Valentina Extra Hot

[palavos3]

As a general rule, I don't much care for grocery store, mass produced hot sauces. Brands like Franks, Crystal, and other Louisiana type sauces just don't do much for me. However there are a few I love, like Cholula and Tabasco Habanero. Well, Valentina Extra Hot is one of those sauces and a Mexican sauce at that. The sauce comes in 2 sizes, a big 12.5 oz bottle and an absolutely enormous 34 oz bottle. I went with the 12.5 oz as that is plenty. There is hardly any writing on the bottle at all and the ingredients don't even list the kind of chili pepper used. That really irritates me. I assume they use arbol or maybe some other Mexican chili. Anyway the taste and smell are similar to Cholula, maybe not quite as great and a touch more peppery,but still very good. There is definitely a bit more heat then Cholula but is still edible for nonchiliheads. The sauce is cheap too. I got it at Walmart for less than a dollar. So if you want a want a good, highly available Mexican Sauce where you will get your money's worth, Valentina Extra Hot is the way to go.

Verdict: Heat 4.5, Flavor 9

 

[Lucky Dog Hot Sauce]

I like Valentina - it's definitely similar to Choulula and Tapatio. I think Tapatio is more vinegary/tangy, but the Valentino is certainly on par with them. I agree it's not as tasty as Tapatio, but it does have a bit more heat. Maybe 1 full point.

Pretty much agree on all points - if you're in a pinch and enjoy a Mexican style sauce like Tapatio, don't hesitate to pick up some Valentina. When I worked in a warehouse with a good number of Latin Americans, this was their sauce of choice for the break room - it comes in a nice quart bottle, too, so it lasts forever.

To my tastes, it's probably call it a 3-4 on heat & a 6-7 on flavor, but that's only because the Mexican style sauces are not my 1st choice - they're pretty sharp/tangy and not overly complex in flavor.

(e.g. kind of a "1-note" sauce)

 

[sicman]

i dig valentina.

we keep a big bottle of it in the fridge.