I am a big fan of the original Cholula and consider it one of my go-to sauces. However, I must confess that I have not often reached for the different varieties of hot sauces available from that company. I have tried the Green Pepper and Chipotle versions and liked them well enough, but they never found their way to my permanent rotation like the original. Recently, I noticed the Sweet Habanero flavor (which may have been around for a while and I just overlooked it) and decided to give it a try.
As the label promises, this is definitely a sweet sauce. The first taste delivers the distinct flavor of pineapple which is one of the primary ingredients, and this might be more appropriately labeled Pineapple Habanero sauce. It is definitely hotter than the original Cholula, and their website puts it as hot on their scale (as opposed to medium for the original). I would not count it as hot, but it does deliver some burn. This is more of a medium heat from my perspective with the original closer to mild.
The problem for me on this one is that it has too much of the pineapple flavor. That makes it more of a niche sauce and not one that I would reach for on a regular basis. This is good for marinades and perhaps a change-of-pace flavor for wings, but definitely not something I would pour on just about anything like I do with the original. (Though I did use it in my Spicy Sunflower Seeds recipe and it worked out quite well). I did not dislike this sauce, and I will buy it again for specific uses, but I do not see it becoming a fixture on my pantry shelf.
Still, all of the Cholula sauces I have tried have been good, and I buy the original in bulk because that one is a family favorite. You can read more about that sauce and the company in my prior post.
Tale of the Tape:
Ingredients: Water, Habanero Pepper, Salt, Natural Dehydrated Pineapple Juice, Carrot Powder, Sugar, Acetic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Garlic, Spices, Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid, Natural Pineapple Flavor.
Serving Size: 1 Teaspoon
Calories: 5
Fat: 0g
Protein: 0g
Carbs: 1g
Sodium: 130mg