We bought this Mama Teav's Hot Garlic Chili Crisp - OG Heat at a local World Market. It was advertised, or so we thought, on sale for $11.89, a significant reduction from what had been as high as $18.99 in the past there. Little did we know it would lead us on a most-perplexing adventure.
Main Flavor Elements
- Garlic
- Onion
- Chili
Snapshot
- Base oil(s): Grapeseed
- Solids to oil ratio: High
- Flavor Enhancer: N/S
- Potential allergens: N/S
- Storage: Unspecified
Our Impressions
- Heat level: Moderate
- Texture: Crispy crunchy fried garlic
- Saltiness: Low (115mg. per 14gm.)
Before We Taste
Mama Teav's offerings have historically been limited to exactly two products, this "OG Heat" version (white label/blue border) and a "Mild" (blue label/white border) version.
Recently, the company has decided to repackage the two with no change to the products' formulations, except for a potentially confusing alteration of their designations.
The new labeling consists of a "Spicy" (red label/blue border) and an "Original" (blue label/red border).
Our confusion stemmed from the expectation that what was formerly "OG", which is slang for "original gangster", would mean that its counterpart in the new package should be the "Original". But that's not the case. What was "OG" is now "Spicy". And what was "Mild" is now "Original".
At least a consumer accustomed to the "Mild" (old blue jar) who picks up a new blue jar without paying close attention will be getting the same product they came for.
But a regular buyer of the "OG Heat" (white label) will now be confronted with two unfamiliar packages. If they pick the new "Original" (blue label/red border), as would seem logical, they would obviously find it less spicy than they remembered, owing to the fact that "Original" was formerly "Mild". Our brains are starting to hurt trying to keep our thoughts on this straight.
How It Went
Anyway, we arrived at World Market only to find none of the advertised blue label/red border "Original" on the shelf, only the old white label/blue border "OG Heat". And the shelf label under it matched the SKU of the new "Original" shown on sale online. From that, we intuited that new label product had not yet reached this store, but the "OG" jar would be priced as advertised.
Of course, it did not ring up at the sale price. Only after some discussion, and a further confusing scan with the cashier's in-house smartphone app, did they agree to sell us this "OG Heat" jar at the advertised sale price for the "Original".
Unbeknownst to either us or the cashier at the time, World Market had already assigned the SKU for the old "OG Heat" to the new "Spicy" and the SKU for the old "Mild" to the new "Original".
Ultimately, we walked away with what we originally came for: the hotter of the two formulations, and at a discount.
On to the tasting
The aroma is subtle, slightly of onion or at least allium. Stirring to mix it up, we could hear and feel the crispy solids grating against our spoon. The ratio of solids to oil is high, but it's still a bit soupy. We recommend a good stir for each and every serving.
The initial taste of garlic hits you straight away, it's strong and has at the same time both a sweetness and the rougher edge one might expect from raw garlic. It's possible the sweet impression comes from the onion powder. The chili heat follows directly, not really hitting home until the back of the throat, followed by a long finish. So does the garlic, actually, as it tends to stick to the teeth. Consuming with food, we expect, will mitigate most of this.
The seven ingredients total meld together well, but if you take the time to ponder, you can detect each one of them individually on the palate, right down to the celery salt. We were pleased that the onion and mushroom powders didn't come across as sediments in the mix.
We've tasted several similar garlic-forward crunchy oils, but can appreciate what this one accomplishes with so few ingredients. For fans of crunchy garlic, big flavor without flavor enhancers, and no allergens, it should be a win-win-win.
Mama Teav's calls this a chili crisp, and we'll leave the title as that, but we really characterize it as a crunchy oil. Our feeling is that a true chili crisp needs a larger measure of chili flakes to be called such.
Ingredients
Cold-pressed grapeseed oil, garlic, chilis, onion powder, mushroom powder, salt, celery salt.
More Information
Brand: Mama Teav's
Style: Crunchy oil
Price paid: $11.99 / 6oz.
Country of Origin: USA
Manufacturer website: https://www.mamateavs.ocm
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