Tuesday Reviews Day: Valentina Hot Sauce

I am a huge fan of hot sauce. I love many different kinds. Sriracha, Louisiana-style, piri-piri... if it's spicy, there's a good chance I'm going to like it. But my favorite hot sauces don't just have heat, they have a ton of flavor - and because of the tremendous amount of delicious flavor offered by Valentina, this hot sauce is my very favorite.

According to both the bottle and Wikipedia, Valentina sauce is made in Guadalajara, Mexico, and comes in two varieties: hot and extra hot. The consistency is thicker than a Tabasco, but somewhat thinner than sriracha. The color is a wonderful brick red. The flavor is very bright and savory, and the heat is a pleasant, middle-of-the-tongue sort of burn. The ingredients of this hot sauce are few (and they happen to be vegan). They are: water, chili peppers, vinegar, salt, spices, and sodium benzoate (as preservative). The awesome red color is all-natural, imparted by the chili peppers and spices.

I first encountered this hot sauce at Richmond's coolest all-vegetarian coffee shop / hangout spot, Harrison Street Coffee Shop. Ever since, I have been able to find it at a local grocery chain, Kroger. But should that supply ever dry up, I rest easy knowing that Valentina is also available from plenty of sources online, including  from various sellers on Amazon, a website called MexGrocer.com, and even on Ebay.

Good stuff.