Cajohns Hydra 7-Pot Primo Hot Sauce

I originally picked up this bottle of Cajohns Hydr1 7-Pot Primo Hot Sauce on a trip to the Outer Banks a while back. I’ve actually been sitting on this review for a while having killed the extremely hot and flavorful sauce back in June! But that’s neither here nor there. All that matters is that I spread the word of this fiery treat as best I can.

There isn’t much in the way of ingredients that goes into this beast of a sauce. As you can see by the photos below, it’s pretty much all 7-Pot Primo peppers — developed by Troy Primeaux, who crossed a Naga Morich and 7 Pot peppers. The result is not just one hell of a pepper, but also, one hell of a sauce that packs a stinging burn and great flavor.

The packaging of this hot sauce does its best to warn you of the contents within. Not only is the hydra well illustrated in the artwork, but it also visually describes that the burn hits from every direction. Once poured into a spoon for tasting, the sauce shows visible chunks of garlic and plenty of pepper bits. I love the color! The consistency is a bit on the thin side which is held back by the flow-control insert in the neck of the bottle.

One sniff of Hydra lets you know there’s some serious mayhem in that orange-red sauce. Loads of peppery heat tingles the nose and the back of the throat while plenty of garlic sits firmly in the aroma, as well. The vinegar is also present, but not overwhelmingly so considering the sauce’s fairly thin appearance. It smells like it packs a punch.

And, holy damn, does it hit hard with some fire. 7-Pot Primo peppers and garlic arrive immediately with an intense, stinging heat. Vinegar and sea salt are in the background while the tongue is engulfed with a solid burn. This sauce isn’t just a one-dimensional product — there’s some good flavor going on behind that burn. The tongue is under full attack as the burn spreads slowly down the throat and eventually leaving a warming, whiskey chest afterglow.

I tend to hiccup when a hard hitting pepper crosses my path, and Cajohns’ Hydra caused me to hiccup almost before I was able to swallow the sauce. It’s not a slow builder like some, instead peaking almost instantaneously and hanging around for a good long while (through a slightly runny nose and lightly watering eyes). Force once, I’m thankful for the flow control insert on this bottle.

I loved this sauce, and can’t wait to open the second bottle that the wife picked up for me a couple of months ago. It’s easily the hottest, non-extract sauce I have ever encountered and still packs in a great flavor to boot. I love the garlic flavor that preservers through the fire on just about any food item to which I apply it. This is an outstanding hot sauce.