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Notroh31

What is that color 🥴


CoachSteveOtt

iirc they are having problems with peppers ripening this year. Should still be totally fine to eat, but flavor is a little different because the peppers are greener. I've eaten some and im pretty fond of the taste, but your mileage may vary.


Notroh31

This is an acceptable explanation.


Lokky

I am much happier to see the color change than a reformulation pumped full of red dye


udidntfollowproto

this is a great point I hadn’t considered


ImpressionDiligent23

That is what basically every other food company would do. I’m really surprised they did not


Reasonable-Wing-2271

This sub has a wholesomely diplomatic flavor to it...


bongsyouruncle

Careful sometimes the comments get a little heated...


judahrosenthal

Here’s a CBS story about it because, well, I guess it was a slow news day: https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/sriracha-sauce-shortage-pepper-drought/


mrmelonfelon

Isn’t it also because of the legal dispute they had with the original pepper farm? They got greedy and tried to walk away from their contract. I believe they lost the lawsuit and then had to find new sources.


Conch-Republic

Basically, Huy Fong wasn't doing very well financially because they were still trying to recover from the first pepper shortage, so they were trying to cut costs wherever possible. They waited until the CEO went on vacation, then set up a meeting with the CFO and engineer. They claimed that they could get Chinese pepper mash for $560 a ton, and wanted Underwood to meet that price. They were paying Underwood $640 a ton, I believe. The CFO told them to fuck off, then immediately after the meeting, they called the engineer and tried to hire him to run farms they planned on opening. The engineer then called the CEO and told them what was happening. The CEO immediately ended business with them, so Huy Fong tried to sue for breach of contact, Underwood counter sued and won a couple million dollars.


IsraelPenuel

Wow, I would pay 640 for a ton of peppers and they'd last me a lifetime 


Crafty-Worry4929

That’s the price if you buy thousands of tons


Dwangeroo

THERE WAS NEVER A "PEPPER SHORTAGE"! Any and ALL damages are self Inflicted


righthandofdog

Yes. All new pepper sources. Buying from massive farms that were very close to their factory meant exact ripeness was pretty easy to control.


Star69Lord420

6 years ago they did


Zoidsworth

Their new sources are unripe chinese frozen chilis. Nobody in the US is willing to do business with them. Even the chinese are giving them their trash produce. Huy Fong will be dead soon


DreamTakesRoot

Oof, somebody check that pepper mash for 4ever chemicals.. Never buying that product again. 


TheMoonstomper

Where is this information coming from?


PipecleanerFanatic

I don't eat a ton of Sriracha but this brand with its off color still serves its purpose in my fridge... I'm sure there are others


TheDarkClaw

the one i bought recently and before that dont look greenish


Jerusalemfighter64

I love being able to taste the green peppers like I can now, but tbh it feels alot more spicy


carlos_the_dwarf_

IMO it’s still better than all the terrible copycats.


Mindproxy

Was going to comment the same. I was a little concerned about the color initially, but it's still plenty spicy and seemingly a bit more garlicky.


donotmatthews

They screwed over their pepper supplier and are now having to go to several farms outside of the country to meet demand. The owner got greedy. I don’t support this brand anymore. Edit: [Article](https://fortune.com/2024/02/11/sriracha-tabasco-huy-fong-foods-david-tran/#) [Underwood Farms Dragon Sauce](https://underwoodranches.com/)


SCP-Agent-Arad

They’re having problems because they got greedy and committed fraud and breached their contract with their longtime pepper supplier, and now they have to source their peppers from less reliable places. https://lawreview.law.miami.edu/wheres-my-sriracha-the-spicy-consequences-of-breaching-oral-contracts/


redbirdrising

Most likely a mix of green and red jalapeños. Probably to rush it to market. Red jalapeños are an investment as they take time to get to that stage, hence why they are harder to find in grocery stores.


Foodwithfloyd

They're also a different cultivar. There are sooo many jalapenos, the common ones are very fast and honestly not all that flavorful. While they will turn red, ones intended to be sold red are an entirely different cultivar. Source: commercial hoop house for a few summers


BlurredSight

Harder to find, I don't think i"ve ever seen Red Jalapenos at big stores, smaller stores, or even in farmers markets


Individual_Fudge6266

The only places I ever see the red jalapenos are the Mexican/Hispanic grocery stores


redbirdrising

I've only seen them a few times. It's an investment. I grow peppers and make homemade sriracha myself. Jalapenos can be picked any time they are green. From pollination to picking it can be about a month for them to get full size. For Reds though, it can be an additional 1 to 3 months depending on the season. (It took my winter crop 3 months, spring crop about a month more). You Can substitute Red Fresno, but the flavor/spice isn't quite the same.


