FOOD NEWS
Has The Heat On Chipotle's Red Salsa Gone Up?
By Kelly Douglas
Chipotle's red chili pepper salsa is made from chile de arbol, and even though they haven’t changed the type of peppers they use, it still seems like their salsa is getting hotter.
Due to supply chain issues, Chipotle has had to change where they source their chiles. The chiles come from all over the world now, particularly from parts of Mexico and India.
Chiles become spicier if they don’t get enough water, and global climate variations mean it's possible that these chiles haven't gotten as much water as they have in the past.
Chipotle's red salsa typically falls between 2730 and 3420 Scoville units — the unit for a pepper’s heat level — around the same as Tabasco sauce or a milder jalapeño.
Heat variation is normal, and per Eat This, Not That, Chipotle says they “use dried red chili peppers [...] from varying regions that can have a range of different heat levels."