SIDE BY SIDE
TABASCO vs Crystal.
See what sets two bottles apart, from flavor to heat.
Or build a shortlist with a swipeGood choice. Let’s find its next-door neighbors.
Good choice. Let’s find its next-door neighbors.
Original Red Pepper SauceOriginal Hot Sauce
Flavor: 0–5 · Heat: Mild to Superhot
How to read this profile
Scores describe estimated intensity, not quality: 0 = not noticeable, 5 = very pronounced. A dash means not established from our sources, not zero. Shading connects adjacent known points; open sections have unscored flavors. Heat uses tiers from 1 (Mild) to 5 (Superhot), not Scoville measurements. Texture is listed separately.
- Heat
- The sauce’s heat tier: 1 Mild, 2 Medium, 3 Hot, 4 Extra hot, 5 Superhot. These are broad categories, not measured Scoville units.
- Sweet
- Sugar-like sweetness, such as honey, ripe fruit or molasses.
- Sour / tangy
- The sharp, mouthwatering bite of vinegar, citrus or fermentation. “Vinegary” tells you which kind.
- Smoky
- A smoke or char character, such as chipotle. Roasted or barrel-aged does not automatically mean smoky.
- Garlicky
- How much the taste of garlic stands out.
- Fruity
- Recognizable fruit notes, such as pineapple or mango, separate from sweetness.
- Savory / umami
- A broth-like, earthy or deeply rounded flavor, such as mushroom or soy. It does not mean spicy.
The finer details
| Characteristic | TABASCO Original Red Pepper Sauce | Crystal Original Hot Sauce |
|---|---|---|
| Heat range | Medium | Medium |
| Sweet | Not established | Not established |
| Sour / tangy | 5/5 | 4/5 |
| Smoky | Not established | Not established |
| Garlicky | 0/5 | Not established |
| Fruity | 1/5 | Not established |
| Savory / umami | 2/5 | 3/5 |
| Texture | Thin & splashable | Thin & splashable |
| Flavor notes | Vinegary, Tangy, Peppery, Fermented | Tangy, Peppery, Salty |
| Style | Louisiana | Louisiana |
| Peppers | Tabasco | Cayenne |
| Try it with | Oysters, Eggs, Gumbo | Oysters, Gumbo, Fried chicken |
Flavor intensities and food suggestions are inferred from linked descriptions. They are not laboratory measurements or our own tasting results. Read our method.
Find more like TABASCO