Bottom Line: The new salsas from Cholula do not bring a lot of heat, but they do deliver on taste.
Cholula is best known for the wood-topped bottles of hot sauce that have become ubiquitous in many eating establishments across the country. They bill themselves as the “No. 1 Mexican Hot Sauce in the World” and they are probably second to only Tabasco in this country in name recognition. Over the years, they have put out a variety of flavors, but they had not ventured into the salsa market until just recently. Starting earlier this year they have released three varieties: Original Salsa, Smokey Chipotle, and Salsa Verde.
I have been keeping an eye out for these at my local HEB, but they have not made it to the shelves at that chain just yet. I stopped by Walmart, though, and found the Original and the Salsa Verde (they have a rather cute wood-colored lid which hearkens back to the original hot sauce). Following are my thoughts on those two:
Cholula Original Salsa: This one has a good tomatoey tang with a little bit of sweetness. There is also some acidity there as well, but not too much. The taste of the vegetables comes through because there are decent chunks of those, and they do not get lost in the mix. It has some of the dark color and taste of a roast salsa even though there is no indication the veggies are roasted. But overall, this is a step up from standard jarred salsa.
They indicate on the label that the heat is Medium, but I would only rank it as Mild on my scale. That’s okay, though, because that is in line with their original hot sauce and this salsa still delivers a good tingling of heat that lingers for a bit. Combined with the superior taste, this is an excellent salsa option that can be used to top quite a number of dishes or you can just enjoy it with chips.
Salsa Verde: This one has the tang and acidity you expect from a tomatillo salsa but not to the point that it causes too much pucker. It also has that green pepper taste, though not the distinct flavor of poblanos they mention on the jar. It has a touch of sweetness which is just enough to counterbalance the acidity. And the consistency is a little bit slimy, which is not uncommon for a tomatillo sauce, but that does not detract too much.
As far as the heat, this one is not hot at all, not even getting to the Mild level on my scale. It has a slight zing, in part from the acidity, but that is it. If you want some burn, you will have to chop up a chili pepper and add it to the salsa. As is, it works well with breakfast items because I am not looking for too much heat with my morning coffee. But don’t open this jar expecting any fire.
Of the two, the Original was my favorite and I would say it approaches the taste of some of the craft salsas I have bought. And at around $3.50 a jar, that is a heck of a deal for a salsa of this quality. The Verde is solid and I will get it again, but I would not call it a must-have. I want to give the Smokey Chipotle a try as well–which they claim is Hot–but I haven’t seen that one in stores yet.
As mentioned above, I found the two that I tried in Walmart, but I have not seen them in other stores yet. You can find all three varieties on Amazon (at $3.28 a jar last time I checked) in case they aren’t available at a store near you. Note that these are 12 oz jars as opposed to the 16 oz you usually find with salsa. But I still consider that a good deal for the quality.
Nutrition Info:
Original Salsa
Ingredients: Tomato, onion, jalapeno pepper, distilled vinegar, water, tomato paste, salt, dehydrated garlic, arbol pepper, cumin, dehydrated cilantro, spices & natural flavor
Serving Size: 2 Tbsp (31g)
Calories: 10
Fat: 0g (0g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 0g
Carbs: 2g
Sodium: 240mg
Salsa Verde
Ingredients: tomatillo, jai.apeno pepper, onion, water, distilled vinegar, salt, poblano pepper, dehydrate□ cilantro, xantham gum (thickener), green bell pepper, garlic powder & spices
Serving Size: 2 Tbsp (31g)
Calories: 10
Fat: 0g (0g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 0g
Carbs: 2g
Sodium: 260mg