Castillo Salsa Habanera (Red) Hot Sauce Review

Castillo Salsa Habanera (Red) Hot Sauce

While casting about in a grocery store I very rarely drive by, let alone frequent, I happened down the condiment aisle, as is my usual wont, on the off-chance there was something there I hadn't tried yet and had an actual interest in doing so. Most of the sauces I skip because I either have already tried them or can read the label and generally extrapolate they will be of insufficient heat for me to bother with (I say this now, as I have a backlog of sauces still to go -- that might change as I run lower). In this case, it is yet another in the series of Mexican table sauces and the use of habanero means it will generally be in the right (or close enough) area heat-wise for it to be worthwhile.

The first time I tried this (at the same time as (reviewed last week) Born To Hula & more of the Zaaschila on some Taco Bell dreck -- same pepper, but 3 very different sauces, all failures in elevating the nasty tacos), it was a bust. But, keeping in mind that Mexican table sauces are designed largely with one specific style of food in mind, I kept at it.

If I had to try to pigeonhole the flavor, I would say it was a far smoother and much hotter version of the Valentina Xtra Hot (also reviewed in this blog). This is one of the first sauces based on habanero that actually acts as I expect it to, based on how the pepper reacts, namely, very low initial heat, but a constantly building presence. That is exactly what this one does. Instead of using the habanero hammer like El Yucateco Red (also reviewed in this blog) does, the heat comes on in waves. The flavor is much closer to the Valentina, though, as this is clearly intended to be a table sauce, albeit a much hotter one than normal for that category. It is not sizzling hot or anything; most chileheads will find this to be no challenge at all. Comparatively, it is probably slightly hotter at full blast than the El Yucateco Green, but not notably so.

Bottom line: Depending on if the fairly recent UNLV study on lead in Mexican table sauces concerns you (this sauce was one of those listed - one of the El Yucatecos was also), this may be a viable option if you want a table sauce with a lot more bite. The flavor is almost muted at first, compared to some of the other, but comes on nicely with the heat. I found a little goes a long way, not because it tastes bad, but because that allows it to mesh flavors well. It's something I wouldn't mind having again, but honestly don't see myself going out of my way to get, either.

Breakdown:

          Heat level: 4
          Flavor: 6
          Flexibility:  5
          Enjoyment to dollar factor: 7

Overall: 5