Picking up the Pace
Those crazy kids over at Pace have launched a new line of salsas and were kind enough to send us samples here in the Features department at The Roanoke Times.
My anal side immediately took over, so I arranged the salsa with chips for taste-testing and passed out score sheets to all of my hapless co-workers. It’s another Lunch Ladies, on the cheap! Oh, apologies to Kevin Kittredge, the one dude who did take part in the test.
Here are the results of our unscientific poll:
Pace Pico de Gallo
Company description: “Inspired by the classic, with chunks of hand-picked jalapenos, onions, and diced tomatoes and a touch of fresh cilantro.”
Average score (out of 5): 3.1
Comments: “Strangely sweet and sour with a hot aftertaste. Very chunky.”
“Not like the real, fresh thing, but pretty spicy.”
“A little tangy and sweet.”
“Not bad for factory salsa”
“Average restaurant-style salsa.”
Pace Salsa Verde
Company description: “Hand-selected jalapenos and chunks of tomatillos, seasoned with a splash of lime and spiked with smoked Spanish paprika.”
Average score: 2.4
Comments: “Too vinegary, but I’m not a fan of salsa verde to begin with.”
“Weird smoky flavor. Good spice.”
“The smokiness is nice. It has a nice heat. There’s a strange canned aftertaste.”
“Can’t get past that pukey color.”
“Kind of bland and a little bitter, but probably good on a taco.”
Pace Three Pepper Salsa
Company description: “A bold, rich salsa featuring green chili, serrano and guajillo peppers.”
Average score: 2.9
Comments: “The smoothest – and hottest – of them all. I’d buy this one.”
“Thick like tomato sauce, but very spicy. I like that part.”
“The consistency is odd – it is thick and pasty, pureed-like. But the flavor is nice. Very spicy.”
“Ketchup with pepper.”
“A little too tomatoey for me.”
Pace Mexican Four Cheese Salsa Con Queso
Company description: “This Queso is packed with four distinctive cheeses — Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Asadero and Queso Blanco. Add a blend of jalapenos, sweet red peppers and onion and the result is extraordinary flavor.”
Average score: 2.75 (note: this is out of 4, because one tester is allergic to dairy products)
Comments: “Surprisingly tasty for cheese in a bottle.”
“Not much taste.”
“Creamy and cheesy without that canned taste. I can definitely tell there are several different cheeses in this. Better than any canned/jarred queso dip I’ve ever tried.”
“Cheese salsa? Please.”
Pace Tequila Lime Salsa
Average score: 2.4
Comments: “Something about the taste reminded me of baby food. Weird. It could be the squash puree listed in the ingredients.”
“Not very tequila-flavored.”
“Nice. Different. A good substitute for the usual red salsa.”
“No comment.”
I noticed at my Kroger that these salsas are going for about $3.69 each. If anyone has an occasion to pick one up and try it, we’d love to hear whether you agree or disagree with our general perceptions.
August 7, 2008 - 12:05 PM
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I have the Salsa Verde in my fridge now. I like the heat, but I agree with the tasters who said it’s a little bitter, and it’s definitely a pukey color. I used to get a fresh kind at Fresh Market that was much much better.
I haven’t seen/tried any of these new Pace salsas, I’ll give them a try if I get the chance. You want a good salsa off of the shelf at a store? Try a jar of Herdez Salsa Casera, hot. You can get the mild, med., and hot at Kroger, mild and med. only at Wal-Mart, last time I checked. This is salsa in a jar from the store, but I think that it’s REALLY good! Better than any of the others that I’ve tried.
I recently purchased the Three Pepper version, and I think it will now be my staple salsa. I’ve been looking for something that spicy that isn’t overpowering (though I usually like overpowering hot sauce on some stuff, but not my chips). I also like the salsa’s consistency, it’s not too chunky, and I don’t like huge chunks in my salsa (I may as well eat the actual ingredients by themselves if that’s the case, right?). Very pleased with this new salsa from Pace!