Bufalo's Mexican Chipotle Hot Sauce: Too Hot to Handle?

Like many young Americans, I'm constantly on the lookout for ways to put a little more spice into my life. And while skydiving and drag racing aren't really my thing, I'm always up for taking some chances in the kitchen. Thus, my passion for experimentation was set ablaze when I noticed a bottle of Bufalo Mexican Hot Sauce sitting on the shelf at my local grocery store.

I had never heard of the brand Bufalo before, but both the Spanish spelling and the location of the item (the International aisle) aroused my interest, and I figured this might be an authentic Mexican experience. Sure enough, the hot sauce proudly proclaimed that it was a "Product of Mexico," so I decided to give it a shot. In addition, Bufalo claimed to be Mexico's number one producer of hot sauce for 60 years (I've yet to confirm this claim), so I was pretty confident I'd be getting a quality product.

Before I go any farther, though, I suppose some perspective on my hot sauce history is in order. I have what I'd like to think is a respectable resume of hot sauce tasting experience, from the Blazin' variety of Buffalo Wild Wings to Tabasco and my personal favorite, Frank's Red Hot. I'm willing to put hot sauce on almost any food, and I may or may not have taken shots of hot sauce at a party - you'll have to ask someone who was there. Even with this body of experience, I was a little hesitant when I noticed the warning label that read, "Very Hot," coupled with the merciless-looking peppers on the bottle.

The apprehension only grew as I discovered the first flaw with Bufalo - the sauce was nearly impossible to get out of the bottle. I assumed it would have more of a fluid consistency (a la Frank's or Tabasco), but the sauce was much more gelatinous, not unlike ketchup. There was no mistaking it once it came out, though, as it had an ominously dark color that dared me to dig in.

Given the "Very Hot" hype, I was a bit disappointed with Bufalo. I had been expecting the sauce to turn my taste buds into a five alarm blaze, but this wasn't the case. Don't get me wrong, it was pretty hot, but nothing out of the ordinary.