Karma Sauce Company: Hot Sauces from Rochester, Known from Hot Ones
In short: Karma Sauce comes from Rochester in New York State. According to the manufacturer, Gene Olczak, a former NASA engineer, founded the company in 2010. Several of the sauces have been on Hot Ones, for example Extreme Karma, Cosmic Disco and Scorpion Disco. I have tried all of these sauces, and my favorite is the Holé Molé.
Table of contents
- The story of Karma Sauce
- Karma Sauce on Hot Ones
- The sauces
- My favorite sauce: Holé Molé
- Storage tips
- Frequently asked questions
The story of Karma Sauce
According to the manufacturer, Gene Olczak started Karma Sauce in 2010 in his garage in Rochester. Before that he was an engineer at NASA and worked on the James Webb Telescope. Today the company produces its own sauces and also sells in US retail. According to the manufacturer, the ingredients come from the Finger Lakes region of New York wherever possible.
Karma Sauce on Hot Ones
Hot Ones is the YouTube show where celebrities eat ten increasingly hot chicken wings. According to the company's press release (January 2025), Karma sauces have already had five appearances: Burn After Eating, Scorpion Disco, Cosmic Disco, Extreme Karma and most recently Lift Off. There is also the Los Calientes line, which Gene made for Heatonist.
The sauces
| Sauce | Chilis and flavor (according to the manufacturer) | In the shop |
|---|---|---|
| Holé Molé | Chocolate, cinnamon, roasted chilis | Product page, currently not available |
| Scorpion Disco | Trinidad Scorpion, papaya, pineapple | no product page yet, currently not available |
| Extreme Karma | Bhut Jolokia, Trinidad Scorpion, Red Habanero | Product page, currently not available |
| Cosmic Disco | Ginger, soy, garlic, hot chilis, umami | Product page, currently not available |
My favorite sauce: Holé Molé
Holé Molé is inspired by the Mexican mole sauces that are best known with chicken. Like a mole, it tastes of chocolate, cinnamon and roasted chilis.
The sauce is properly hot. I put it on the table and use it as the last improvement to a dish, always with dishes that have strong protein.
If you want to prepare a mole sauce yourself, take a look at our page on mole sauce.
Storage tips
Store the bottles in a cool, dark place. Shake them before opening and use a clean spoon. Use sparingly, because Extreme Karma in particular is very hot.
Frequently asked questions
Who is behind Karma Sauce?
According to the manufacturer, Karma Sauce was founded in 2010 by Gene Olczak in Rochester, New York. He had previously been an engineer at NASA.
When was Karma Sauce on Hot Ones?
According to the company's press release (January 2025), there were five appearances: Burn After Eating, Scorpion Disco, Cosmic Disco, Extreme Karma and Lift Off.
Which Karma sauce is the hottest?
Extreme Karma. It is made with Bhut Jolokia, Trinidad Scorpion and Red Habanero.
You can find more brands in the Pikantista world of hot sauces.
About the author
Fabian Rueda has long experience in the spicy world. He has tried all the Karma sauces on this page, and his favorite is the Holé Molé. Follow him on Instagram for more hot sauce tips and Scoville rankings!