I’ve been thinking it’s time we give something back to our fans. It’s true, we have fans! Possibly a dozen or more. Rhonda Nixon LOVED the last post and gave it a smiley face. Ty Crane and Wyatt Smith are a couple of our more enthusiastic followers. My mom even reads a lot of our blog posts. That’s four right there, plus Kirstyn’s mom, that’s five. We’ve really hit the big time with this thing in an age where newspapers are going broke, it’s great to know people still read as long as it’s free and not too long. So I got to wondering, what would our fans really love to read about? It needs to be something we’re passionate about, or I just wouldn’t put my heart into it. Hot sauces. We’ve done some serious research in this area so you don’t have to. For this test, Kirstyn and I will try a little of each sauce on a simple corn chip. I had considered pork rinds to be the ultimate instrument to convey Mexican sauce to my mouth, but the winning sauce must be able to stand on its own merits, without the help of porky goodness. So let us begin.
1. Amor Picante. This sauce is made by Salsas Castillo in Hermosillo Sonora. Listed as HOT.
Jerin: this is a nice sauce, tangy, hot, but not overpowering
Kirstyn: not that hot, quite salty and flavourless
2. Guacamaya Traditional. Made by Industrias Guacamya in Culiacan Sinaloa. Listed as Medio.
Jerin: seems to be one of the more popular sauces , dark colour, slow burn. This one could catch you off guard if you crush a whole bunch quickly.
Kirstyn: a little more spicy, can’t distinguish what pepper flavour it is, mildly hot. I wish I liked it more because there’s a parrot on the bottle.
3. Mexico Lindo Salsa Habanero. Made by Salsas Castillo in Hermosillo Sonora. Listed as Extra Picante.
Jerin: not my favourite, lots of heat real quick, not great in the flavour department.
Kirstyn: sweet and aggressively spicy, my mouth is on fire. Definitely got heat. Could be painful on the way out.
4. Valentina. Made by Salsa Tamazula in Guadalajara Jalisco. Listed as Salsa Picante.
Jerin: love this stuff , tangy and delicious.
Kirstyn: smokey, not that hot. There appears to be a Wu-tang symbol on the bottle. (Jerin believes it to be the State of Jalisco rather than a late nineties hip hop group)
5. Valentina Muy Picante. Made by Salsa Tamazula in Guadalajara Jalisco. Listed as Muy Picante.
Jerin: the great taste of Valentina with Muy picante. Also great in a Caesar.
Kirstyn: aromatic, more spicy than original, slow burn.
6. Tapatio. Made in Vernon California USA. Listed as Hot Sauce.
Jerin: even though it’s made in California, it’s pretty good. Nice flavour with a quick burn that lasts in a good way.
Kirstyn: flavourless, not very hot, mediocre.
7. Cholula. Made by Casa Cuervo in Ciudad de Mexico. Listed as Original.
Jerin: light colour, nice flavour , not much heat. I recommend this one if you can’t handle much burn.
Kirstyn: enjoy that the bottle has a woman on it, the rest have men. Tangy, sweet, hints of onion and garlic.
Whoa, so there you have it. Valentina wins. Kirstyn chooses Valentina Muy Picante, and Jerin chooses The regular Valentina for snacks and the Muy Picante for Caesars. Just like Wu-tang Clan, Valentina Muy Picante ain’t nothing to fuck with. But don’t take our word for it, pick up some sauces and let us know what you think. I personally think that Valentina Muy Picante beats out Tabasco in a Caesar simply because of the great flavour it adds. The habanero sauce is an anomaly in this test. I’m not a habanero sauce fan, I don’t find it tastes real good but it definitely adds fire. If you truly value my opinion, you will get yourself a meaty taco and smother it in Valentina pronto!
Adventures of Sunshine Three 