Has Chipotle’s Salsa Got Much Spicier?

If you’ve noticed that Chipotle’s spiciest salsa is making you sweat even more lately, it’s not necessarily because your spice tolerance is decreasing. More and more Chipotle fans are reporting that the popular Tomatillo Red-Chili Salsa is much hotter than it used to be. Some say it has gotten so bad that they have to swear off it altogether.

These complaints have surfaced for months as confused and frustrated customers wondered why they can’t stand the sauce they used to enjoy.

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“It’s definitely gotten tougher. I’ve eaten at several places over the past few years and always order spicy food. These places all remain equally sharp [whereas] Chipotle got spicier,” one customer commented in a Reddit post about the salsa earlier this year.

In another October 2022 Reddit postone customer asked if the salsa recipe had changed, saying it was “so spicy I wouldn’t even call it edible.”

“Seriously, I let them put it on my burrito Light and it’s so hot my stomach hurts,” added the customer.

The Wall Street Journal Also reported over last week’s condiment row, interviewed several customers directly, who said the salsa had become unbearably spicy.

While some customers theorized that Chipotle had changed the recipe Other believe that those who can’t stand the heat just have a changing taste. The real reason behind the reported mouth-numbing spice seems to be somewhere in the middle. Chipotle has confirmed that it hasn’t changed the way it makes the salsa, but noted that the level of spice in the product can vary.

“Our Tomatillo Red Chili Salsa recipe hasn’t changed, but we use dried red chiles, which are seasonally sourced from different regions and can have a range of different levels of heat,” Chipotle said in a statement.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Spicy levels in hot peppers are known to vary drastically outside of Chipotle’s menu, too. The Jalapeño, for example, can register between 2,500 and 8,000 on the Scoville scale. That’s a potential difference of 5,500 Scoville heat units in the same variety of pepper. According to Chipotle, customers were shocked by the heat in the city Tomatillo Red-Chili Salsa can be made with tasting batches dried red chillies that happen to be hotter than they used to be.

For fans who find that Tomatillo Red Chili Salsa too spicy, Chipotle offers several milder varieties that you can opt for instead. And who doesn’t want to do without it Tomatillo Red-Chili Salsa made despite the heat, a Chipotle contributor recommended Order it on the side so they can control how much they use.

In other Chipotle news, the chain has unveiled several brand new menu items in recent months, including chicken al pastor and the viral fajita quesadilla. Chipotle also introduced a new restaurant concept Called Farmesa in February, which deviates from its usual menu by serving hot bowls of protein, vegetables or grains, sauces and toppings.