Linda did the last review of salsa from Redd-Eye Brand, for the Eye-Poppin Hot version, but for the Smokey Orange Habanero XXXHot I had to pull rank on her. This salsa had my name written all over, at least if my initial tasting of it was any indication. There was a small container of rather innocuous-looking salsa at their booth that I had hurriedly tasted amongst all their others, and I remember the very habanero flavor to it, but my tasting notes from the show were a little blurry after that.

Perhaps that’s because I had to find something to drink immediately afterwards.

I like the super-hot salsas. I really do. That doesn’t mean I can consume them in mass quantities in one sitting or anything, but I do like the ones that can maintain the great habanero flavor amongst the bevy of heat.

Judging my initial review of the ingredients, I didn’t feel too awfully worried about the heat on the salsa for some reason. I read this list:

Ingredients: tomatoes (diced tomatoes, tomato juice, salt, calcium chloride, and citric acid), habaneros, granulated orange peel, minced garlic, hickory liquid smoke, mexican oregano, sea salt, carrots, red onion, white vinegar, cumin

Habaneros did happen to be the second ingredient, but the salsa seemed to be a little tomato-ey on appearance. The view from the open jar looked like this:

The aroma is utterly dominated by nose of habaneros, which barely leaves enough smell molecules left over in my nose to detect anything else. I do smell a little tomato and garlic, but this salsa is all about the chinense peppers, baby! Sitting down with my bag o’ chips, I decided to have a little tasting party all to myself. Scooping out a hunk of salsa, this was the biteful of habanero goodness before it hit my palate:

A note about this salsa’s consistency…it’s nearly perfect. Thick enough so that you get a good amount when scooping some out on a tortilla chip, but not too thin such that half of it falls off before it reaches your mouth. It also had good cling value to other food as well, making it a great addition to other dishes as well.

Taste: It’s like a giant habanero clubbed me in the head when I taste this salsa. People have described the “apricot-like” flavor of the habanero which few can appreciate because of the heat that follows, but with this salsa there is enough habanero flavor for the most die-hard of aficionados. Despite the heat, which is prodigious (like 9.5/10), you can really detect the elements of orange and the distinct essence of something BBQ-ish which must be the hickory liquid smoke. With a little garlicky aftertaste, this salsa has got style and attitude. For snacking and chip & dip eating, this could work for you if you like your salsas heavy with habanero heat. As for me, I found my forehead sweating after eating about 4 tortilla chip-filled bites, so moderation would be the key for me.

With such strong flavor and heat, I found this to be a great salsa for egg scrambles and just about anything dairy. If you like your Mexican food hot & spicy, try using this like a ranchero sauce over enchiladas, burritos, or whatever adorns your dinnertime board of fare. I used a spoonful to add habanero flavor to other tomato-based salsas that would dilute the heat but maintain the flavor.

Overall recommendation: Habanero lovers rejoice, you have a salsa to call your very own. Filled with tomatoes and whole bunch of habanero heat and flavor, this salsa is good for both snacking and cooking. This reviewer couldn’t take the heat for chip & dip eating for munching willy-nilly, but I’d use it in other foods to spruce up my dishes with heat and distinct habanero flavor. Give it a try for yourself. Enjoy!

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