Archer Farms Roasted Tomato & Chipotle Salsa

Let me start off by saying that if you have a typical American's understanding of the word "chipotle," you'll no doubt be well-more impressed by this product than someone with a Mexican's understanding of the word "chipotle."

In Mexico, they actually eat chipotle chilis, which are really just smoke-dried jalapenos. But they wind up hotter than regular jalapenos, and there's way more flavor. There are definitely hotter chili peppers out there, but a true chipotle dip should never have anything other than a "hot" label on the jar—at least in the U.S.

And yet, here I am, reviewing one more salsa that barely qualifies for the "medium" label, although out of the salsas I've reviewed so far on this blog, this one is the hottest. Check out the Corn, Black Bean and Roasted Pepper Salsa and Mango Peach Salsa reviews.

But heat isn't all I'm after when I buy a salsa. I mainly just want "sabor!" ("Flavor," for you gringos). And while this sauce actually does taste a little like a chipotle pepper, with maybe a hint of roasted tomato, it just doesn't do it for me quite as much as those other two AF salsas that I've checked out. Compared to the first two varieties, this one just tastes cheap to me.

But that being said, if you're really a fan of the taste of chipotle peppers, but don't want something scorching hot, this might be something you'll want to check out.

I give this salsa 7 out of 10 stars.

Archer Farms Tex Mex Trail Mix

If it were up to my wife, this product would be getting at least 9 out of 10 stars. But unfortunately, she's not the one writing the blog. To her credit, however, she did design the lovely logo and backdrop for this page. Way to go, honey! You're a graphic design genius!

But I'm the foodie-hack blogger. And it's not that I hate this trail mix. I just don't think I'll ever pay something like $3.50 to eat this stuff again. It's just not worth it. Oh, and FYI, the bag usually does come a bit more full than the one in the picture to the left. My wife opened it and ate a good bit of it before we had a chance to take a picture of the product. I should also take this opportunity to mention how much I love the convenient resealable bags these trail mixes come in.

And I actually really like certain elements of this particular mix. The spicy peanuts, for example. They're delicious. I'd rather have a simple bag of those with none of the other distractions.

I think it's the "salsa corn sticks" and "sesame sticks" that really ruin this trail mix for me. They might as well just throw in some twigs from the neighbor's oak tree. They're very dry and they add little flavor to an already spicy mix. It's certainly not the heat I mind either. I like spices. But I usually like them best when they actually add flavor and not just heat. I like pumpkin seeds or "pepitas" ok too, but I don't really like to mix them with other nuts and things.

Since my dislike of this product may very well be due to some personal hang-ups and quirks, I won't score it too harshly. I just don't think I would ever crave this if I were actually hiking. I'd want more peanuts and almonds and fewer "sticks."

I give this product 6 out of 10 stars.