How hot is Valentina?

Salsa Valentina (yellow label) is rated 900 SHU by Thrillist (as cited by Wikipedia). Even the highest published figure (900 SHU) is below a typical jalapeño pepper (5,000 SHU).

Checked October 20, 2026 · How we source facts

900SHU, press figure

1published figure

Mildervs a typical jalapeño

Mexicomade in

Every published figure

Figure	Who published it	Type
900 SHU	Thrillist, cited by Wikipedia^[1]	Press figure

The maker publishes no Scoville figure. The 900 comes from the press and makes yellow-label Valentina one of the mildest sauces here; the black label is listed at more than twice that.

What’s inside

Puya chillies. Made by Salsa Tamazula, Guadalajara, Jalisco.

Maker’s page

Facts

The maker says founder Don Manuel Maciel Méndez introduced the Tamazula brand in 1960 and Valentina followed shortly after; Wikipedia gives an earlier date of 14 February 1954.^[2]
The Extra Hot black-label version is listed at 2,100 SHU and was a Hot Ones sauce in Season 4.^[3]

Questions

How many Scoville units is Valentina?

900 SHU (Thrillist, cited by Wikipedia). None of these is a published lab test of the sauce.

Is Valentina hotter than a jalapeño?

Even the highest published figure (900 SHU) is below a typical jalapeño pepper (5,000 SHU).

More hot sauces

How hot is Tabasco?2,500–5,000 SHU
How hot is Sriracha (Huy Fong)?2,200 SHU
How hot is Cholula?1,000–2,000 SHU
How hot is Frank's RedHot?450 SHU
How hot is Da' Bomb Beyond Insanity?135,600 SHU
How hot is Mad Dog 357?357,000 SHU
How hot is The Last Dab: Xperience?2,693,000 SHU
How hot is El Yucateco Red Habanero?7,600–9,500 SHU
How hot is Tapatío?3,000 SHU
All 30 sauces, with sources

Sources

Thrillist (via Wikipedia): Valentina: 900 SHU (secondary source)
Salsa Valentina (maker): Valentina (secondary source)
The Takeout, Hot Ones sauce list: Valentina (secondary source)