Scorpion Koji Hot Sauce

Your favorite hot sauce, hotter.

A 10/10 hot sauce built on fermented Trinidad Scorpion peppers, toasted rice koji, aged sherry vinegar from Jerez, and smoked Spanish paprika. 1st Place at the Spicy Flave Awards 2025.

Trinidad Scorpion peppers sit between 1.2 and 2 million Scoville units. For reference, that's roughly ten times hotter than a habanero. Lacto-fermented for two to three weeks, then folded into the same paella-method base as IL MIG+: dried rice koji toasted in olive oil, caramelized onion and garlic, smoked paprika and coriander seeds, aged sherry vinegar from Bodegas Páez Morillo, blended and emulsified until it pours like silk.

What makes Scorpion Koji different from most superhots is that the koji and sherry vinegar carry actual flavor underneath the burn. The heat builds fast and stays for a while, coating the throat and lips, but you can still taste what's underneath it. This isn't an extract bomb. It's a real fermented sauce that happens to be very hot.

How to use it

Try it on short rib chili with sharp cheddar and green onions. The chili builds heat through the long braise, the cheddar provides fat to round it out, and the green onions cut through. The sauce supercharges the whole bowl without flattening the meat. We have a Chili Colorado recipe on the blog that works the same way.

A few drops, not a pour. At 10/10, the heat will dominate if you overdo it. Treat this as a heat-and-depth enhancer for already-rich dishes.

Pairs naturally with:

• Short rib chili
• Brisket, pork shoulder, lamb
• Mac and cheese (especially lobster)
• Heavy braises and stews
• Bloody Marys, for the heat-seeker
• Anything rich enough to carry the burn

What makes it different

• Real Trinidad Scorpion peppers. No extract, no capsaicin shortcut. The heat is the pepper.
• Same recipe DNA as IL MIG+. Toasted rice koji, sherry vinegar from Jerez, smoked Spanish paprika. The only change is the pepper at step five.
• Koji and fermentation carry the heat. Most superhots collapse into one-note burn. This one has flavor structure underneath.
• No sugar, no stabilizers. Many superhots use sugar to mask the burn. This doesn't need to.

Heat, savory, acid

• Heat: 10 / 10. Trinidad Scorpion territory. Real superhot, not a marketing 10.
• Savory: Dominant. The koji holds, even at this heat level.
• Acid: Balanced. Bright but not sharp. Wine-like from the sherry.

Ingredients

Scorpion Pepper Puree (Trinidad Scorpion peppers, salt), Sherry Vinegar (Bodegas Páez Morillo, Jerez de la Frontera, Spain), Water, Onion, Garlic, Olive Oil, Rice Koji (rice, Aspergillus oryzae), Smoked Spanish Paprika, Salt (kosher), Coriander Seeds.

Specs

• 5 fl oz (148 ml) glass woozy bottle
• Vegan, gluten-free
• Shelf life: 2 years unopened. Refrigerate after opening, use within 6 months for peak flavor.
• Made by hand in San Diego, California

FAQ

How spicy is Scorpion Koji?
10 out of 10. Made with Trinidad Scorpion peppers, which sit between 1.2 and 2 million Scoville units before fermentation. Faster build than IL MIG+, sits longer in the throat.

Is Scorpion Koji hotter than IL MIG+?
Yes. Much hotter. IL MIG+ is 6 out of 10, Scorpion Koji is 10 out of 10. Same recipe, different pepper.

Does Scorpion Koji have extracts?
No. Real fermented Trinidad Scorpion peppers, no capsaicin extract. The heat is the pepper.

What's the difference between Scorpion Koji and IL MIG+?
Same recipe. Same paella build. Same koji, same sherry vinegar, same smoked Spanish paprika. The only change is the pepper. IL MIG+ uses red habanero. Scorpion Koji uses Trinidad Scorpion.

Has Scorpion Koji won any awards?
Yes. 1st Place at the Spicy Flave Awards 2025.

What do you put Scorpion Koji on?
Short rib chili, mac and cheese, rich braises, fatty meats like brisket or pork shoulder, Bloody Marys for the heat-seeker. Anything rich enough to carry the burn.

Is Scorpion Koji vegan and gluten-free?
Yes to both. No animal products. Rice koji is naturally gluten-free.

Was Scorpion Koji on Hot Ones?
No. IL MIG+ was on Hot Ones Season 24. Scorpion Koji is the heat-tier sibling, launched July 2025.

Where is Scorpion Koji made?
San Diego, California.