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Photo by Jim Craven Mark Hanson, one of the owners of The Sweat Shop Inc., helps sell some of the hottest stuff known to man in the Rogue Valley Mall shop. In top photo, labels tell the story. Some like it ... HOT Sweat Shop specializes in painfully spicy sauces By PAUL FATTIG Before reaching high on the shelf for the hottest sauces at The Sweat Shop, Inc. in the Rogue Valley Mall, think about the consequences. Carefully consider the waiver you have just signed, the one that acknowledges you are aware of the danger if the product is improperly used. "I am not inebriated, and am fully able to make a sound decision about the purchase of this product," the disclaimer concludes. It's no joke when customers hit the sauce at The Sweat Shop. "This is a real waiver," stressed Mark Hanson, one of the shop's owners as he holds up a molten mixture called Pure Cap. "This is a straight pepper extract. It's the same thing the police use in pepper spray." But not the wimpy 10 to 15 percent used in pepper spray. We're talking a 50 percent mixture responsible for two heart attacks, said Hanson, noting he must also sign a waiver when purchasing Pure Cap from its producer. The sizzling sauce is carefully administered by a dropper and can only be used as a food additive, he said. "You would never, ever want to use this straight," Hanson cautioned. Yet it represents the white hot extreme among the roughly 300 colorful hot sauces available in the family-owned shop which opened a year ago this month. Most of the sauces and salsa range from feverish warm to a loosen-your-collar eye-watering hot. The shop is owned by Dave and Rita Hyatt of Medford, and their daughter and son-in-law, Carrie and Mark Hanson, also of Medford. "My husband is from Texas," said Rogue Valley native Rita Hyatt by way of explanation of what sparked the hot business. Actually, it was a little more than her husband's hot tastes, she added, noting it was a perfect enterprise for the family. The hot sauces are rated on a one to 10 scale, with 10 requiring a waiver. The store not only offers saucy fare, but also marinades, seasonings, hot jellies and candies as well as barbecue sauces. There is also a garlic and pickle section, each offering a different taste bud temperature. And there are chili mixes, some of which are best handled by a pair of fire-resistant gloves. In addition, there are unique items like Habanero Stuffed Olives from Hell and Crazy Jerry's Boot Scootin' Spicy Garlic Mushrooms. Most folks reaching into the top tier of sauces don't have a southwestern accent. Oregonians aren't afraid of a little heat, particularly when facing a long cold winter, Hanson said as he helped one woman load up on five bottles of sauce. There were for the "truck drivers," she explained as she left. Some products, like the "Demented Dills," are locally produced. But most are imported from as far as Africa and Jamaica. To get their products, the family travels to hot sauce trade shows. All in the Southwest, of course. "You taste for three days and meet the people who make them," Rita Hyatt said. "After three days of tasting all you want are mashed potatoes." As a Rogue Valley native whose mother is Norwegian, she said it took some time to get her taste buds acclimated. "We didn't even have pepper on the table at home," she said of her childhood. "But now I'm up in the eight range." That's also the ceiling for her son-in-law. "I've tried those in the 10-range but they are extremely hot," Hanson said. "It's nothing normal people would be using." Consider this: The hottest sauces the shop offers register up to 500,000 Scoville units. In comparison, a jalapeno pepper ranges from 2,500 to 5,000 Scoville units. Many of the sauces rely on habanero peppers, most of which bring the taste buds to a broil in the 150,000 Scoville unit range. Although they are serious about their sauces, the makers all seem to have a sense of humor. There is Blair's Sudden Death, rated at the fiery top. Some sauces double dare you to try it. "You Can't Handle this Hot Sauce" challenges one label. There is Pure Hell, not to mention Half Way to Pure Hell. Other labels include Ring of Fire, Nuclear Hell, Hellfire and Damnation and Roadkill Cayenne. One of the milder hot sauces is a sauce called Texas Sweat, rating a mere five on the scale. Some labels are saucy in their own right. "Pleasure and Pain," rated seven, depicts a scantily-clad woman with a whip. "Her sister's over here -- Pain and Suffering," Hanson said, pointing to another bottle of hot sauce. It depicted an X-rated woman. But the sauce is rated nine. One hot sauce, appropriately dubbed "Dynamite," is packaged to look like a dynamite stick with a fuse sticking out. "A lot of them have really unique labels to grab people's attention," Hanson said. "There are some people who just collect hot sauces, whether they like eating them or not. But that's another story. "Most people just love the taste of hot sauce," he added. The Sweat Shop Inc. is located on the second floor of the Rogue Valley Mall between J.C. Penney and Montgomery Ward. The shop is open during mall hours, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays, and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. The shop can be reached at 858-9699. Today's Business Index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA