The Mild Sauce That Stole the Show: Why Zing Keeps Winning
- Mikey V's Team
- 7 days ago
- 5 min read
Zing is our mildest hot sauce, made with red peppers, fresh garlic, sugar, and white vinegar. Despite its low heat, Zing has taken 1st place in the Scovie Awards in both 2024 and 2025, proving that flavor-forward sauces can compete at the highest level.
Most people assume the hot sauce world rewards heat above everything else. The hotter the better. The more capsaicin, the more credibility. Zing flips that assumption completely. Our mildest sauce has now claimed back-to-back 1st-place finishes at one of the most respected competitions in the industry, and the wins say something meaningful about where the craft condiment market is heading.
This post breaks down exactly how Zing earned its recognition, what makes it stand apart from other mild condiments, and why we built it the way we did.
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How Zing Came to Be
Michael Valencia (Mikey V) has been crafting sauces and cooking for his family since he was 13. That background shaped a simple but clear philosophy: flavor should always lead. When we developed Zing as our mildest sauce, the goal wasn't to water down the heat. It was to build something that could stand on its own — a sauce with genuine depth that anyone could reach for, regardless of spice tolerance.
The ingredient list reflects that intention:
Distilled water, sugar, white vinegar, red peppers, fresh garlic, salt, and xanthan gum.
No filler. The fresh garlic is the anchor — it hits you immediately, with the vinegar adding brightness and the red pepper rounding it out. The sugar is present, but it doesn't tip into syrupy sweetness.
What you get instead is a balanced, savory glaze with just a hint of heat at the finish.
What Makes Zing Different From Other Mild Condiments
The mild condiment category has a reputation problem. A lot of what fills that shelf space is either too sweet, too thin, or too forgettable. Zing was built to fix that.
Where most mild sauces rely on dilution to reduce heat (essentially thinning down a hotter base), Zing starts with red peppers selected specifically for their flavor rather than their Scoville rating. The fresh garlic isn't a background note — it's the primary character of the sauce.
Johnny Scoville, who reviewed Zing after seeing it at the New Mexico Fiery Foods Festival, described it as "a very strong garlicky duck sauce," adding that "flavor is fantastic" and that the heat "didn't move his needle at all." He specifically called it out as the sauce he'd recommend to non-chili heads who still want something memorable.
That kind of versatility is the other thing that separates Zing. It works as a dipping sauce, a glaze for chicken or ribs, a drizzle over pizza, or poured directly over a block of cream cheese as an appetizer. That last one has become one of our most popular serving suggestions — simple, crowd-friendly, and genuinely delicious.
Two Years of Scovie Recognition Back to Back
The Scovie Awards began as part of the National Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show and were later renamed to honor Wilbur Scoville, the scientist who developed the Scoville Organoleptic Test in 1912. Today, the competition involves 80 to 100 food professionals judging products through a blind tasting — meaning no brand names, no packaging, just the product itself. Entries are scored on eye appeal, aroma, flavor, and heat level.
Zing took 1st place in the Kid Friendly → Not So Hot Sauce category at both the 2024 and 2025 Scovie Awards. Winning once confirms that the product has merit. Winning back-to-back, in a blind format with professional judges, confirms that the quality is consistent — not a fluke.
For us, this is part of a longer track record. Mikey V's Foods has placed in the top 3 of the Scovie Awards for over seven years and holds over 100 awards across competitions including the Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival, the World Hot Sauce Awards, and ZestFest's Golden Chiles. The Zing wins add to that history while also marking something new: our mildest sauce is now among our most decorated.
The Growing Appetite for Flavor-First, Low-Heat Sauces
The broader market is moving in the same direction Zing already occupies. According to IMARC Group, the global hot sauce market was valued at $5.7 billion in 2025. Within that growth, the clearest trend is a shift from heat-chasing to flavor-seeking. Consumers — particularly those newer to hot sauce or cooking for families — want condiments that enhance a dish rather than overwhelm it.
Zing fits cleanly into that space. Verified buyer Scott put it simply:
"Zing has an absolutely amazing flavor to it. It doesn't get any better than that." Another customer, Joey, called it "The Best Mild Sauce," describing it as "full of flavor and a tinge of heat."
Those responses reflect exactly what we set out to make — something that earns a permanent spot in the fridge rather than sitting on a shelf unused because it's too intense for daily cooking.
Zing also fits naturally alongside the rest of our hot sauce lineup. Whether someone is starting with Zing and working toward our hotter offerings, or they simply prefer a lower-heat option for everyday use, the sauce serves a real purpose in the full range.
Explore our full lineup in the shop or learn more about us and our story.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is Zing actually flavorful if it has almost no heat?
A: Yes — that's the whole point. Zing leads with fresh garlic and tangy vinegar, which creates real complexity without relying on capsaicin. The flavor carries the sauce, not the heat level.
Q: How does Zing compare to commercial mild sauces like Cholula or Tabasco Green?
A: Commercial options tend to be thinner and more vinegar-dominant. Zing is small-batch, uses fresh garlic (not powdered), and has a thicker, glaze-like consistency that performs differently — particularly as a cooking sauce or dip. It's also the only sauce in its category to take back-to-back 1st place at the Scovie Awards.
Q: What foods pair well with Zing?
A: Zing works across a wide range. Our top recommendations include drizzling it over cream cheese with crackers, using it as a glaze on chicken or ribs during the last few minutes of cooking, mixing it into mayo for sandwiches, or adding it to any Asian-inspired dish. It handles pizza well too. For more ideas, check out our blog on the best mild hot sauces and how to use them.
Q: Where can I buy Mikey V's Zing?
A: You can order Zing directly from our website for $7.99 a bottle with easy online checkout.
Q: Does Mikey V's offer a subscription that includes Zing?
A: Yes. Our hot sauce subscription starts at $16.99/month for one bottle and $34.99/month for three bottles. Subscriptions cover the mild-to-hot range (free shipping, cancel anytime), and Zing can be included in the mild tier. Sign up for our newsletter and get 10% off your first order.
Award-Worthy Flavor Doesn't Require the Heat
Zing's back-to-back Scovie wins aren't just a milestone for one sauce. They reflect what we've believed since the beginning: that a well-made product earns recognition on flavor alone. Mild doesn't mean compromise. It means intention.
If you haven't tried Zing yet, grab a bottle here and see what the judges already know. And if you want to keep up with new flavors, recipes, and limited releases, subscribe to our newsletter for 10% off your first order.
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