Make no mistake, Filipinos can handle the heat — the growing domestic market for chilis and spices proves we like to spice things up.
Where to buy a nice bottle of red, hot heaven, you ask?
Well, here’s a lil’ secret: The Original Hot Sauce Store in Tagaytay carries about 600 brands of hot sauces from around the world, including a sauce made from Carolina Reaper, which is the Guinness World record holder as the hottest chilli pepper in the world, averaging 1.569 million scoville units (SHU).
The Scoville scale is used to measure the spiciness of chili peppers and other spicy food. To give you an idea, habanero chili has the SHU level of 100,000-350,000, cayenne is about 30,000-50,000, and gochujang is in the 1,000-3,000 range.
“In the US there is revolution of hot sauces, there are at least 2,000 flavors and different heat levels,” said owner Richard Dolina who has been interested in chilis since he was a teen.
“I might say its in the Filipino blood that we love spice,” he said.
Fun fact: The world record holder for eating the most number of Carolina Reaper chilis is of Filipino descent. Wayne Algenio was able to consume 119 grams of this red wonder in sixty seconds when he joined a chili-eating competition in April.
“The common chili that we are exposed is the Siling Labuyo or wild chili, which has a heat level or SHU of 80,000 – 100,000. Going beyond that is a safety concern thats why we educate each customers to find their heat range”, Dolina explained.
Dolina’s fastest moving products are those hovering around 80,000 – 500,000 SHU. And surprisingly, most of his customers are actually women.
Aside from the sauces, the Original Hot Sauce Store also has locally-made products like super hot fish crackers for only PHP60!
Dolina’s advice for beginners? “I encourage the consumer to find what flavors they like first before going to the heat levels,” he said.
The second branch of the Original Hot Sauce Store is set to open at Nuvali Solenad 3 in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. There are plans to open three stores in the first quarter of 2017.
The easiest way to order their products is through their Facebook page. They deliver!
Original Hot Sauce Store, Ayala Malls Serin, Tagaytay – Nasugbu Highway, Silang, Cavite.
