My fucking throat's on fire!

Originally Posted by JazzFlight

I dunno, that Red Hot and Hot Devil stuff (any Cayenne Pepper sauce) is so mild, it shouldn't even be called "hot sauce." It's about as spicy as A1 steak sauce.

I haven't tried Tabasco, but I really want to because I want something hotter than Cayenne peppers, but not as hot as Jalapenos.

Tabasco is, technically, hotter than a jalapeno. The sauce is cut with vinegar and salt to lessen the impact. I keep a bottle of Tabasco in my bedroom since I like to go out for tacos fairly often but their brand of hot sauce is inferior. Tabasco provides a fair amount of heat without sacrificing flavor.

If you want something decent, Jazz, go out and get yourself some Serrano chiles. You can buy them canned if you must, but they're definitely better fresh. Serranos offer excellent flavor and some mid-range heat. They won't scour your mouth but you'll probably sweat a bit.

Cayennes are pretty weak, in my experience. It's only when the oil is condensed into cayenne paste that it bears any heat.

Habaneros, unfortunately, are too flavorless to be fully enjoyable. Their heat is intense - I've never had hotter - but the heat is so overwhelming that you don't get much sensation of flavor. I don't feel there's a point without a strong flavor.

If you want a really good rush of heat with a nice, full flavor, try a Scotch Bonnet pepper. They're ranked directly below Habaneros on the heat scale, along with a couple other peppers at the same potency, but the Scotch Bonnet is a much more robust pepper. It'll burn but the burn is quite tasty.

I haven't seen the Thai peppers at all. My region doesn't seem to import them. That's okay though, since the thrill of eating peppers for the heat has mostly worn off. I've proven that I can do it, so there's little reason to subject myself to such intensity unless I'm really craving it. Mid-level heat like the Serranos or a Banana pepper is fine by me for most dishes.

Jam it back in, in the dark.