Habanero Spicy Salsa Is Vibrant-Looking But…

Hummus and veggie sticks, crackers with cheese, nachos with salsa- we all have our preferred ‘chip-dip’ snacks. 

Salsas are known for the fresh tomato tang and a lovely chilli kick. But can a packaged salsa replicate those flavors? Or even come close to it? Here is our Habanero Spicy Salsa review which is based on parameters like taste, texture, and ingredients. 

This table holds all crucial information on Habanero Salsa. 

What were the focus parameters in our Habanero Salsa review? The parameters included flavor, texture, aroma, and appearance. 

1. Taste

Salsa is defined by the fresh tang of tomatoes along with a spicy kick from jalapenos and a robust herby freshness. We answered questions like – 

• How bold was the tanginess of tomatoes?
• Were salt and seasonings in sync?
• Did we notice any undesirable, artificial taste?
• Any odd aftertaste? 
• This is a ‘spicy’ salsa. Does it live upto the tag?
• The prime question- was it fresh to taste?

2. Texture

Ideally, a salsa should be chunky with bits of tomatoes, but must also have a dippable consistency. The balance between these must be such that salsa is on the chip/nacho, without making it too soggy.

Did Habanero salsa meet our expectations or surpass them?

3. Other Parameters

Here we checked the price, packaging, shelf life, main ingredients, etc.

Price + Packaging

This salsa is offered in a glass jar. It holds 270 grams of product and is priced at Rs 175/- This has a shelf life of nine months.

Main Ingredients

Fresh tomatoes (75%), Onions, Habanero chilli, Tomato paste, Vegetable oil, Salt, Spring onion, Cilantro, Garlic, Acidity regulators (INS330), Lemon juice, Vinegar, Sugar, Black pepper, Thickener (INS415), Preservatives (INS202) are all the ingredients used.

Habanero Chilli, what’s so special about it?

Habanero chillies are classified among the hottest varieties of chilli. Almost 100 times hotter than jalapeno, Habanero is rated between 100,000 to 350,000 on the Scoville heat unit (SHU) scale.

How did we test this salsa?

After checking the product details and appearance, we began our taste test. We tasted it straight out of the jar, and then with some nachos to get a better idea of the texture and consistency.

Appearance

This was a chunky-looking salsa and we could see some green bits in this vibrantly red salsa. It looks very fresh and has a vibrant red color (no artificial colors used).

Taste + Texture

While the texture was fairly decent, the flavors of this salsa were below average. This is labeled ‘spicy’ but the heat/spice kick was not intense even when consumed as is (reduced even further when tasted with nachos). As for the freshness and innate tanginess of tomatoes, these weren’t as bold as you would expect from a salsa (Yes, even a packaged one). The salt and garlicky notes are on point.

All-in-all, this is a very average-tasting brand of salsa that could have been better if the key ingredient, i.e tomatoes, are worked upon a bit more.

Here are some interesting FAQs on Habanero salsa.

Habanero’s Spicy Salsa has room for improvement in the taste department. The most prominent ingredient in a salsa is tomato, and this salsa lacked the authentic tanginess and freshness you expect from a salsa. Moreover, the ‘spicy’ tag is not justified. 

Salsa-do you prefer making it at home or opting for the store-bought version?

Our reviews are unbiased and all samples used during the reviews were paid for by us. Read our entire ethics statement here.