a bottle of Slap Yo Mama hot sauce for Christmas. I've had it before. Not sure what is in this one, but it gives me terrible heart burn, even with my Omeprazole.
I've always got a few on hand. Lately I've been using Hair of the Ferret, a habanero sauce a guy in the area makes and sells at farmers markets, etc. Tasty stuff, and pretty hot, but not ridiculous. I also like El Yucateco Green, Cholula and Sriracha and usually have them in the pantry or fridge. I tried my hands making fermented hot sauce last year, but it didn't ferment, just went bad. Not sure the issue, I've fermented pickles with no problem several times.
personally i like the Cholula hot sauce, and it's nice that i can find it in most grocery stores here. i did have some habanero puree at one point but i can't seem to find it anymore. anyone know of a good puree that would be good for cooking with?
I keep coming back to Franks lately. It is my utility sauce. We have a big bottle of Tapatio and I've found that I don't like it on everything I like most hot sauces on. The recipe just doesn't click for me like Franks or, say, Texas Pete does form. I love Cholula on chips, like it is salsa.
I am still working my way though the batch the ghost chili sauce I made. It lasts a long time because I just need a few drops of the stuff.
Wife just picked up some McIlhenny Buffalo sauce. A dab of it has more heat than the green but is not the usual unpleasant (to me) wing sauce you get everywhere, that's all heat and no flavor. This is better.
We have Sriracha and Frank's red hot. I use hot sauce all the time like others use ketchup. I too want flavor with heat.
Haven't tried it, but it looks interesting. Scorpion pepper, guava, and pineapple. 20 times hotter than original Tabasco.
I stay away from habanero- based sauces, not due to heat, but because they always have a rancid butter aftertaste to me. I always have a bottle of Cholula and a bottle of Sriracha on hand, and also enjoy Texas Pete and Crystal.
As far as I know. I haven't seen it in any stores around here, but it might be available in a bigger city.