Hot Sauce Finds: Hot Drops JalaPasilla

Bottom Line: The Hot Drops JalaPasilla Sauce delivers a simple yet bold green sauce with plenty of flavor and a bit of a kick.

I recently opened my latest box from Heat Hot Sauce Club (more on that here), and the first of the three sauces included that intrigued me was the JalaPasilla from Hot Drops. That California-based company got its start a few years ago with a focus on naturally produced sauces with fewer modified ingredients as well as sustainable practices. They refer to this as a smoky and mild verde sauce, and following is the full description from the website:

JalaPasilla is all about flavor. Ideal for those who prefer the less spicy side, but want that smoke. Made with charred poblano, white onions, and fresh jalapenos, it delivers a firm, but kind, kick. The “JP “ is best described as a sensual wave of flav that warms your soul.

Right off the bat, you notice a good green chili taste from the jalapenos and charred poblanos with a bit of earthiness to it. There is also some smokiness to the sauce, giving it a good richness. The vinegar comes through with a nice pucker but does not overpower. It has no sweetness for counterbalance, but that does not detract from this type of sauce. There is also a hint of garlic in there, and that blends well with the other flavors. This is basically a very simple sauce (only seven ingredients), but it still delivers good flavor. As a plus, it has no salt, so it is a good choice if you are watching your sodium.

They rate this as a 3 on a heat scale that goes up to 10, and I agree with that, as I would put it right around Mild on my scale. It is not going to set your mouth on fire, but it is quite flavoful, and I rather enjoyed it. There is definitely something to be said for a simple, clean sauce that does not go overboard on ingredients but still delivers on the taste.

They recommend using this with eggs, tacos, pizza, and more, and it would definitely go quite well with the first of those three. I’m thinking this would also be good as a marinade for a pork roast that you then slow-cook, throwing in some onions and garlic. Then shred that up and put it in some tortillas with cotija cheese, diced onions, and cilantro, and you should have a heck of a good taco. I am behind on some of the recipes I have promised because I have been recovering from knee surgery, but I may be giving that one a try soon, so stay tuned.

Hot Drops currently has this sauce on sale for five bucks on their website (plus shipping), which is a heck of a good deal. And it currently looks like they have all of their sauces marked down, so I may be placing an order pretty soon (that intro pack for $20 is probably the best way to go). You can also buy it directly from the Heat Hot Sauce site, but they currently have it at full price. If you want to sample some other sauces that they offer, though, that’s not necessarily a bad deal for a craft sauce of this quality.

Nutrition Info:

Ingredients: Jalapenos, Poblano Peppers, Vinegar, Onions, Garlic, Xantham Gum

Serving Size: 1 tsp
Calories: 0
Fat: 0g (0g Sat/0 Trans)
Protein: 0g
Carbs: 0g
Sodium: 0mg