Has Chipotle’s red hot salsa sauce REALLY become too spicy?

Chipotle aficionados across America are reporting an extra kick in their favorite burrito.

Users of a 50,000-strong fan page on Reddit say the chain’s Tomatillo-Red Chili Salsa has gotten unbearably hot in recent months.

TikTok has also been awash with users questioning whether the sauce has become spicier, describing it as ‘Satan’s spit’ and ‘inedible’.

As a Chipotle fan who lives and works in Manhattan, where you can’t go two blocks without seeing the iconic swirled pepper, I had to try it for myself.

While the first chip was fine, after wolfing down a couple, the spice really began to kick in. After eating somewhere between seven to ten chips, I had to go get water to help deal with the spice.

I ordered the steak burrito bowl and salsa and chips from two different Chipotle locations. Both with the infamously spicy Tomatillo-Red Chili Salsa

Despite rampant speculation on social media, Chipotle told DailyMail.com: ‘Our recipe for tomatillo red-chili salsa has not changed. 

‘However, we use dried red chili peppers sourced seasonally from varying regions that can have a range of different heat levels.’ 

But analysis has shown large variations in the spiciness levels sold at its restaurants, ranging from 2,730 to 3,420 Scoville units — which might explain some of the discrepancy customers are reporting. 

Scoville measurements gauge spiciness by measuring how the capsaicin within the pepper withstands being diluted by sugar water. The more resilient it is, the spicier.

To get a somewhat fair sample size, I visited two stores in the East Village and ordered two different items — the chip and hot dip and my favorite steak burrito bowl with a generous serving of spicy sauce.

I usually order the milder salsa verde. While it has a bit of a kick, it is nice and comfortable with the rest of my Chipotle order.

When eaten with chips the red salsa was unbearable after a few mouthfuls — even for a seasoned Mexican food eater like myself.

Even other colleagues – who claim to be spicy food connoisseurs – reported it was now too hot to tolerate.

The burrito was much more manageable, though, likely because the spicy is drowned out by other ingredients like cheese and rice.

Initially thinking I could tackle the challenge without water, I eventually swallowed my pride and indulged myself

CHIP AND DIP – MORE LIKE MORE LIKE INSANE AND PAIN! 

Our taste test started with the chips.  I grabbed a crispy tortilla chip and scooped up a hefty serving of the red sauce.

For a few seconds after my first bite the spice felt ok.

I started thinking to myself, ‘Oh I guess the people on the internet are making a mountain out of a molehill again’.

After a few seconds, I felt a blast of spice across the two edges of my tongue. They had seemingly been set alight when I swallowed the chip and dip.

The Chipotle sauce uses dried red chilly peppers as its base. The peppers originated in Central and South America and are filled with the extract capsaicin.

The chemical is considered an irritant and neurotoxin in mammals, known to inflame flesh — like your tongue — when they come in contact.

It also contains other regular spices such as salt, pepper and garlic, according to the company. 

Despite the blast of heat, the spice was bearable for the first few chips.

There was a compounding effect, though. As I ate more chips, the effect of the spice became more severe.

Unfortunately, I had ordered an entire bag of chips and still had a long way to go before I finished. 

By around chip six my eyes felt like they were going to water and my nose became runny. I could feel the flourishing heat across my forehead and cheeks. 

By chip ten, I had to go to the kitchen and get a glass of water — which I had initially forgot to bring in my hubris leading up to this challenge.

THE BURRITO – CHEESE IS YOUR FRIEND 

With my mouth on fire and my belly full of water, it was time to move to the burrito bowl.

I ordered my usual, white rice, black beans, steak, tomato salsa, corn and extra cheese. The wrinkle this time, though, was that I went for the red salsa instead of my usual salsa verde. 

This is how I usually consume my Chipotle, so I at least had a comparison going in.

The spice was… fine. While it was still spicier than what I would be comfortable with, it tasted much better when mixed with the other ingredients.

This makes sense though, considering the other elements of the bowl.

The heat from the chips and salsa caused my face to heat up, as I could feel the fire forming around my forehead and cheeks

I love cheese, and opt for a ton of it on my Chipotle order. Dairy products contain a protein called casein which is known to fight off spicy oils.

Chipotle says on its website: ‘As it turns out, the best way to neutralize [the spice] is with casein, which is the main protein found in, you know this one, milk.’ 

The starchy rice and beans in the bowl also help suppress the spice, as food experts have noted that it serves as a physical blockage between the flared foods and your tongue.

These products are also heavy and have properties that allow them to absorb the spicy oil, taking it off of your tongue and suppressing the heat.

Chipotle says its red chili spice contains: ‘dried red chili pepper – earthy and floral, fruity and hot, smoky and sweet.’

After the experiment, I think I will still choose the salsa verde on my burrito bowls in the future. 

The worst part of this experience came well after I left the office for work that night, as eating that much salsa during the day gave me the ‘runs’ as it may be described.

I used the toilet three times that night after coming home from work, and then again before work the next morning, with the burning sensation from the night before now tangible in a different part of my body.