{"id":18447,"date":"2015-05-08T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-05-08T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/?p=18447"},"modified":"2023-08-30T15:34:11","modified_gmt":"2023-08-31T01:34:11","slug":"review-taco-bell-diablo-sauce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2015\/05\/08\/review-taco-bell-diablo-sauce\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: Taco Bell Diablo Sauce"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Taco<\/a><\/p>\n

A review of Taco Bell\u2019s new Diablo sauce, in five parts.<\/p>\n

I. Mild: A Conspiracy<\/b><\/p>\n

Taco Bell has opened a gate to hell. Proof: \u201cBell\u201d rhymes with \u201chell.\u201d Convenient. Seven layer burrito? Nine circles of hell. And there are actually nine layers if you count the tortilla and the Pepto Bismol that is actually essential. And latest of all, they\u2019ve introduced Diablo sauce. Diablo, for the Latin-impaired, is Spanish for the mother-bleeping Devil. Maybe some of you know Diablo as \u201cStop playing that computer game and come to bed,\u201d but for non-nerds they aren\u2019t even trying to hide it. It\u2019s called Devil sauce. Taco Bell has conjured El Diablo and is feeding us its hot fluids.<\/p>\n

Other hell ties: The Devil is, like, half goat and Taco Bell does NOT serve goat because then we would be eating the Devil\u2019s relatives; \u201crun for the (south) border\u201d can be simplified to \u201crun south\u201d and south (down) is where hell is; and somehow they consider cinnamon Cheetos a dessert. Unholy.<\/p>\n

II. Verde: Fan Fiction Using Slogans Found on Taco Bell Sauce Packets for Dialogue<\/b><\/p>\n

Grimace got down on one knee. \u201cGo ahead, ask her<\/a>,\u201d whispered Fry Guy. Grimace cleared his throat. \u201cDo it with passion or not at all<\/a>. You can count on me<\/a>.\u201d The period at the end of the sentence hung in the air. He produced a ring and continued. \u201cLet\u2019s run away together. Marry me.\u201d Birdie the Early Bird gasped, like she was watching a reality show and not herself in a crowded fast food restaurant being proposed to. This was unexpected. She stared ahead, lost. <\/p>\n

Then in a true fight or flight moment, she flew. She was gone. Grimace, still on his knee, stammered. \u201cYou won\u2019t…\u201d His voice trailed off. Fry Guy\u2019s face fell. \u201cNot my first rodeo,\u201d Grimace lamented. He dug into the pile of celebratory hamburgers on the table like it was a pie-eating contest. Tears streamed down his face, mixing with the food. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou asked for it! Consider yourself warned! You made my day<\/a>!\u201d he screamed. Fry Guy\u2019s face turned from pity to disgust as he mumbled under his breath, \u201cThat escalated quickly.<\/a>\u201d Grimace looked like a blubbering, rabid hyena tearing through a carcass. Fry Guy pulled out his phone to text Birdie. \u201cGood choice,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

\"Taco<\/a><\/p>\n

III. Hot: The Deal<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cKevin,\u201d an employee said, as I was staring off into a Sangrita Blast machine. \u201cDo you want sauce?\u201d he asked. I snapped into reality and responded, \u201cDo you have that new one?\u201d I could only see four bins with the typical sauces. I didn\u2019t want to have to go to another Taco Bell. His eyes lit up. \u201cDiablo,\u201d he said. He went into the back and returned, \u201cThey are very hot. I used them and you shouldn\u2019t use more than three.\u201d \u201cThanks,\u201d I smiled. He paused before dropping the packets into my bag. \u201cNo more than three. Or bad things will happen. Very bad things. Promise me. Promise Diablo.\u201d I nodded. One of his eyes were cat eyes. I turned to leave, then turned back. He was gone. He was gone because he left to serve another customer.<\/p>\n

IV. Fire: Sauce to One Direction Analogy<\/b><\/p>\n

Harry Styles: Fire<\/p>\n

Zayn: Diablo<\/p>\n

Other guy: Verde<\/p>\n

White kid with the hair: Mild<\/p>\n

Still one more member: Hot<\/p>\n

V. Diablo: The Review<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Taco<\/a><\/p>\n

The Diablo sauce delivers on all accounts. It\u2019s spicier and has a numbing quality that the other options lack. Taco Bell\u2019s other sauces, which have been pretty disappointing for as long as anybody can remember, go like this: Mild tastes like sour salsa, Verde tastes like green, and Hot tastes like tomato sauce mixed with ground pepper. Fire, the hottest sauce until Diablo came along, has stinging qualities that stab at the mouth but really tastes like a watered down Tabasco.<\/p>\n

