The Heat Index
Stories, recipes, road notes, and salsa lore from the team behind Jose Madrid Salsa. New posts from the kettle, the kitchen, and wherever the salsa is travelling this week.

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Fresh dispatches from the kettle, the kitchen, the road, and the office.

The Michigander Melt - May 2026
The weather was beautiful as the crowds descended on Michigan State University for the Spring Art Show! We were (nearly) front row and center to share our Award Winning Salsa with the fine people of Michigan, sharing sights, sun, and some very great interactions with the fine people of Michigan! It was a blast and we always enjoy visiting the fine people of Michigan!
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The Y-Bridge Tasting
We set up a tasting table at the foot of Zanesville's famous Y-Bridge. Here's what 184 strangers taught us about heat tolerance, regional palates, and the strange social ritual of trying a stranger's salsa.
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How Clovis, New Mexico Made Our Cilantro Green Olive
Cilantro Green Olive isn't a marketing flavor. It's a recipe my grandmother kept in her head, made in a green ceramic bowl on a porch in Clovis, New Mexico. This is how it got into a jar.
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Sheet-Pan Chicken With Raspberry Chipotle, in 35 Minutes
The Raspberry BBQ Chipotle is not a chip-and-dip salsa. It is a glaze. Here is the one weeknight recipe that turned a flavor experiment into our most-asked-for jar.
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Meet Mike, the Salsa Guy
If you've called the office, you've talked to Mike. If you've been to a tasting, you've met Mike. Here is the long version of who he is, why he kept the company small on purpose, and what he means when he says "we don't ship sadness."
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