Re: [CH] consumer opinion
Jonathan T. Smillie (jsmillie@protix.com)
Sat, 16 May 1998 13:36:42 -0500
At 04:05 PM 5/15/98 -0400, Judith Stone wrote:
>I've been asked by a well-known national trade publication to do an
>article on consumer opinions about hot sauces.
>I would like to know what prompts you to buy one hot sauce over
>another.
For me, the principal factor in buying hot sauce is flavor (which
encompasses, but isn't limited to, heat level.) I love garlic, lime
juice and habaneros (not necessarily in that order), and any sauce
that puts the three together already has a foot in the door with me.
I don't generally like sweet sauces, though I make an exception
for Sriracha, and I'd rather have a sauce that engages my palate
than sears my tastebuds (extracts are all very well, but do you
REALLY want your food seasoned with Saveur de Chat Brulee?)
Price is relatively unimportant if I want a sauce badly enough or if
it looks interesting, but I do shop around- which explains why I
get Walker's Wood Scotch Bonnet at the corner Jamaican grocery
instead of at Calido Chile Traders ($2.50 vs. $6- you choose). The
proliferation of mail- and Web-order hot sauce companies has done
a lot to regularize pricing.
Thirdly, word-of-mouth is a very important factor. If somebody whose
opinion I know and trust recommends a sauce, I'll likely buy that
over one I don't know- likewise, I'll avoid one that gets bad press.
This list has been invaluable in that regard.
Just my 1.33 pence (roughly 2 cents at today's exchange rate...)
Jonathan
***************
<bold>Conservative</bold>, <italic>n.</italic> A statesman who is
enamored of existing
evils, as distinguished from the Liberal, who wishes to
replace them with others.
- Ambrose Bierce, <italic>The Devil's Dictionary</italic>