29. CaJohns The Formidable Dread Hot Sauce
Good for: Nothing
Jakob Layman: "No flavor, just heat. It's like the skin on the top of my tongue is trying to escape."
Sara Fay: "Do. Not. Why??"
5 oz. bottle, $12
We've put ourselves through a fair number of taste tests to find you the best of the best. There was that time we filled a room with 264 donuts to narrow down the best donuts in LA; and that time we did the same thing to find the city's best macarons. Oh, and Thanksgiving pie. After all that sugar, we needed to take a step away from the sweet side. In our beloved town full of spicy food and authentic Mexican restaurants, we wanted to find the best hot sauce on the market. Armed with almond milk and Mexican beer for relief, we burned our tongues, let out fiery expletives and clawed at our throats to find the ones worth buying. From the worst ("I'm in 100% pain") to the best ("I'd put this shit on everything"), here is your ultimate guide to hot sauces, ranked.
Love this list? HATE this list? Here's your chance to rank your favorite (and least favorite) hot sauces.
In some cases, you might need to go through the brand's website, but the majority of these hot sauces can be purchased at your local supermarket.
P.S. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the many faces and stages of our hot sauce taste test.
