With the days and nights getting colder, many of us are looking for ways to stay heated.  There are plenty of options out there for people to choose from.  Personally, I don't mind the cold that much, but instead of cranking up the thermostat or plugging in the electric blanket; I go for internal heat...hot sauce.

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Canva
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I know I'm not the only one that likes a good hot sauce, but how do you know the one that's right for you?  There are also people out there who are open to trying a little more liquid fire on their food (or in their Bloody Mary) but aren't sure what to try to introduce them to a temperature uptick without burning their face off.

The way to find the right hot sauce for the beginner or the aficionado is by checking where  a brand lands on the Scoville Scale.  The scale grades chili peppers and hot sauces based on how much flame they throw.  Beginners can dive in to some Louisiana Hot Sauce to get an idea of how much heat they can handle.  It is not as hot as it's name suggests (only 450 on the Scoville Scale which is very low)

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Louisiana Hot Sauce Instagram
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The hottest sauce believed to be on the market comes from Blair's hot sauce.  They offer capsaicin crystals liquified in a bottle.  They've sold the crystals themselves, complete with warning label, and called it 16 million reserve.  Now they have a version called Crystal Death and it's potent.  It comes in 5 ounce dropper bottles (packaged in a coffin) for $28 a pop and it's recommended to use only one drop at a time.

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Amazon.com
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So What Is Washington State's Favorite Hot Sauce?

The good people at 4imprint.com study Google trends search data for the last 12 months to find the most popular hot sauce in each state.  It turns out that Huy Fong Foods Siracha Sauce spices up the Evergreen State the most.  It hits 2,200 on the Scoville Scale, that translates to a nice bit of heat, but still less than the lowest grade of jalapeno pepper (3,500).

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4imprint.com/Canva
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Personally, my go to is Cholula (1,000 SHU), specifically the Chili Garlic, but if that isn't available I'll reach for the Tapatio (3,000 SHU) or go old school with some Tabasco (around 5,000 SHU).  All are a great way to turn up the internal thermostat as winter

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Gallery Credit: Rik Mikals

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