Spirit of Texas Salsa - Hot, Medium and Mild

Spirit of Texas Salsa (Hot): Hurts So Good!
Texture: Juicy with chunks of various sizes
Flavor: HEAT!
Price: $5 for 16 oz jar (includes shipping)
Where available: see website (below)
Refrigeration: Only after opening
Website: Yes
Spiciness: 9
Grade: A+

Knowing that a shipment of new salsas were sitting on my front porch, I arrived home from work and immediately tore into the package. Inside were three jars of Spirit of Texas Salsa - mild, medium and hot. Since most salsa companies 'dumb' down the heat on their products, I opted for trying the jar of Hot first. I immediately realized that this stuff packs some real heat. It was quite tasty, so I kept eating it. And then my sinuses emptied themselves onto the floor, my eyes teared up and I started panting like a dog. This is the hottest bottled salsa I have ever eaten. While I do have a penchance for spicy foods, perhaps I haven't been sufficiently exposed enough to develop a tolerance for genuine peppery heat. This is not my fault. Try eating at a Mexican restaurant in Alabama; they have unfortunately not served a spicy salsa there since 1965. Or some other year before I was born.

After walking quickly in circles around the house while panting for half an hour (this was to create a breeze to cool off my tongue), my tongue finally reverted to its normal state. I enjoyed this experience. It was like a John Cougar Mellancamp song, "Hurts So Good". Eating Spirit of Texas Hot salsa activated my endorphins and gave me that happy feeling one gets from being doused with capsaicin. I highly recommend this cheap and legal thrill.


Spirit of Texas Salsa (Medium): Robust flavor!
Texture: Juicy, with chunks of various sizes
Flavor: Peppery
Price: $5 for 16 oz jar (includes shipping)
Where available: see website (below)
Refrigeration: Only after opening
Website: Yes
Spiciness: 5
Grade: A

In comparison to the Hot salsa, the Medium was not particularly hot, maybe it was that the Hot salsa had burned off my taste buds. Thus, there seems to be a big difference in hotness between the two. However, the Medium has a full, robust flavor with a hint of spiciness, which makes for a well-rounded salsa that can be used in many applications other than eating directly with chips.

The President of the company included a letter with the salsas that noted that they do not rely on tomatoes to carry the weight of the salsa. This is true, and it differentiates the flavor of these three salsas from other products. I haven't tried any salsa quite like Spirit of Texas, so if you're looking for something different, I recommend that you give it a try. They have a sample deal going on right now; for a total of $5 shipping, they will send you a jar of salsa.


Spirit of Texas Salsa (Mild):
Texture: Juicy, with chunks of various sizes
Flavor: Peppery
Price: $5 for 16 oz jar (includes shipping)
Where available: see website (below)
Refrigeration: Only after opening
Website: Yes
Spiciness: 4
Grade: A

The mild salsa was quite similar to the medium in terms of heat level; it has a small touch of heat. I think that the mild could be a tad milder, for those who are averse to heat OR (a better idea, in my opinion) make the medium a tad bit spicier, in order to establish a clearer differentiation between the two. Regardless, both mild and medium have excellent flavor, and are so unique that I struggle with making a comparison using the word "like". The main difference I noticed between the mild and medium is that serrano peppers are an ingredient in the medium but not in the mild.


In Summary...
If you're a glutton for the joy and pain of spicy food, you'll love Spirit of Texas Hot salsa. I'm very impressed by the company's willingness to manufacture a truly hot salsa instead of one that has been watered down to please softer American palates. And the Medium and Mild are also excellent with a robust flavor - try the sample offer if you're tired of the usual tomato-ey salsas and are looking for something new.

