Another random purchase from the bodega, Clint's Texas Salsa, marked as a "dairy" product (??), comes in a generous 16oz jar. I found the jar challenging to open, and had to resort to the technique of "whack the lid against the side of the table until it gives." Always a fun exercise.
At first glance, it appears "semi-pureed" as with Amy's, where the tomato was pureed and the rest of the ingredients were mixed in, but the thinness of the liquid suggests juice from the tomato rather than puree. This leads me to believe it was all chopped together. The jar lists "tomatoes," "tomato juice," and "tomato paste," so the true nature is unclear (is the addition of tomato juice a ruse to make us believe the salsa originated from a freshly-sliced tomato? Tough to tell). Regardless, I would classify it as a "chunky" salsa, even though the chunks themselves are finely sliced.
One also notices the clear presence of pepper seeds and greens, likely cilantro, in the salsa. A good sign!
The chunky salsa is easy to scoop, with some liquid runoff, meaning "dippers" will have a tough time with this one. A "scoop-type" chip might work better than a "restaurant-type."
Tastewise, Clint's is fresh, likely due to the cilantro, not overly sweet, and bordering on under-salted. The jar contains a "Low Sodium" statement, so the salt level was likely an intentional choice (although the nutrition facts for sodium state 75mg/oz or 1.2g/jar, still a significant quantity if you eat the whole thing). This low-ish salt level is made up for by the savory qualities of the hot peppers, so I'd say the salt level is merely a taste preference and not an issue. Actually, the salt level and fresh cilantro taste bring it closer to a basic restaurant (non-pico-de-gallo) salsa than most jarred salsas. Impressive.
In terms of spice, the inital taste did not burn, but the "afterburn" in the throat had a moderate kick. Definite sinus dilation, also some mouth tingling by the middle of the jar. Spicy, but not overly so. Certainly hot enough to deter someone seeking a "mild" salsa, but on the low end of "hot."
Overall an enjoyable, good value salsa. Worth a try.