Tabasco Family Reserve
Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 9:51 am
In this thread I will open, taste, and report on Tabasco Family Reserve, which I just received directly from McIlhenny.
Alright, let's do this:
COLOR: The tiniest, almost imperceptible bit of a deeper red than Original.
TEXTURE: The tiniest, almost imperceptible bit thicker than Original.
FLAVOR: This is the one noticeable difference from Original. There is a much more pronounced chile flavor here. Where Original is unapologetically vinegar-first, Family Reserve has the chile and vinegar racing neck and neck for first place. Definitely interchangeable with Original in terms of how you'd use it, though I could see this going just a bit better than Original as a straight-up condiment or topping, rather than a cooking ingredient.
If this was as cheap and easy to obtain as Original, I think it would win. Alas, it's $10 a bottle plus shipping, so not a realistic replacement, convenience-wise.
Fun to try, though.