Day 115: El Yucateco Chipotle

I don't know about you, but when I enter a new Mexican restaurant and see they have El Yucateco sauces on their tables, I know the place will be great. Why? Because if their hot sauce is this good and hot, then their food should be too. El Yucateco is a hot sauce made by Mexicans, for Mexicans. And their level of heat is a lot higher than the average American's.

For over 20 years, El Yucateco has been exporting their sauces to the United States. They have continued to use what I like to call a "Hong Kong Billboard" fitting on a tiny bottle. Bright, colorful words. Half English, half Spanish. Way too many words, and some of them don't even make sense. And I love it. Even the bottle is shorter and squatter than the normal 5 ounce bottles prevalent here in the United States.

So it's with a little disappointment that I see their two new flavors being completely Americanized. They're using the full size 5 ounce bottles, which look awkward sitting next to their original flavors. The labels are completely clear of clutter. Every word is readable, the artwork professionally done. I hate it. Or more accurately, pine for the old ways.

Sadly the heat level of the new sauce has been Americanized, too. Weak as hell. I remember the first time I had the green El Yucateco hot sauce many years ago. I swore. I spat. I cried over the tacos I would never be able to finish because I ruined them with too much hot sauce before testing it. What a great memory!

Sadly, this sauce does not live up to its name. If this had been made by someone else, I would have nodded and thought, "What a nice little chipotle sauce. Just like all the other 4,000 new ones." But this is El Yucateco! I wanted to swear out loud in Spanish! Aye Carumba!

I do understand why, though. Being a hotter sauce probably alienated a lot of the American market. When you read online or talk to people, they are almost always arguing which is better: Frank's, Cholula, Tabasco or Crystal. Holy crap, give me a break! And the same people will argue which is beer is better, Miller Lite or Bud Lite. Well, I'm going to sit here sipping my Guinness and eating XXXtra Hot El Yucateco.

Chipotle is a hot new fad, one that I'm not really all that fond of. But I hope El Yucateco the best of luck with their modern looking bottles and sauces.

Bottoms Up!

Drinking this straight allowed me to enjoy a very concentrated smoky flavor. The sauce is nice and thick with no chunks. After swallowing I enjoyed a small amount of heat. Then a few minutes later there was quite a bit of build up. What a nice wicked heat! This is probably one of the hottest Chipotle sauces I can remember. I'm sad that I didn't catch any of this while eating it on food. Chipotle must be a subtle flavor.

Scoville rating is at 3,400.

Tomorrow: Panola Extra Hot

Topics: Hot Sauce, Chipotle