Bufalo – Salsa Picante Habanero
As I continue my way through the sauces that I brought home from Mexico I decided to open up this bottle of Bufalo Habanero. The Bufalo brand, which is made by Mexican food giant Herdez, is often found in grocery stores in the USA, though typically it’s only the Bufalo Salsa Classica and the Bufalo Chipotle on store shelves, I can’t ever recall seeing their habanero sauce in the USA.
Yellowish-orange in color this sauce contains both habaneros and carrots which likely lead to the hue. There is a nice habanero aroma to the sauce with a texture that’s smooth and a medium-thick consistency. Like most Mexican sauces this does unfortunately contain a bevy of artificial preservatives, something that seems more common in sauces that come from Mexico, South America, and the Caribbean.
There is some habanero flavor in this sauce but it seems to lack the fruitiness that can be typical of the pepper. Perhaps it’s due to the peppers being overly processed or the rather high sodium content blunting that natural fruity nature. There is some sweetness courtesy of the carrots, but the preservatives used also give this sauce a chemical flavor that’s unfortunately common in many Mexican habanero sauces. Overall the flavor of this sauce isn’t particularly complex, just habaneros and carrots with some spices added, but overall lacks depth and has the unpleasant chemical taste.
I tried this sauce out on some nachos, tacos, and burritos and with food the chemical taste is masked to a degree, but there’s still an unpleasant bitter acidity that’s different from a vinegar tang and would cut through the flavors of foods on occasion. The Bufalo website suggests using it for ceviche and micheladas, and while I didn’t think this would pair well with delicate seafood it was OK when mixed in with beer, but far from my favorite option for that drink.
I can’t recommend Bufalo Salsa Picante Habanero. There are far better habanero sauces out there, including much better Mexican style ones. The unpleasant chemical taste and lack of depth in flavor from the habaneros makes this one a pretty easy pass.
Ingredients: Water, Pickled Carrots (Carrots, Water, Acetic Acid, Iodized Salt), Habanero Mash (12%) (Habanero Chiles, Iodized Salt, Acetic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Metabisulfite), Cane Vinegar with Acetic Acid Solution 10% (Water, Acetic Acid), Iodized Salt, Stabilizers (Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum, Sodium Alginate), Condiments, Spices (including Iodized Salt), Sodium Benzoate
Heat Level: 2/10. A little spicier than a basic Louisiana style sauce but still fairly mild, especially for a habanero sauce
