Yet another Chuck Evans product has come across my desk. This time around I’ll be examining his Montezuma Brand Smokey Chipotle Salsa which is made from my favorite Chipotle Hot Sauce, his Smokey Chipotle Pepper Sauce.

Montezuma Smokey Chipotle Salsa Ingredients: Tomatoes, tomato puree, onions, chile peppers, tomato paste, Smokey Chipotle Pepper Sauce, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, herbs and spices.

Mimicking the hot sauce that this originates from, the label is simple and straight forward. The salsa contained within is red and full of large chunks of the ingredients. I really like the incorporation of the hot sauce here. You can definitely tell it’s in there and it pairs so well with the tomatoes. The sauce interviewees itself nicely between all the ingredients.

Up first is the big taste of the various incarnations of tomato. This taste boarders on too big and just right all at the same time, a crafty balancing act. Next on the flavor chain is the Chipotle sauce and then the garlic. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of a garlic presence but I am a garlic fanatic so that goes without saying (ever eaten whole cloves of dehydrated garlic before? I have…and it was magical).

In comes the lemon juice but it’s just a hint and slightly pulls on the tongue at various points. This is a nice complement to the heat and they seem to go back and forth with each other. Then come the onion which is fresh and crunchy which is a contrast to the generally smooth quality of the other ingredients. As for the peppers used, I definitely taste unripened Jalapeno and I want to say there’s a hint of Serrano here.

Now let’s talk heat. I wasn’t expecting that big of a heat presence but there it is, a solid medium on my scale. The heat starts off very small and then slowly starts to creep up to a nice, middle of the tongue burn. After about 5 spoonfuls the heat had my attention and it stayed there for a good 5 minutes as it slowly faded away. Yet another great product from Chuck Evans!

Taste: 8, Heat: 5