To me salsa is one of the four major food groups; Hot Sauce, Salsa, Wing Sauce, Dry Rubs. Clearly these are the foundation to any good meal. I would think if you are proclaiming to be the king of something as important as salsa, you had better be putting your money where your mouth is!

Initial Impression: Joy! All my favorite flavors all rolled into one delicious snack food. When I saw the Chipotle Black Bean & Corn Salsa I became giddy with excitement. Salsa is pretty much my favorite food group, and BB&C has always been my salsa of choice. Throw in some Chipotle and you pretty much have a perfect food. I am excited to be reviewing Salsa King’s Chipotle Black Bean & Corn Salsa!

Ingredients: Diced tomatoes (tomato, tomato juice, tomato paste, salt, calcium chloride, citric acid) black beans (prepared black beans, water, salt, ferrous gluconate, calcium chloride), corn(corn, water, sugar, salt), tomato paste, green chilies (green chili peppers, water, salt, calcium chloride, citric acid), cider vinegar, chipotle paste (chipotle, water, citric acid), jalapeno puree (jalapeno pepper, citric acid), jalapeno pepper, onion, salt, dehydrated garlic, spices, lime juice (from concentrate), lime oil.

Wow, lots of stuff in here including some stuff I would prefer not to eat. What is ferrous gluconate anyways; rusty sugar? Also there is calcium chloride and citric acid in every other ingredient. My preference is to see a cleaner ingredient list. From the parentheses I can tell this junk is brought into the salsa from other ingredients. Perhaps some cleaner ingredients could shorten the list.

On the other hand the ingredient list was printed so small and over some graphics so you can barely read it anyways. I think I burst a blood vessel in my right eye trying to copy the ingredient list to this review.

Appearance: While I find the label to be a bit busy it definitely gets the point across. As in the ingredient list, some of the text is a little hard to read. The salsa however has an impressive appearance. It has a nice natural looking color and big chunks of stuff in it. Upon closer inspection you can see all the little bits of garlic and spice, and let’s not forget the black beans and corn; it’s all in there. It has a thick and chunky texture. There is a little juice, but I would not say this stuff was watery. This is definitely a sexy salsa. I’m getting excited about tasting it!

Aroma: Oh Yeah!! That’s the way a salsa should smell. When I uncap this jar to take a whiff my mouth instantly starts to water. You can smell all the different ingredients in the salsa. The first to hit the schnozzola is the smokiness of the chipotles, followed by garlic and onion and then the tangy tomato comes through. Can we Eat NOW!

Taste: Smoky, spicy, tomatoey; is that even a word? This is a great tasting salsa. There is not one element that jumps out at me or overpowers another. Everything seems nicely balanced and the heat is, well, pretty mild for my taste. But I remind you; this is a medium salsa. It is probably a medium in standard non Chile-head terms.

The Food Test: FOOD? Give me a break. I mean if you wanna put salsa on food go right ahead. I killed this jar with a bag of tortilla chips during the first half of the Sopranos. I’m sure you could put it on your eggs or omelets, or whatever else you like to put salsa on. This stuff is good enough to eat right out of the jar. As a matter of fact it is food all by itself. Ok, well, with chips it is!

Conclusion: If you are like me and love your chips and salsa; the Salsa King Chipotle BB&C Salsa is a winner. It is a medium heat salsa that is a meal on its own. The aroma, textures, and flavors are all balanced and delicious. There are a few ingredients on the list that I could do without; but this salsa is so tasty it probably wouldn’t stop me from buying it anyway. Get a jar and dig in!

Packaging 6/10 – A Little Busy
Aroma 9/10 – Fresh, Smoky
Appearance 10/10 – Chunky
Taste 10/10 – Balanced & Delicious
Heat 5/10 –Sort of Mild

Overall 8/10

The SalsaKing Fine Southwestern Foods
SalsaQueen@thehot1.com
www.thehot1.com
877-THE HOT1 (843-4681)
480-654-8407