Phantom Gourmet: Chipotle Salsa Taste Test

BOSTON (CBS) -- Phantom recently purchased four jars of chipotle salsa at a local supermarket. The smoky selections were Arriba, Frontera, Poblano Farm, and Tabasco. See if you can guess which brand ended up at the top of the food chain.

Tabasco chipotle pepper salsa finished in last place. Made with Tabasco brand hot sauce, this salsa is more like a hot mess. In terms of texture, it's a bit too thin for dipping a chip. As for flavor, this salsa isn't very spicy or smoky, but it is way too vinegary, leading to an unpleasant punch in the palate.

Next up is Poblano Farm. Produced by a small pepper and tomato farm in Rhode Island, this thick, deep red salsa is made with plum tomatoes, and looks a lot like homemade tomato sauce. When it comes to taste, this stuff starts off sweet, then brings the heat, with a slow burn that build and builds into a tongue tingling inferno.

The runner up is Frontera. Made from roasted tomatillos, this jar delivers a bright and tangy burst that really sets it apart from the competition. Unfortunately, it's also more smoky than a chimney, which quickly overpowers all other flavors. Thin and hot, this isn't your typical store bought salsa, but it's just too unbalanced to take the top spot.

At the top of the food chain is Arriba. This salsa is made with smoked jalapenos and fire roasted tomatoes, and you can see the charred pieces in every spoonful. Thick and chunky this is one dip that sticks to the chip, and is equal parts tangy, smoky, salty, and spicy. That's why Arriba fire roasted chipotle salsa is at the top of the food chain.

Watch Phantom Gourmet on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 and 11 a.m. on myTV38.