An active component of chili peppers, the burn you get in your mouth from peppers is from the capsaicin (pronounced like CAP SAY SIN), which is a chemical compound found within the pepper.  It activates pain receptors in your mouth called TRVP1, that are triggered by heat, which sends signals to the brain that you are experiencing a painful, hot sensation, even though there's no actual damage being done.  Even though it burns, there are possible medical advantages of it, like helping with pain, supporting heart health and pain loss.  See, it's not ALL bad!

Scoville Units are subjective.  No one pepper has the exact same amount of heat as the other, so while we can give a range of what the DRY pepper is from its scoville rating, when you add other ingredients like vinegar and water, for instance, it dilutes the sting of the pepper.  Some of our items may have a scoville unit listed for the shock value, but remember that we're highlighting what the DRY pepper rating is, not the hot sauce rating.

That's a common misconception that isn't true.  The actual seeds aren't hot, it's what is surrounding them that's hot.  The white, fleshy part of the inside of the pepper is where the oils are. The capsaicin, that is where the heat is, and the seeds are touching it all the time, which makes them seem like they are hot.

That's another myth.  Hot sauce colors are determined by the peppers and any other colors from other ingredients such as flavoring, different colored peppers, vinegar, spices, fruits, and the aging and fermentation process (the longer they sit in an oak barrel, the darker they can get).  Although many sauces that are dark ARE hot, it's not the case with all darker hot sauces.

Most likely, yes.  You can e mail us at cs@hottimesauces.com and inquire about special ordering.  Keep in mind that special orders often require a minimum amount of sauces to be ordered, along with shipping costs.

The majority of hot sauces do not need refrigeration.  Some companies recommend refrigeration to preserve freshness which will help it keep its color and to keep the flavor and the heat of the sauce at a premium level.  It also depends on how much you intend on using the sauce.  When dabbing your sauce on food, try not to let the opening of the bottle touch the food, as this can contaminate the opening and get in to the hot sauce inside the bottle, which is one major reason why companies recommend refrigerating hot sauces, because food contamination slows when hot sauce is refrigerated.  Note that some fermented hot sauces do require refrigeration or the constant fermenting at room temperature may cause the hot sauce to erupt through the top of the bottle.  It is recommended by Hot Time Sauces that you follow the instructions on the label when it pertains to refrigerating your sauces.

Ingredients tend to separate as the bottle is still.  Peppers and spices, which are the heavier ingredients, will sink to the bottom as any vinegar stays at the top.  Shaking the bottle gets the ingredients back together for optimum freshness, consistency and taste. Separation of ingredients is 100 percent normal for any hot sauce, and shaking the bottle is always recommended before consuming your product.

A Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) system was created by the chemist Wilbur Scoville in 1912. Scoville units are determined by a pepper's capsaicin concentration, which can be measured using the original Scoville Organoleptic Test where human tasters determine the amount of sugar water needed to dilute a pepper's heat to a non-detectable level, or more accurately today with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), a scientific method that measures the exact capsaicin content in a pepper. The SHU rating corresponds to the number of times the capsaicin needs to be diluted to remove the "burn". 

Not at all.  The "best by" date is just telling you that the hot sauce is at its freshest before the date comes along.  Hot sauce will often last 6 months to a year, or more, after the best by date has gone by.  You can tell when a hot sauce has officially expired by smell, consistency differences and of course, mold.  If you have not refrigerated your sauce(s) before the best by date has approached, it is probably best to do so afterwards to preserve the sauce(s) for a longer amount of time.  

We do. It would say in the description of the product if the item was approaching or past the date. When hot sauces haven't been opened, the seal was never broken and they are perfectly fine. Sauces are good up to a year past their best by date even when they have been opened. Use common sense after you open the bottle and if it smells off, the consistency is poor and there is mold in it, take a picture and send it to us and discard the sauce.