New Mexico Chile Company's Old Town Salsa

Texture: Chunky, thick
Flavor: Fire roasted red chiles!
Price: $4.99 for 16 oz
Where available: see website (below)
Refrigeration: Only after opening
Website: Yes
Spiciness: 4
Grade: A-




It's been a VERY long time since I've had the opportunity to review a new salsa. I figured the faltering economy had something to do with the lack of free salsa samples coming my way. I managed to survive this painful salsa famine by making my own salsa at home. But variety is the SPICE of life, so it's wonderful to have something different to eat my tortilla chips with, since Chuck of the New Mexico Chile Company just mailed me a jar of his Old Town Salsa.

I tried the Old Town Salsa with tortilla chips and enjoyed the fire roasted taste of the chiles in the salsa. It has a colorful mix of ingredients (see photo above) and a robust flavor. There are generous chunks of fire roasted New Mexico red and green chiles in the salsa. There is a suggestion on the website to try adding it to soup, and I think it would add an extra dimension to a chicken tortilla, black bean or vegetable soup recipe.

If you're a fan of fire roasted chile-based salsas, the Old Town salsa would be hard to beat. New Mexico Chile Company sells other products also, like enchilada sauce, marinades, roasted chiles, hot sauces and spices. You can purchase these colorful products online at the link provided above.

Paul's Restaurant Style - Hot

Texture: Like gravy
Flavor: Fresh tomatoes, garlic
Price: $3.99 for 16 oz
Where available: Piggly Wiggly, see website
Refrigeration: Yes
Website: http://www.paulssalsa.com
Spiciness: 4
Grade: A

I stumbled upon Paul's Salsa in the refrigerated section in the front of Piggly Wiggly in Homewood. It looks very fresh and is a local operation from Odenville, AL (Home of the state prison). I finished it off rather quickly, as it's quite good. It tastes like something you'd make at home with fresh, raw tomatoes and chopped garlic. The consistency is about as far from chunky as you can get, but Paul's does sell a chunky style version. I prefer the restaurant style, though. I have some constructive criticism to offer regarding the "Hot" label on the packaging; it is misleading. It would barely pass muster as a Medium salsa on the spicy scale, unless you are a grouchy old lady like my mother who flips out every time she eats something with black pepper in it. I just purchased a second container of Paul's, so I definitely like it regardless of the pseudo-hot label. I would love to try a spicier version of Paul's Salsa.

Toney's Naturals - Green with Envy and Fire Roasted Red

It's been a LOOONG time since I received a shipment of salsa in the mail to try out. The other day, a box arrived on my doorstep from Toney's Naturals in Nashville, Tennessee. Inside: a container of Green with Envy and a container of Fire Roasted Red. It was evening when I arrived home, so I was excited about skipping dinner in favor of a big snack of chips and salsa. And my mother wasn't around to tell me that skipping dinner is so bad for me and if I skip it, I will get cancer of the colon, breasts, ovaries, lymph nodes, and also a heart attack, by the age of 35. Wouldn't you argue that chips and salsa does make a nutritious, fulfilling dinner? It has corn and tomatoes and onions. And tomatoes have lycopene. So there.

Additionally, Toney's Naturals are made from organic ingredients, so what it does NOT have is pesticides.

Green with Envy

Texture: Small chunks
Flavor: Chipotle, tomatillos
Price: Unknown
Where available: Available by ordering online
Refrigeration: Yes
Website: Yes
Spiciness: 3
Grade: B+

On Toney's Naturals website, the description of Green with Envy says, "An uncanny combination of fire roasted tomatillo; kiwi and fruity habanero. It will make you Green with ENVY!". I'm not sure who would be green with envy - probably the person who does not have easy access to good, fresh salsa. Like me. Green with Envy contains an unusual ingredient for salsa: kiwi. I think this sweetens it up a bit, and a lot of salsas use sugar for sweetening, so kiwi sounds like a smart replacement. The flavor is of fire-roasted tomatillos, and the salsa has a texture typical of tomatillo-based salsas - a little like jelly. If you're a fan of green salsas, this one would be worth trying. I'm not as crazy about green salsas unless I'm pouring it on top of some chicken enchiladas. Green with Envy would be an excellent choice for homemade enchiladas verde.

