Kaitaia Fire vs Taste Lab:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Kaitaia Fire had more branded searches than Taste Lab among hot sauce brands in New Zealand. Kaitaia Fire had about 520 branded searches, while Taste Lab had 10. Kaitaia Fire made up 7.4% of all hot sauce brand searches we track, and Taste Lab accounted for 0.14%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about hot sauce brands, Kaitaia Fire and Taste Lab each appeared in four of the five answers. Kaitaia Fire was mentioned before Taste Lab in three out of five answers.
Who do people search for more?
Kaitaia Fire, about 52 searches for every 1 for Taste Lab
Who does AI mention more?
Both were mentioned in 4 of 5 answers.
Who does AI recommend more?
Kaitaia Fire, named ahead of Taste Lab in 3 of 5 answers
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Top hot sauce brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Kaitaia Fire was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Taste Lab was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Kaitaia Fire was listed before Taste Lab in three out of five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
Culley's5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers- Kaitaia Fire4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Apostle Hot Sauce4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Taste Lab4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
SpicyBoys2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Uncle Dunkle's2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Tabasco0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Frank's RedHot0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Huy Fong0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about hot sauce brands
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which hot sauce brand should I buy in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best hot sauce brands in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best hot sauce brand in New Zealand for spicy food?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“chilli sauce nz”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“hot sauce nz”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 21, 2026.
Is Kaitaia Fire or Taste Lab more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Kaitaia Fire and Taste Lab by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine hot sauce brands we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.
Share of searches by month for Kaitaia Fire, Taste Lab. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Tabasco | Culley's | Frank's RedHot | SpicyBoys | Kaitaia Fire | Apostle Hot Sauce | Huy Fong | Uncle Dunkle's | Taste Lab |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 14.2% | 31.8% | 11.5% | 11.7% | 12.2% | 14.4% | 3.2% | 0.98% | 0% |
| Nov 2025 | 12% | 30.9% | 9.9% | 12.2% | 10.7% | 20.6% | 3.1% | 0.62% | 0% |
| Dec 2025 | 9.7% | 21.7% | 7.4% | 17.1% | 8.7% | 32.5% | 1.9% | 0.68% | 0.34% |
| Jan 2026 | 13.2% | 32.2% | 10.3% | 10.5% | 13.4% | 15.8% | 3.3% | 0.88% | 0.44% |
| Feb 2026 | 16% | 27.3% | 13.8% | 9.6% | 12.8% | 11.8% | 7.6% | 0.74% | 0.49% |
| Mar 2026 | 14.3% | 25.4% | 12.8% | 10.4% | 13.7% | 10.4% | 12.1% | 0.43% | 0.43% |
| Apr 2026 | 13.1% | 23.5% | 17.8% | 10.1% | 10.4% | 10.1% | 14% | 0.42% | 0.63% |
| May 2026 | 12.1% | 21.2% | 22.7% | 7% | 9% | 8.6% | 18.2% | 0.54% | 0.72% |
| Jun 2026 | 14.7% | 29.3% | 11.2% | 8.7% | 9.1% | 8.7% | 16.8% | 0.91% | 0.54% |
| Jul 2026 | 14% | 26.9% | 18.6% | 7.8% | 9.8% | 11.8% | 10.2% | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Aug 2026 | 14.8% | 29% | 16.6% | 9.4% | 12.3% | 11.5% | 5.3% | 0.58% | 0.58% |
| Sep 2026 | 42.9% | 20.3% | 8.8% | 8.4% | 7.4% | 6.8% | 5.1% | 0.28% | 0.14% |
How has the Kaitaia Fire and Taste Lab comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Kaitaia Fire was ahead of Taste Lab in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Kaitaia Fire’s share of searches among hot sauce brands in New Zealand moved from 12.2% to 7.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 500 to 520.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Taste Lab’s share of searches among hot sauce brands in New Zealand moved from 0% to 0.14%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 0 to 10.
How did search popularity change for New Zealand hot sauce brands in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Kaitaia Fire lost share of searches among hot sauce brands in New Zealand, from 12.3% to 7.4%.
In September 2026, Taste Lab fell from 8th to 9th among hot sauce brands in New Zealand.
How are branded searches counted?
3 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Kaitaia Fire’s and Taste Lab’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Kaitaia Fire
2 branded search terms
- kaitaia fire
- kaitaia fire ltd
Taste Lab
1 branded search term
- taste lab hot sauce
Other head-to-heads among hot sauce brands
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