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Berlin is known for currywurst, the döner that the city's Turkish community gave the world in the 1970s, and the Vietnamese and Turkish street food culture that defines an ordinary Friday night here. This week the city adds another credit to the list. Pandemonic, a small Berlin kitchen run by Karol Wojciechowski, has taken two Golds at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 (EHSA, heatawards.eu), Europe's flagship hot sauce competition: Gold and Best in Category in Hot Chili Sauce with Chocoberrie, and Gold and Best in Category in Chili Oil with Chili Chrisp. Two Best in Category in one year, from one Berlin kitchen.
Nathan Austin on Pandemonic:
"Karol's been making Pandemonic for years, and Jolene's been in our cupboard the whole time. Chocoberrie taking gold doesn't surprise; the structural integrity those bottles share isn't usual for a kitchen this size." – Nathan Austin, Tasting Editor, Republic of Heat
Pandemonic is an independent Berlin hot sauce label, made by Karol Wojciechowski by hand in small batches from original recipes. The range is built around layered character rather than heat-chasing, with each bottle tested on flavour balance over Scoville extremes.
Chocoberrie (Gold, Best in Category, Hot Chili Sauce): a fermented chocolate habanero build with blackberries, apple, blackcurrant, red onion and cherry vinegar. Lovely brown chocolate colour, strong aroma, sweet up front with the berries coming through, then the chocolate habanero kicks in behind them.
Chili Chrisp (Gold, Best in Category, Chili Oil): a crispy chili oil from Karol's kitchen, the most recent addition to the Pandemonic range.
An independent Berlin kitchen taking Best in Category in two different categories says something about what the German hot sauce scene is producing right now. EHSA 2026 ran across 16 categories with over 200 entries from producers across the continent. Republic of Heat, a European hot sauce subscription, is its press partner. Every sauce was tasted blind in coded bottles, scored on five rigorous criteria by a deliberately mixed panel: professional chefs, sommeliers and food critics on one side, serious chilli specialists and fanatics on the other.
"Two Best in Category in one year, from one kitchen, judged blind across two different categories. That's not luck, that's range. Hot Chili and Chili Oil are very different briefs, and Pandemonic's sauces took the top Gold in both. EHSA exists to surface exactly that kind of result, and we'll be watching what Karol does next." – Neil Numb, Founder, European Hot Sauce Awards
German hot sauce production is showing real depth in 2026, with Berlin, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and the rest of the country posting multiple medals across categories. The strongest entries this year worked from original recipes, proper technique and the kind of depth only small-kitchen production gives. Anyone who's only met supermarket hot sauce should try a bottle from a Berlin maker and see what European craft producers are doing.
Chocoberrie and Chili Chrisp are available through Pandemonic at [shop URL pending]. Full 2026 results across all 16 categories: heatawards.eu/results/2026?utm_source=press_release&utm_medium=press&utm_campaign=ehsa2026&utm_content=pandemonic.
The European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 are announced ahead of the Berlin Chili Fest, 29–31 May 2026. Republic of Heat's EHSA 2026 Top 3 winner box is live at republicofheat.com/de-en/discovery-set/euhsa_top3, with further EHSA selection boxes at republicofheat.com/de-en/hot-sauce-sets.
ABOUT PANDEMONIC Pandemonic is an independent hot sauce label based in Berlin, Germany, run by Karol Wojciechowski. The range is made by hand in small batches from original recipes, prioritising layered character over Scoville extremes. The Hot Chili Sauce Chocoberrie and the Chili Oil Chili Chrisp are the EHSA 2026 gold-winning bottles. Pandemonic sauces are available through Pandemonic's own channels and specialty hot sauce retailers across Germany.
ABOUT THE EUROPEAN HOT SAUCE AWARDS The European Hot Sauce Awards (EHSA) is the professional competition for commercially produced hot sauces in Europe, run annually since 2024 from heatawards.eu. EHSA was born out of the Berlin Chili Festival, which has run since 2019 and returns 29–31 May 2026, and became an independent competition in 2024. Over 200 sauces from producers across the continent were entered in 2026. Entries are judged blind across five criteria: aroma, heat profile, flavour, creativity and finish. The 2026 edition covers 16 categories, with Gold, Silver and Bronze medals awarded across multiple positions in each. Each category also names a Best in Category, the top Gold. EHSA is run independently of any single producer or retailer.
ABOUT REPUBLIC OF HEAT Republic of Heat is a European hot sauce subscription founded in June 2025 by Nathan "Naga" Austin and Simon "Scoville" Gardner, based in Berlin. The Discovery subscription delivers three handpicked European craft hot sauces plus a spicy extra to subscribers across the EU for €35 per month, postage within Germany included. Republic of Heat stocks only European producers who are as passionate about flavour as we are. No American sauces, no extract-based products. Press partner of EHSA 2026. Website: republicofheat.com
PRESS CONTACT Simon "Scoville" Gardner Press, European Hot Sauce Awards contact@republicofheat.com +49 176 41601284
On behalf of: European Hot Sauce Awards (heatawards.eu)
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