California Hot Sauce Solutions La Pistola smoked strawberry habanero hot sauce

California Hot Sauce Solutions at Madeline's

California Hot Sauce Solutions is a small-batch hot sauce maker in Oceanside, California, founded in 2018 by Tim Paulman and Jason Robey. Paulman had started his Paulman Acre brand in 2014, making sauces so far outside the norm that no co-packer would produce them, so he bottled them one at a time. Robey, raised in the Chesapeake Bay area, built J's Small Batch out of a passion for cultivation and nature. The two joined forces to make their own award-winning lines and to manufacture for other West Coast brands, run by sauce-makers for sauce-makers.

The house brands each have their own character. J's Small Batch leans Southern California, from everyday red sauces to extreme-heat flavor bombs and a spirit-infused collection. Paulman Acre is the inventive, fruit-forward line, with smoked-pepper and fermented sauces. Hip Bone covers regional barbecue and condiments, and the CHSS and collaboration bottles bring in outside makers. Across the board the sauces are built on fresh peppers and bold pairings, many of them Scovie, Sparky, and Zest Fest award winners.

The range climbs from mild and medium everyday sauces (a craft sriracha, a taco red sauce, a bean chili sauce) up through fruit-and-smoke habanero sauces to genuinely extreme bottles built on ghost pepper, scorpion, and Carolina Reaper. Spirit-infused sauces fold in cognac and single-malt whisky, and there are barbecue sauces and a spicy ketchup too.

California Hot Sauce Solutions products at Madeline's

Every item below is live and in stock at Madeline's. Click any product to see full details and ordering.

  • J's Small Batch The OG hot sauce

    The OG ($8.95). The original medium-hot red sauce on Chile de Arbol and Guajillo, smoky and tangy. A go-to for pizza, tacos, and eggs.

  • J's Small Batch Taco hot sauce

    Taco Hot Sauce ($8.95). A medium taco-truck-style red sauce with Guajillo and Arbol chiles and a cider-vinegar tang. Built for anything in a tortilla.

  • CHSS Sir Atcha craft sriracha

    Sir Atcha ($10.95). A craft sriracha of fermented Fresno and cayenne with less sugar than grocery brands. First in Sriracha Style at the 2023 Sparky Awards.

  • J's Small Batch BEAN Chili Sauce

    BEAN Chili Sauce ($10.95). A mild black and pinto bean sauce with grilled jalapeño, Anaheim, and citrus. A 2025 Scovie first-place winner, heartier than a thin hot sauce.

  • CHSS La Pistola smoked strawberry habanero hot sauce

    La Pistola ($10.95). A medium-hot smoked strawberry habanero with tequila and agave. First for Fruit Mild/Medium at the 2025 Scovie Awards.

  • Paulman Acre Smoke a Peach hot sauce

    Smoke a Peach ($10.95). A medium smoked-peach sauce with applewood-smoked habaneros, peaches, and loquats. Smoky-sweet for pork, chicken, and chips.

  • Paulman Acre Smoked Pepper hot sauce

    Smoked Pepper Sauce ($10.95). A medium, fruit-forward sauce with pineapple, mango, papaya, and applewood-smoked habanero. 2023 Sparky Awards Grand Champion.

  • CHSS The Subtle Tease fermented green truffle hot sauce

    The Subtle Tease ($10.95). A fermented green sauce with serrano, jalapeño, Meyer lemon, and fresh white truffle. A finishing sauce for eggs, pasta, and risotto.

  • Paulman Acre Fermented Garlic hot sauce

    Fermented Garlic Sauce ($10.95). An umami-rich hot sauce on slow-roasted black garlic and lacto-fermented Caribbean peppers with black truffle. A 2024 Scovie winner.

  • J's Small Batch Raisin the Bar spirited hot sauce

    Raisin the Bar ($14.95). A hot "Spirited Sauce" with XO cognac, golden raisins, grilled habaneros, and a ghost pepper finish, rounded with baking spice.

  • J's Small Batch Mustard Glen whisky hot sauce

    Mustard Glen ($12.95). A hot, mustard-forward sauce finished with Lagavulin 16 single-malt whisky. Great on brats, pretzels, and pork.

  • J's Small Batch The 5th Henchman super hot sauce

    The 5th Henchman ($12.95). A super-hot flavor bomb of Scorpion and Carolina Reaper with grilled onion, mango, roasted garlic, and coffee notes.

  • Paulman Acre Don't Pear the Reaper hot sauce

    Don't Pear the Reaper ($10.95). A superhot Carolina Reaper sauce balanced with D'Anjou pear and raspberry. Use sparingly in soups, stews, and guacamole.

  • J's Small Batch The Exorcist ghost pepper hot sauce

    The Exorcist ($13.95). The hottest in the lineup, a 100% ghost pepper sauce with Fuji apple, carrot, and applewood smoked salt. All natural, build slowly.

  • Hip Bone South Carolina mustard BBQ sauce

    Hip Bone South Carolina BBQ Sauce ($10.95). A mild mustard-and-vinegar barbecue sauce with rosemary, orange zest, and a smoky habanero finish. First for mustard BBQ at the 2026 Scovie Awards.

  • Hip Bone Spicy Ketchup

    Hip Bone Spicy Ketchup ($10.95). A 12 oz medium-heat ketchup on organic tomato paste and dried scorpion pepper, with no preservatives, syrups, or dyes.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I buy California Hot Sauce Solutions sauces?

You can buy California Hot Sauce Solutions online at Madeline's (madelines.co), which carries the maker's J's Small Batch, Paulman Acre, Hip Bone, and CHSS sauces, from mild everyday bottles to extreme-heat sauces. The products listed above are live and in stock.

What are the different brands from California Hot Sauce Solutions?

The company makes several house lines: J's Small Batch (Southern California sauces and a spirit-infused collection), Paulman Acre (inventive, fruit-forward and fermented sauces), Hip Bone (regional barbecue sauces and condiments), and CHSS and collaboration bottles made with other makers.

Which sauce is the hottest?

The Exorcist (100% ghost pepper) is the hottest, alongside super-hot bottles like The 5th Henchman (Scorpion and Carolina Reaper) and Don't Pear the Reaper. Milder options include the Sir Atcha sriracha, the BEAN chili sauce, and the OG and Taco red sauces.

Who founded California Hot Sauce Solutions?

It was founded in 2018 by Tim Paulman (who started Paulman Acre in 2014) and Jason Robey (J's Small Batch), and is based in Oceanside, California. The two make their own award-winning lines and manufacture for other West Coast brands.

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