REVIEW: Zombie Apocalypse, by Torchbearer Sauces

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Ingredients: Bhut Jolokia Peppers, Habanero Peppers, Carrot, Mandarin Orange, Tomatoes, Distilled White Vinegar, Vegetable Oil, Garlic, Sugar, and other all natural spices.

Torchbearer Sauces from Mechanicsburg, PA, has to be the best-looking sauce company out there right now. Whoever does their branding and graphic design is a gold mine. When I walked by their booth at the Bowers Chile Pepper Festival last year, I was immediately drawn in by the hip-but-homey vibe and quirky aesthetic that they’re cultivating. So I talked to the nice folks at the booth for a minute and picked up a few of their sauces, including Zombie Apocalypse.

First of all, the label for this sauce is fantastic. And it’s made even cooler by the fact that the zombies on the front are cartoon renderings of the guys who own the company. From the image, it’s clear that these zombies prefer a big vat of face-melting hot sauce instead of the flesh of the living. I can relate! Add to that the fact that this sauce combines two things that I love – chilies and Halloween – and my hopes for this product went through the roof!

The color is beautiful: bright orange overall with dark flecks of spices and deep red flecks of what must be bhut jolokia (“ghost pepper”) skin.

The sauce smells wonderful. The best word to describe it is “fresh.” It smells like someone cut open a fresh habanero and a fresh bhut jolokia and stuck them under your nose – or about as close to that as you can come with a bottled sauce. But there’s also something in there that’s smoothing out the aroma, taking away the sharpness of the bhuts. You just want to keep smelling it.

The texture is very thick, like chilies and carrots coarsely pureed with a small amount of liquid. While it’s not at all sticky (there’s not enough sugar in there for that), it has a nice stick-to-your-food consistency. This also means that the sauce doesn’t pour easily. It’s a hit-the-neck-of-the-bottle sort of deal. If you’re taking a spoonful of it, some chewing is necessary.

The heat hits you pretty much immediately. There isn’t a slow build. It’s like rounding a corner in a post-apocalyptic, zombie-infested urban area and coming upon a herd: “Oh shit.” But aren’t we all kind of excited about that? … This is a very hot sauce. I got a solid burn that enveloped my entire mouth but peaked rather quickly – after only a couple of minutes – and developed into a pleasantly intense afterglow.

This sauce tastes like fresh chilies. So basically, it tastes like it smells. And the flavor is pretty typical of bhut jolokia-based sauces. There isn’t much of a vinegar taste at all. In fact, I couldn’t really taste any of the other ingredients. I was pretty surprised by this, having expected the mandarin oranges and tomatoes to figure more prominently. I couldn’t specifically detect any garlic. Flavor-wise, the other ingredients seem to only serve the purpose of rounding out the sauce with a certain “je ne sais quois.” While I can’t pick out the flavor of the carrots, I can see and feel their texture adding body to the sauce.

It’s worth noting that for Zombie Apocalypse, Torchbearer uses chilies that are locally-grown in Pennsylvania. So it’s nice to have a sauce that features those chilies right up front.

Finally, a word about the price: At $20 a bottle, Zombie Apocalypse is pretty steep. But Torchbearer has produced a quality product, and they seem like a company that’s worth supporting. So I’ll let it slide.

Bottom line: Zombie Apocalypse smells and tastes fresh. It’s a thick, coarsely pureed sauce that features the chilies right up front. It’s hot as hell. And with the beautiful orange color of the sauce and the hip label, it’ll look great in your hot sauce collection. It’s a little expensive, but I’m willing to pay for the quality.