Shake before opening is the first thing they should put on the label of this chipotle sauce, which originates from Mexico. I picked a bottle of this chipotle hot sauce at the local Walmart to be the first review of a spicy product on FierceSauces.com. At less than $5 a bottle, it was very affordable and with the new direction I’m taking with the blog it was a “good” fit.
The Aroma.
One of the first things I do whenever I open a new bottle of hot sauce (a habit from my childhood) is to smell the contents of the bottle or container. I had to go really close to the opening to get a good whiff of the sauce itself, unlike other sauces that releases a bouquet which immediately excites the senses. This El Yucateco chipotle sauce was rather tame and had a slight smoky scent to it. Even when poured onto my tasting spoon and plate it did not really excite. Was it the intent of the maker to have the actual taste do the talking and not rely on a scent that could not live up to the taste?
The Taste.
As mentioned as I started of this review, be sure to shake well before opening as it seems that the content does settle to the bottom and you could end up with a runny liquid at first, followed by a thicker sauce. It took me at least 5 good dips into this sauce to finally base an opinion on it. You mouth is greeted by a sort of sweet and sour flavour, with emphasis on being smoky and it finishes off with a little “kick” as it works it’s way across your tongue. This was expected since it’s made with smoked Chipotle peppers and corn syrup. I’m not a fan of smoky hot sauces or sweet tasting ones, so I was not overly impressed.
Texture
Overall this sauce had a good consistency and pours nicely as long as you remember to shake the bottle before opening. Once poured onto a dish you’ll notice that the longer it sits, it starts to separate. It seems the peppers were not blended properly with whatever liquid they used as a base during production. I also noticed that a bit of sediment was left on my tongue when I tasted a teaspoon full and it had a bit of a gritty texture to it, even though it was fairly smooth if you were to just look at it. The sort of sediment that were left back were actually flecks of the roasted chipotle peppers that were not broken down properly. This was probably done to give the sauce some body?
Final Comments.
For the $5 I paid for this sauce it was not entirely bad. A combination of sweet and sour that finished off with a slight kick of pepper at the end. Most people will never pay attention close enough to notice the gritty texture or the fact that the liquid separates from the blended peppers, so if I were you I would not be overly concerned about this. As far as heat goes I would say it’s about a 2.5 out of 5 and overall I would give it a 2 out of 5.
This sauce would do well on BBQ meats, especially as a topping for burgers as the smoky flavours will meld well. I also failed to mention that I absolutely loved the rich brown colour of this sauce. It’s said that we eat with our eyes first and this sauce did it’s job.. it got me interested!
If you’d like us to review your hot sauce or spicy food, be sure to contact us. But remember the review will be based on our opinion and will not be edited to glorify any product. Our readers depend on our honest opinions.
