Joe T. Garcia's Salsa Picante (Hot)

Texture: Smooth, with tomato chunks
Flavor: Heat
Price: $2.50 for 16 oz jar
Where purchased: Target
Refrigeration: No
Website: No
Spiciness: 9
Grade: A

I'm taking my tongue to be treated at the burn unit. Joe T. Garcia doesn't lie when he labeled this salsa as Hot. See, the problem is that many salsa makers offer a "Hot" version of their salsa which isn't hot at all. So when I was at Target today, I chose the "Hot" version of Joe T. Garcia's because I assumed it probably wouldn't be that hot, and I do like to eat hot salsa.

My tongue is on fire. And I love this salsa. It smells of insanely hot peppers, and I like the smooth texture too. A lot of unrefrigerated jar salsas have a strange gummy texture, but not Joe T. Garcia's. The salsa is made in Fort Worth, Texas, and a restaurant there bears the same name. Those Texans know how to make some good salsa, and they aren't afraid to make it hot.

La Mexicana Medium Salsa

Texture: Very chunky
Flavor: Fresh tomatoes
Price: N/A
Where purchased: Publix in GA, some Wal-Marts
Refrigeration: Yes
Website: Yes
Spiciness: 3
Grade: B-



The Sales Director for La Mexicana Food Products contacted me about sending me some samples of their salsas. It's been a while since I received samples to review, so I was very excited. He overnighted three different salsas in a cooler with ice packs, and the first one I tried is the La Mexicana Medium Salsa (pictured above).

He noted that La Mexicana brand salsas are available in some Georgia Publix Supermarkets and some Wal-Marts. I checked my local Wal-Mart and Publix stores and did not find either available at the stores closest to where I live. [11/19 addendum: I found La Mexicana salsas at Publix in Birmingham in the produce section in a different area than the other refridgerated salsas.]

To preface my review, I'd like to note what the sales director said about La Mexicana salsas. La Mexicana makes only salsas (no other type of product such as chips or burritos.) Produce is their specialty, and their products are very fresh with no filler or chemical ingredients, no sugar, and no vinegar.

Thus, La Mexicana Medium salsa tastes like fresh tomatoes. It is a very chunky salsa (no mushy tomatoes and they are not cooked like other salsas), so it reminds me of pico de gallo instead of traditional Mexican salsa. I can see some cilantro and onions mixed in with the tomatoes. However, the "Medium" salsa, to me, tastes rather mild, unless I have permanently dulled my taste buds by recently eating other salsas which were painfully hot. I'm going to try the "Hot" flavor next.

My personal preference for salsa is smooth, not chunky, and very spicy, but that shouldn't stop anyone who prefers a pico-style salsa from trying La Mexicana. It is an unquestionably fresh product, and far better than what you would eat if you purchased room-temperature salsa from a jar.