Hey Friends,
I’ve got three brand new microbatch hot sauces for you, and they could not be more different from each other.
That’s honestly one of my favorite things about doing microbatches. I get to follow weird ideas, interesting ingredients, and great peppers wherever they lead.
Sometimes that works immediately. Sometimes it takes a redemption arc.
Maple Juniper Hot Sauce
I like to think I’m pretty good at flavors. I can usually taste things in my head before I make them, so I have a decent idea of what a sauce will be like before the pot even hits the stove.
But every once in a while I’m working with something totally new and things go a little sideways.
I got some spent juniper berries from Barr Hill. They’re the berries left over after making their award-winning gin. Most of them usually go to the cows, so I was excited about the chance to turn them into something delicious.
The first batch of sauce I made with them tasted… so bad. Like chewing on the woody stem of some mysterious forest plant. But spicy. I was sad and bummed.
I really wanted a juniper berry hot sauce to work.
The good news is that once I knew exactly what those berries tasted like in a sauce, I could start testing flavor combinations in my head before going back to the stove.
And the second round? Nailed it.
This one tastes like sitting with your favorite people in a cozy, wood-paneled gin bar. Or sipping cocktails in a cabin in the woods. Maple rounds everything out and pulls the piney juniper into something warm and complex.
It’s fantastic for grilling, brushing onto meats, or anywhere you might normally reach for BBQ sauce.
Quill Hill Ghost Hot Sauce
This one is our newest Single Varietal Hot Sauce, which means the whole point is to let the pepper shine.
And wow, do they.
Ghost peppers have this incredible floral sweetness before the heat arrives. You get that beautiful aromatic flavor first, then the slow realization that the heat is coming.
And then the hammer falls.
These peppers come from Quill Hill Farm, which is part of a growing movement of farmers focused on soil health and regenerative practices. They farm in ways that restore the soil, reduce erosion, support biodiversity, and protect natural resources.
And they grow absolutely spectacular red ghost peppers.
This sauce is simple on purpose so you can taste just how good those peppers are.
Cucumber Sesame Miso Hot Sauce
On the opposite end of the spectrum, this one is all about layers.
Sesame and miso have a magical ability to take something from “pretty good” to “whoa.” Add cucumbers and garlic scapes to keep things bright and suddenly you’ve got a mild, umami-rich hot sauce that plays well with almost everything.
Think dumplings.
Steamed broccoli.
Noodles.
Anything peanut-based.
It’s savory, bright, and quietly addictive.
Try the Whole Microdose Set
These three sauces together are one of the most fun microbatch lineups we’ve released in a while. Smoky woodsy maple and juniper, pure ghost pepper power, and a mellow umami cucumber sauce.
Three completely different directions. All very worth it.
If you like trying the small-batch experiments that come out of this kitchen, this is a three-pack you don’t want to miss.
❤️ Claire
BBVT CEO & Founder
