Hot sauce · Jalisco, Mexico
Valentina
900 Scoville heat units
Thicker and more savoury than most. The one Mexican households actually keep.
What this rung gets you A whole basket of chips and salsa, no water
How hot Valentina actually is
Valentina is roughly 6 times milder than a jalapeño. Growing conditions move any published figure several-fold, so read it as the middle of a range rather than a promise.
On the twelve-rung ladder
It sits on rung 3, Glow, which spans 450 to 1.2K SHU. Warmth that lingers a few seconds after you swallow. This is the level most "mild" restaurant options sit at.
Training to this rung is what gets you: A whole basket of chips and salsa, no water.
Comparable heat
Anything here burns at roughly the same level, which is what makes them interchangeable when you are training at this rung.
- Frank's RedHot 450
- Louisiana Hot Sauce 450
- Texas Pete 750
- Anaheim 900
- Cholula 1,000
- Padrón 1,000
Common questions
How hot is Valentina on the Scoville scale?
Valentina measures about 900 Scoville heat units. That is roughly 6 times milder than a jalapeño.
Where does Valentina sit on the ladder?
Rung 3 of twelve — Glow, covering 450 to 1.2K SHU. Warmth that lingers a few seconds after you swallow. This is the level most "mild" restaurant options sit at.
What stops the burn from Valentina?
Dairy. Capsaicin is fat-soluble, so water spreads it rather than removing it; the casein in milk, yogurt or ice cream lifts it off the receptor. A spoonful of sugar held in the mouth measurably helps too. Starch — rice or bread — physically carries it off the tongue.
Valentina is rung 3 of twelve. Which rung are you on?
A whole basket of chips and salsa, no water. That is rung 3. Name the hottest thing you eat without thinking. See how far that is.
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