Taco Bell's Diablo hot sauce - anyone try it yet?

Cafe Society
1

I will never apologize for the fact that I like Taco Bell’s hot sauce, especially their fire sauce. I was thrilled when I heard the other day that they are introducing an even hotter sauce, called Diablo. Considering the fact that their fire sauce is mild at best, I am curious to see if they have actually kicked up the heat.

Anyway, lunch is not too far away and the sauce came out yesterday. I plan to swing by and pick up some food and grab as many Diablo packets as they allow me to have.

I will report back with my findings and am curious what others think. Will we have a new winner for spiciest(hottest) fast food offering?

I’m predicting a very minor increase of heat. It is fast food, after all.

2

I don’t eat at Taco Bell but I do use their bottled fire sauce, which is pretty darn good. Do you know if this new sauce is also going to be sold in stores? I suppose I could have someone snag me a packet or two the next time they make a run for the border.

3

I tried it yesterday (I grabbed a hearty handful before leaving the Bell with my free sausage biscuit taco), and this was my reaction. Still, it’s certainly not a bad thing.

4

I’m a big fan of Taco Bell’s sauces (except for the Verde; I don’t want my tacos to be sweet). Their tacos are really just delivery vehicles for their Hot Sauces as far as I’m concerned. Looking forward to trying it out.

5

:BUMP:

Update. I have eaten lunch and I was lucky enough to find a Taco Bell that had some. I have heard they are already running out and when I got to my local place, the container where you get your own packs was almost out.

I asked the guy if I could have a bunch of them and he was cool. He went to the back and got me about 20 packs of it so I could take some home.

I tried it on a Beefy-5-layer burrito, a relatively non-spicy item.

It was pretty good. Not exactly a huge increase in heat, though you get a little spicy-heat with in the first second. I think it has some kind of pepper or other spice in it. It is more flavorful than the other varieties they carry.

I’ll have to try it on food I make at home before I can decide. Still, I would lean towards making it permanent(though it is hardly “the devil” of hot sauce).

It’s limited time for now and likely only in their restaurants.

6

Well, I should certainly hope so!

7

Fixed the title for you.

8

official SDMB Taco Bell expert here
got Diablo sauce for the first time tonight

I like it

it’s hotter than fire sauce.
I would recommend it.

9

I tried it again today and I do like it quite a bit. I see myself going between Fire and Diablo. I hope they make it permanent.

10

After Wendy’s “false advertising pepper” fries, I was hoping this would not be a disappointment.

It really wasn't. Not significantly hotter than the fire sauce (definitely hotter than Wendy's, but so is tap water), but the taste is what got me. There is something I can't pin down about the taste, but I like it. I tried it on my own tacos made at home, and I liked it on par with a few of the medium sauces in my pantry.

I am hoping they start selling this in bottled form like the other sauces, I will absolutely be wanting some for the condiments shelf.

11

This article claims that Diablo is made with “chipotle… and aji panca” peppers. If that’s different from their usual recipe, that would change the flavor profile. That might be what you picked up on.

12

I adored their chipotle sauce. Yum. Sad that it is gone.

13

I haven’t tried it, since Fire sauce is actually just behind Cholula and raw habaneros for the best taste regardless of heat of any hot thing I’ve tasted. Maybe I will try it some day.

14

Tried it; It’s hot enough for me to call a moderately hot sauce.

I wouldn’t put more than 3 or 4 packets of it into a single burrito that I was planning to eat.

Okay flavor too.

Hope that helps.

15

Taco Bell is my goto food substitute. Love the Fire and the Verde (DC you are objectiviely wrong… I kid.) Gonna have to give the Diablo a shot cuz the Fire has good flavor but isn’t especially fiery.

16

I had it! I liked it. It had pretty good smoky heat. A bit hotter than their “Fire” sauce (but not much more). Pronounced smokiness as well.

17

Time for “Confessions of a Weirdo”;

I keep packets of Fire sauce in my desk drawer and have them for mid-afternoon “snacks” at work all by themselves.

I will have to go to Taco Bell for lunch today and get some extra Diablo sauce and see how they compare straight up.

18

My local Taco Bell did not have it yet.

Has anyone else ever noticed that Taco Bell’s sauces get thicker as you go up in heat? “Mild” is significantly thinner than the “Hot” or “Fire,” and it seems like there’s a lot more in the packet. My theory is it’s all the same stuff, just cooked down longer.

19

I tried it. It’s definitely not as hot as, say, the blazin’ sauce at Buffalo Wild Wings, but it has enough heat to make your lips burn a little, and it’s less sweet than the Fire sauce.

20

I tried it yesterday. I was pleased. Definitely hotter then the Fire sauce. It’s not what I would call a “hot” hot sauce, but it’s the hottest thing I’ve ever gotten from a fast food place.

It defies the trend DCnDC noticed; it’s a thin sauce, pretty close to their Hot variety. I noticed a sweetness that I thought was habanero. Interesting that it’s a Peruvian pepper I’d never heard of.