Does Chipotle make salsas hotter in some states?
I've lived in several midwest states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan), and while the midwest isn't known for spicy food, in these states I've always ordered the hot salsa for my burrito bowl when I go to Chipotle.
I'm in California now and just grabbed my first Chipotle here, getting the hot salsa as usual. However, the hot salsa feels significantly hotter than the hot salsa from the midwest - I've already downed my 16 oz water and I'm only half-way through my burrito bowl. Normally I can eat my whole burrito bowl without water (and yes, I know eating any food without water is unusual).
I know California has a higher proportion of Mexican restaurants than the midwest, and therefore it has spicier food on average. So I'm wondering if anyone knows -
Does Chipotle make the hot salsa hotter in states that have spicier food, like California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas?
That seems like it would make sense since the people in these states would have a higher threshold for spicy foods and might want some extra kick compared to midwestern people.
Best Answer
The 4 major factors to why salsa is never the same on the perceived hotness (scolville level)
Maturity and type of the pepper when used. If jalapeño peppers are allowed to mature on the vine they will lose some moisture and their capsaicin will be more concentrated. Scoville hotness will go up. If you use a different variety due to availability, it will be hard to match the batch every week.
When water is used in pepper irrigation, and then it’s reduced due to rationing, the peppers will be smaller but capsaicin concentrated as well.
Food Prep. As they follow a recipe, cooks will add (x) number of peppers. On average, this is a ballpark scolville hotness best guess. If you use 12 concentrated jalapeños as described above… it’s gonna be hotter than 12 med regular. Or because they were smaller you add 16 instead of 12. Same same.
But as you know, if the chef has a higher tolerance then it may not seem hot enough to them and they add more. Meanwhile, the average Joe and Sally gets the fire… try milk.
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Which salsa is hotter at chipotle?
Red chili salsa is the spiciest salsa that Chipotle offers. But if you like it even hotter, you can add a bit of chile de \xe1rbol to nudge the Scoville units up to where you want them. Either way, it's a delicious tomatillo-based salsa that's full of bright, spicy flavor.Is chipotle Hot Salsa hotter?
Scoville hotness will go up. If you use a different variety due to availability, it will be hard to match the batch every week. When water is used in pepper irrigation, and then it's reduced due to rationing, the peppers will be smaller but capsaicin concentrated as well.Why is chipotle salsa spicy?
What's different about this Chipotle Salsa Recipe (also called Chipotle Hot Sauce) is that it uses Tomatillos as its main ingredient as opposed to the more traditional red tomato-based salsas. The heat comes from the Red Chilies and the Tabasco Sauce, which can be controlled by adjusting the quantity of each.Is chipotle green or red salsa hotter?
Typically red salsas are served slightly chilled, while green salsas can be served chilled or as a warm sauce. Another general rule? Red salsa is hotter than green.Rick Bayless Essential Salsas: Chipotle Salsa
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Answer 2
I don't have any specific information to answer "yes" or "no", but with no other answers, I would at least address the default: it should be "yes".
Restaurant chains and packaged food manufacturers fit their recipes to the local preferences. This is widespread practice, and there is nothing unusual or rare about it. They usually keep the same label, but produce it by a different recipe.
So when you combine the three points:
- different recipes are common
- heat preference clearly varies between cultures
- you noticed a difference in taste, which is in line with what local heat preferences
then for me, it is overwhelmingly likely that in this case, the recipes are different.
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