TabaƱero Original Hot Sauce Review

Okay, so no one drinks hot sauces (at least among those I know), but TabaƱero will make you want to. This isn’t a fiery hot sauce that will burn your taste buds off. No, it’s a mellow hot sauce that can be enjoyed because of its massive flavor and, frankly, its lack of repercussions. This is the kind of sauce anybody can enjoy because you can put it on anything, but how well do Tabanero’s flavor and heat balance stack up? Let’s find out!

SUMMARY
TabaƱero Original Hot Sauce
4.0
$7.99 ($1.60 / Fl Oz)

TabaƱero Original Hot Sauce can please everyone at the table. It has a flavor, sweetness, and kick that won’t even bother your hot-sauce-hating aunt.

Heat Level: Medium
Pros:
  • Good flavor - tangy and sweet
  • Eatable heat nearly all will enjoy
  • Highly usable
Cons:
  • Heat balance is ok - but feels like it could handle a touch more hotness
  • Low collectibility
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05/28/2023 05:31 am GMT

Table of Contents

TabaneƱo Original Hot Sauce Video Review

Flavor

Fun fact: TabaƱero also labels this original hot sauce as a ā€œBloody Mary Mixā€ on their site, which I think is wildly appropriate. Because you’ll want to gulp it down.

Let’s begin with its ingredients: select habanero peppers, carrots, onions, key lime juice, pickled garlic, agave, salt, and spices.

From the second TabaƱero Original Hot Sauce hits your tongue, the sweetness from the key lime juice, mixed with the onions and pickled garlic, makes your tongue extremely happy. This sweet side balances out the habaneros, which only offer a slight kick and fade into the background rather quickly. More on that to follow.

Tabanero Original Hot Sauce on a spoon
TabaƱero Hot Sauce on a spoon

You can literally drink this, and it will never get past a medium heat, which is why I realize they labeled it a Bloody Mary mix as well. My review bottle is not large enough to accommodate how many Bloody Marys I’d actually want with TabaƱero, but they also sell a TabaƱero Bloody Mary Mix made for the moment. Think of the traditional hot sauce as a nice mixer to add a little oomph to your tomato juice, and it’ll go far.

What you mostly get with this sauce is a sweet flavor up front with a mellow heat on the back end. But a notable addition is the pickled garlic. It provides a slight vinegar kick, and that’s a nice addition. If you think of TabaƱero as a lovely vacation from the ā€œburn your tongue offā€ kind of sauces, then you won’t be disappointed.

Heat Balance

Habaneros are the pepper behind the heat in TabaƱero Original. Fresh habaneros range from 100,000 to 350,000 Scoville heat units, but this hot sauce comes nowhere near that. The hab heat is well diluted down to a very eatable medium heat.

The heat works with the sauce, and you can slather TabaƱero on anything (and often) and not feel like you’re going to be overwhelmed. Don’t be scared off by habaneros on the label. Think family-friendly heat, and that makes it one very usable sauce as well.

Usability

TabaƱero may be the perfect catch-all for the breakfast table. It’s ideal for both Bloody Marys (a.k.a. ā€œmorning recoveryā€) and those morning eggs.

There’s a reason you see TabaƱero popping up at restaurants – it’s mellow, easy to use, and delicious. It works well on fried chicken, and it’s a saving grace on steamed veggies where some extra flavor is often needed. And as a salad dressing, it’s quite good. That lightly chunky texture brings sweet life to greens.

This bottle does not come with a stopper. Seriously, if it did, it would anger a lot of people. This is a hot sauce meant to be layered. Pour away.

Collectibility

TabaƱero is a daily driver type of hot sauce that you’ll order in bulk. It wins by pleasing everyone at the table. But ā€œcollectibilityā€ is not where these types of sauces shine. Yes, once you try TabaƱero, you may want to always have a bottle around, but you’ll end up treating this more like an everyday condiment than a collectibility hot sauce.

The Score

TabaƱero Original Hot Sauce can please everyone at the table. It has a flavor, sweetness, and kick that won’t even bother your hot-sauce-hating aunt.

BUY ON AMAZON
TabaƱero Original Hot Sauce
4.0
$7.99 ($1.60 / Fl Oz)
Buy Now
We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.
05/28/2023 05:31 am GMT
Final Score4
Overall Flavor4.5
Heat Balance4
Usability5
Collectibility2.5
X-Factor4
Based on a scale from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest)

UPDATE NOTICE: This post was updated on March 1, 2023 to include new content.
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