review HeatAddicts Review of El Yucateco's Kutbil-Ik Habanero Sauce
- Thread starter ThrowHeat
- Start date
SadisticPeppers
eXtreme Business
I saw on the closeup of the bottle's ingredients that it had acetic acid in it, which is the main component of vinegar
SadisticPeppers
eXtreme Business
Eh, it's OK 
I think all of us on here have felt pretty dumb for things at one point or another in our lives lol. Believe me, I felt like a total idiot when the seeds I bought in February from a guy on Amazon turned out to be a completely different breed, and that was just THIS year
And I think it's the sign of a really good cook, or in this case sauce master, to craft a sauce that doesn't have a vinegar taste with vinegar in the sauce.
I think all of us on here have felt pretty dumb for things at one point or another in our lives lol. Believe me, I felt like a total idiot when the seeds I bought in February from a guy on Amazon turned out to be a completely different breed, and that was just THIS yearAnd I think it's the sign of a really good cook, or in this case sauce master, to craft a sauce that doesn't have a vinegar taste with vinegar in the sauce.
ThrowHeat
eXtreme
Whoever made it, they definitely had my wife and I fooled BIG TIME. I tasted the habs, onion, and seasonings (I swear it has garlic in it too). I couldn't even tell that it had vinegar though.
El Yucateco Kutbil-Ik Habanero Sauce is absolutely delicious, however, there's an obscure sauce from Mexico that's of the same style (traditional Mayan hab sauce) but even BETTER.
http://productosmari...lsas/index2.php
http://www.yucatanpr...as_kutmarin.php
El Yucateco's sauce is 10,000 SHU, while I estimate that the Marin Kut Habanero Sauce is about 50,000 SHU, if not more. I also find that while the Marin sauce has a more watery consistency, it seems "fresher," and the taste is noticeably better than Yucateco's rendition of the ancient Mayan recipe. Definitely a lot more hab flavor to it. Yucateco's sauce, while yummy, is a little overpowering with the spices.
GOOD LUCK in getting a hold of this sauce. Unlike El Yucateco's products, this sauce seems relatively unknown and difficult/impossible to find outside of Mexico and bordertown USA. I only had it because my parents brought it back to me as a souvenir from the Riviera Maya.
Summary: Both are good renditions of the traditional Mayan habanero sauce recipe. However, the Marin version seems to be more faithful to the cuisine of the Mayans, both in heat and habanero flavour (consider that in Mexico, the sauces would be fresh and therefore fruity). El Yucateco is more on the commercialized side of things due to its toned down heat level and mass availability.
NOTE: I am not hating on El Yucateco's products AT ALL, as I do enjoy their sauces and would recommend them to any hot sauce enthusiast. However, I do believe that there are better and more authentic Mayan-style "Kut" sauces out there. This genre of hot sauce is by far one of the most poorly understood by chiliheads, and there needs to be a lot more exposure. For most people, El Yucateco is the only Kut sauce they'll ever get to try.
http://productosmari...lsas/index2.php
http://www.yucatanpr...as_kutmarin.php
El Yucateco's sauce is 10,000 SHU, while I estimate that the Marin Kut Habanero Sauce is about 50,000 SHU, if not more. I also find that while the Marin sauce has a more watery consistency, it seems "fresher," and the taste is noticeably better than Yucateco's rendition of the ancient Mayan recipe. Definitely a lot more hab flavor to it. Yucateco's sauce, while yummy, is a little overpowering with the spices.
GOOD LUCK in getting a hold of this sauce. Unlike El Yucateco's products, this sauce seems relatively unknown and difficult/impossible to find outside of Mexico and bordertown USA. I only had it because my parents brought it back to me as a souvenir from the Riviera Maya.
Summary: Both are good renditions of the traditional Mayan habanero sauce recipe. However, the Marin version seems to be more faithful to the cuisine of the Mayans, both in heat and habanero flavour (consider that in Mexico, the sauces would be fresh and therefore fruity). El Yucateco is more on the commercialized side of things due to its toned down heat level and mass availability.
NOTE: I am not hating on El Yucateco's products AT ALL, as I do enjoy their sauces and would recommend them to any hot sauce enthusiast. However, I do believe that there are better and more authentic Mayan-style "Kut" sauces out there. This genre of hot sauce is by far one of the most poorly understood by chiliheads, and there needs to be a lot more exposure. For most people, El Yucateco is the only Kut sauce they'll ever get to try.
except that now that jesse is gone that shop sucks
ThrowHeat
eXtreme
No worries. I didn't take your post as hate for El Yucateco. You were just sharing your opinion, and also pointing us in the direction of a similar style hot sauce that you feel is better, hotter, etc. So thank you for that.
BTW, I've already contacted a local friend of mine about it, who just so happens to be from Mexico City. Hopefully that means they will know where to acquire some. Because if it is similar to the Kutbil-Ik, but better, then chances are I will love it.
I talked with him via e-mail a few days ago. He said that he might be in town in October, but that isn't confirmed for sure just yet. He might also be in New Zealand, NorCal or Hawaii. I wouldn't blame him if he chose any of those three places over Bremerton though.
You're very welcome! I guarantee you that you will not be disappointed. Both my ex-girlfriend and a friend of mine also felt that the Marin's "Salsa de Chile Habanero - Kut Estilo Maya" was superior to El Yucateco's "Kutbil-Ik." Please let me know what you think of it once you finally get to try it. I will make it a mission to expose the world to the deliciousness of Kut sauces - the most obscure style of hot sauce in the world!
^I still keep the empty jar so I will know what to ask for the next time someone goes to Mexico.
I picked up a bottle of this a couple of days ago along with a bottle of the Jalapena Hot Sacue and the Salsa Picante de Chile Habanero. I tried all three of them on some grilled chicken tacos. I really liked all three. And like you, I wish I knew what the "spices" are that are listed in the ingredients from all three. I would like to try and make a sauce similiar to this but don't know what "spices" to use!
Nice review, thanks for posting.
Nice review, thanks for posting.