Fire Roasted Red

Texture: Moderately chunky
Flavor: Fire roasted flavor, of course!
Price: Unknown
Where available: Available by ordering online
Refrigeration: Yes
Website: Yes
Spiciness: 5
Grade: A-

The Fire Roasted Red has a self-explanatory name, with a flavor of fire-roasted tomatoes and a hint of chipotle. The salsa has small to moderate sized chunks of tomatoes, with a moderate hint of jalopeno pepper, enough to tickle the tongue. The interesting thing about this salsa is that it has mangoes and peaches in it. I couldn't taste either one, but it lends a hint of sweetness to the flavor. It's a good salsa especially if you like fire roasted flavors.

Mecca's Salsa

Texture: Finely chopped
Flavor: Fresh, homemade
Price: Unknown
Where available: Available in March 2007
Refrigeration: Yes
Website: Yes
Spiciness: 4
Grade: A

It's been over six months since I wrote a salsa review here, and it isn't because I stopped loving salsa. I have not received any samples in the mail, until this week. And I'm waiting for the ten-year-long construction of Whole Foods Market here in Birmingham to be completed. When it's finally open, I will use some of my Social Security income to buy salsas I haven't tried before.

On Friday I found a package on my doorstep from Mecca's Salsa. Inside was a container of freshly made salsa with a note from Mecca about how only fresh ingredients with no preservatives are used, so the salsa has a refrigerator shelf life of about ten days. This salsa lasted about two hours so that wasn't a problem. (I ate all of it rather quickly.) The texture is finely chopped but not too juicy, so the product stays on the chip en route from the bowl to your mouth. It's slightly spicy, just enough to offer a small kick, but not enough to clear your sinuses. The flavor is akin to homemade, with the taste of fresh ingredients.

I think it's quite good and wished I had more. Hopefully Mecca's operation will be up and running by March so that you can try some, too.

El Milagro tortilla chips

I haven't tried any new salsas lately, but Whole Foods is opening up here soon. Something to look forward to. I haven't mentioned any tortilla chip brands I prefer on the Salsa Review. My favorites, of course, are the piping hot chips that are served at various Mexican restaurants. The most authetic chips I've found here in Birmingham that are served packaged are El Milagro Mexican Kitchen Style tortilla chips. You can get a 16 oz bag of them for a very economical $2.50 at Target (in the produce section). I've also found them at Central Market in Dallas, Texas. They are thin and crispy and unsalted. Salt can make chips tasty, but can also detract from the flavor of the salsa you are eating. I like how thin these chips are; they are much thinner than the standard tortilla chip you would find in the snack aisle, such as Tostitos. Unfortunately, I haven't found a lot of restaurant-style chips in the grocery stores to discuss. The El Milagro chip is the closest thing I've found. (And it's manufactured in Austin, Texas.)

La Banderita Salsa Dip (Mild)

Texture: Restaurant style
Flavor: Mexican restaurant salsa
Price: $2.43 for 16 oz.
Where available: Wal-Mart

Refrigeration: Yes
Website: No
Spiciness: 4
Grade: B+

The packaging for La Banderita Authentic Restaurant Style Salsa Dip is sparse with information and also with ingredients. It has a modified Mexican flag on the lid and is distributed by a a company from Norcross, GA. The ingredient list is limited to tomatoes, jalopenos, onions, carrots and spices. I bought the salsa in the refrigerated section at Wal-Mart for $2.43. The only offering was "Mild" so that's what I took home.

I was kind of excited about trying a new salsa that looks like authentic restaurant salsa. And it does taste almost authentic, and the 'Mild' denotation is a little misleading, because it does have a small kick to it. It's a pretty good salsa, but I was mainly disappointed in the texture, which was too watery. I prefer the chopped-up texture of restaurant salsas over chunky textures, but this was a little juicy. I'd probably buy this salsa again, though — it's definitely the best salsa offered by Wal-Mart right now. I am not sure, though, if all Wal-Marts carry this product.