MASH Carolina Reaper Pepper,9 oz

Package came about an hour ago, I ripped the box open, tore off the bubble wrap and opened the jar to reveal bright red sauce. Smelled like sour vinegar and that signature habanero-fruitiness of reaper peppers. I dipped the smallest corner of a tortilla chip in - y’all… it is delicious. Fresh and with the PERFECT AMOUNT OF SALT, don’t listen to the other people saying it’s salty! This mash is a dip/spread in its own right!!!! The consistency is so perfect, almost as if a thick salsa was puréed. Another reviewer had said they made a grilled cheese using this and it messed their stomach up, so I thought “yeah that’s a great idea, let me try that” and I proceeded to scoop instead of DIP about a teaspoonful’s worth onto chip and take a step back to assess the heat. CREEPING HEAT rose from my BELLY to my mouth, resulting in a burning sensation that literally BURNED where my tongue first came in contact for 30 mins, it was furious solid 7.5/10 burn from only that small amount.While it wasn’t bad because I had such a tiny amount, I was VERY shocked to say the least at how potent this stuff is, and how my stomach reacted to it violently before my tongue even registered any heat! This was the first pepper sauce ever to cause my body to go thru the 911-level heat-induced-reaction motions that we all know and love without feeling commensurate intense burning. I immediately ceased my sandwich making activities and gave this the respect it deserves, putting it in the fridge until later tonight when I have dinner. The heat is crazy from such a small amount, can’t get over how my body went nuts. Even though the heat is quite frankly at a very concerning level, it’s glorious, and exactly what I needed in my life. Spiceheads beware and ENJOY.. you have been officially warned, NO BS! Definitely my new favorite condiment.

I could smell it before even opening the jar which made me think maybe it had been opened already after reading some reviews that said that was the case for them. It wasn't a spoiled smell though so I was hopeful. The lid seemed tight, but there was no plastic seal, and no "pop" sound when opening as you usually hear with air tight seals. Anyway, when I opened it it smelled fresh and really sweet actually. It smelled great. This was my first experience with anything hotter than habanero so I was a bit nervous. I tried a small amount on a toothpick and was surprised by how much the flavor actually came through. It wasn't nearly as hot as I expected, but I don't have any experience with Carolina Reapers to have a basis for. Some reviews said this is not "authentic" Carolina Reaper whatever that means, but maybe they are saying it's because it's not as hot as it "should" be. I must admit it wasn't as hot as I expected as I said, but it does pack a punch and tastes quite nice. Great value for money and the amount you get.Update 1: I've never really had issues with stomach pain after eating hot food and the only pain I usually experience is in my mouth. So I was happily eating this with some home fries, probably a total of about a teaspoon. Really not a lot, but more than the toothpick I initially tried. I could handle the heat (but it was really hot at that dose) but about 20 minutes later it WRECKED me. Learn from my mistakes. Just be careful of how much you use. I think it probably would have been fine if it were mixed in to something, but just the pure, raw paste used to dip my potatoes in may have been too much too quick. Anyway, as I said, 20 minutes after eating it I had probably the worst stomach pain I've ever had, and I broke out in a cold sweat. I didn't feel ill but my body was angry. I proceeded to vomit violently. I was nervous it would burn coming back up, but it wasn't as bad of a burn as going in, or going out the other direction. Good stuff, highly recommend it.Update 2: I used about 2 tablespoons in a marinade for 3lbs of beef jerky along with some liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and black pepper. Best jerky I've ever made. I let it marinate for a full 24 hours and the jerky had a great flavor and a perfect amount of spiciness. It's not so spicy it'll kill your average friend, so you can share it, but it's spicy enough to keep my mouth entertainedUpdate 3: I've used this numerous times now and have not experienced the guy wrenching pain again. Perhaps I've built a tolerance to it, or I just had too much too quickly on an empty stomach the one fateful time. Still love this stuff!

I have been a Carolinian most of my life, and have grown Carolina Reaper Peppers on a 2 acre plot for many years with my family. I know this plant, in and out.Recently I moved away from the farm and have began to settle elsewhere, where Reapers do not grow well. I began to miss the taste of my families hot sauce, so I decided to try this Puree to try to make the hot sauce from my new location.Let me tell you, before I even finished opening the packaging, that Carolina Reaper Smell hit and I was blasted with nostalgic memories of working the field and harvesting them, cutting them up, blending and making mash for hot sauce. This puree is the genuine article, take it from someone who has cultivated these peppers for years. The price may seem high but again, coming from someone who has cultivated these peppers for years, it's actually a competitive price, especially considering the extent that Reaper peppers are copyrighted.TL:DR, I have grown reapers for years, and this puree is the teal deal.Kudos to the manufacturers and farmers, hope my review helped ease any thoughts that this might be a counterfeit or sub par product.

4 out of 5 stars only because how salty this is. Super salty. Its great to spice up some food without the added hot sauce. I eat a lot of spicy food/sauces. I will warn people though I ate too much the other night. Had some on grilled cheese. I woke up in middle of the night with extreme stomach pain. Use this responsibly. I used a jar to heat up my own homemade hot sauce. Turned out amazing.

This is hot!!!! Very spicy and works well in my hot sauce recipes.

Love my Spiciness on my food with this product and Brand and will order it again when am out.