Diablo sauce begins with a pleasant smoky tomato flavor. It makes way for a prickly hum that builds into a heat crescendo and then dissipates fairly quickly, maybe after a minute or two. The spiciness definitely does not last as long as any of those weird hot sauces they sell in specialty stores. The numbness remains though, and cradles the mouth with a low heat that is not completely embarrassing for hot sauce lovers.<\/p>\n

\"Taco<\/a><\/p>\n

The sauce plateaus, and does not seem to really ravage the face or senses that badly. I did sample three packets with a cheesy bean and rice burrito for an experiment (as per my agreement). The first packet gave a generous spice high. The second packet numbed my mouth to the point where it didn\u2019t really matter what I was eating. My nose also started to run, but only a little bit. Packet three did not build on the previous one. I did not cry or reach for a milk. This was hotter than anything at Taco Bell, but nothing dangerous. This was not stunt hot sauce.<\/p>\n

\"Taco<\/a><\/p>\n

Fire on top, Diablo on bottom.<\/div>\n

<\/small><\/em> <\/p>\n

The only knock is that it probably doesn\u2019t pair well with most Taco Bell food. It simply walloped the burrito I ate. Taco Bell food is already fairly bland in a fast food sense and a sauce with this dimension obliterates any nuance the item may have had. I suspect it may go better with items that contain sour cream or steak, or things with stronger flavors to balance it out. Most things will probably end up tasting like spicy soft stuff or spicy crunchy stuff, though.<\/p>\n

The liftoff and leftover tingling are the highlights of the sauce and I would recommend between one or two packets per meal, or taking breaks to let the heat subside so you can ride Diablo again. All hail Diablo.<\/p>\n

(Nutrition Facts – Not available on website.)<\/small><\/p>\n

Item:<\/b> Taco Bell Diablo Sauce
\nPurchased Price:<\/b> Free with purchase
\nSize:<\/b> N\/A
\nPurchased at:<\/b> Taco Bell
\nRating:<\/b> 8 out of 10
\nPros:<\/b> Great heat, new dimensions. Does not linger too long. Tingly feeling.
\nCons:<\/b> Hard to complement with Taco Bell food.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A review of Taco Bell\u2019s new Diablo sauce, in five parts. I. Mild: A Conspiracy Taco Bell has opened a gate to hell. Proof: \u201cBell\u201d rhymes with \u201chell.\u201d Convenient. Seven layer burrito? Nine circles of hell. And there are actually nine layers if you count the tortilla and the Pepto Bismol that is actually essential. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1440],"tags":[1477,1519],"class_list":["post-18447","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","tag-fast-food","tag-taco-bell"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":76869,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2026\/04\/17\/taco-bell-diablo-dusted-crispy-chicken-nuggets-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":18447,"position":0},"title":"REVIEW: Taco Bell Diablo Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets","author":"Marvo","date":"April 17, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Taco Bell could\u2019ve just named these Spicy Crispy Chicken Nuggets and called it a day. But the marketing folks there went with some alliteration to make these the Diablo Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets, then dusted the Diablo dust off their hands and called it a day. The limited time offering\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Taco Bell Diablo Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets with Hidden Valley Ranch Diablo Sauce","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/tobelldicpchinug1-600x800.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/tobelldicpchinug1-600x800.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/tobelldicpchinug1-600x800.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":32526,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2018\/10\/25\/taco-bell-diablo-chips-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":18447,"position":1},"title":"REVIEW: Taco Bell Diablo Tortilla Chips","author":"Marvo","date":"October 25, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Taco Bell\u2019s Diablo Tortilla Chips are the most devilish and ominous looking chips I\u2019ve ever seen. It\u2019s hard to get more menacing than black chips with red seasoning that come in a bag with a warning label. The only ways I could think of to make them more intimidating is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Taco-Bell-Diablo-Tortilla-Chips-3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Taco-Bell-Diablo-Tortilla-Chips-3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Taco-Bell-Diablo-Tortilla-Chips-3.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":73327,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2025\/10\/24\/taco-bell-franks-redhot-diablo-crispy-chicken-soft-taco\/","url_meta":{"origin":18447,"position":2},"title":"REVIEW: Taco Bell Frank’s RedHot Diablo Crispy Chicken Soft Taco","author":"Marvo","date":"October 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"What is up with Taco Bell's double dose of collaborations at the same time? 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Taco Bell should've gone for a Flamin' Hot Frank's RedHot collab\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Taco Bell Frank's RedHot Diablo Crispy Chicken Soft Taco barfing vegetables","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/tbfrankbuftaco1-600x450.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/tbfrankbuftaco1-600x450.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/tbfrankbuftaco1-600x450.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":20059,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2016\/05\/16\/spotted-on-shelves-bottled-taco-bell-diablo-sauce\/","url_meta":{"origin":18447,"position":3},"title":"SPOTTED ON SHELVES: Bottled Taco Bell Diablo Sauce","author":"Marvo","date":"May 16, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Burn, baby! 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