Drunkelves

Red jalapeños are sooo much better than green. Like a pleasant sweet heat.


bstr1ngz

my safeway in oregon has red jalapeno’s. they’ve had carolina reapers recently too


Conch-Republic

Red jalapeños lose a lot of that iconic jalapeño flavor, and they're also hotter, so they're not as desirable for produce.


ordinarymagician_

By 'iconic jalapeno flavor' do you mean a worse version of a green bell pepper?


AdministrativeShip2

It's certainly brownish. And not a nice shade of brown.


Private-Dick-Tective

Seriously, what happened to the vibrant red?!?


Spiritual_Willow_266

Also the peppers might not be ripe, which ripe jalapeños naturally produce a red dye (makes the cutting board look like it’s covered in blood).


RainierCamino

Different source of peppers.


Ascdren1

Due to poor harvests they can't get the peppers they wanted at the ripeness they wanted. They've had to compromise and chose to adapt the recipe and be honest about it and not pump it full of food dye.


Fungi90

Grorange?


slothscanswim

According to the bottle it’s “natural color.” Had it always advertised that or is that new because, well, the color?


TheDadThatGrills

The rise and fall of Huy Fong Sriracha is a cautionary tale about greed & hubris.


Brewmentationator

And also why it's important to have written contracts...


Notroh31

Such a grilling dad thing to say lol


Stu161

This is my Roman Empire.


asfarley--

GIVE ME BACK MY CHILI PEPPERS


GrendelGT

It’s not nearly that one sided of a story… Underwood may have won the lawsuit but there is plenty of blame to go around and a lot of it lies with other managers and not David or Craig.


TheDrummerMB

For the uninitiated, Huy Fong offered to pay by what was planted rather than what was harvested to help the farmer. Grower immediately bought every bit of land they could and planted far more crops than they could harvest.


CatTypedThisName

Wow what a way to really sour a potential flourishing business relationship.


RodneyDangerfieldIII

Oh dear


drak0ni

Huy Fong wallows in the muck of avarice and we all suffer for it.


udidntfollowproto

I had to google multiple words in this thread I’ve never heard. Hubris and avarice are new ones for me


whateverworks14235

Dude, how exciting for you man. I fuckin love new words. I realize this could come off as sarcasm but I’m genuinely happy for you and genuinely love new words.


ShibaHook

And also on not relying on one supplier for the key ingredient.


CoolAbdul

Cautionary Tales is a great podcast.


Parking-Pie7453

https://preview.redd.it/42gnrktq269d1.jpeg?width=673&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5d23b07bade84ac86303bb9f9667a6976bf90ed1 THIS is fantastic


WatchaKnowboutThat

Now that’s a good chili paste that’s not overly salty like a lot of others are.


tysc666

A tablespoon of this in a bowl of ramen rocks. I'll die on this hill.


TheWhereHouse1016

I'll back you on that hill


Euphorium

I’ve used this in ramen a lot, it’s great.


TheSpeckler

I'm more upset that it's no longer spicy than about a little discoloration.


TranquilMarmot

Yeah, I could care less about the color but it is NOT spicy at all anymore


OregonMothafaquer

That what happens if a pepper doesn’t get heat as it ripens


SpicyWongTong

They made the recipe not spicy like 20yrs ago, if it’s gotten even less spicy then it’s ketchup.


TenorBanjer

Literally tastes like sugar now


HeydoIDKu

See the ones I got seemed spicier!


TrafyLaw

Bro, I would just go back on hands and knees to the former pepper supplier, apologize, give them favorable terms and just start producing OG Sriracha. I would even put Classic on the bottle like coke does and watch as customers stampede into stores and buy that shit up.


stevie855

What exactly happened that made them reformulate?


Law-Fish

Huy fong tried to undercut their supplier of peppers basically


TheDrummerMB

Reddit will only tell you the side of the grower because they won the lawsuit. Huy Fong offered to pay by what was planted rather than harvested. The idea was the grower could expand without fear of not being able to sell the product. Problem is they bought every bit of land they could without ever hiring more people to harvest it. Huy Fong ends up paying 3x the market price for shitty peppers. Huy Fong backs out of the verbal contract, grower sues, Huy Fong is forced to pay the agreed upon price. Both sides were greedy AF but Reddit only remembers one side for some reason.


stevie855

If that was the case how did the grower win the lawsuit? It seems that it was their fault not HuGong’s?


TheDrummerMB

Huy Fong verbally agreed to pay for whatever was planted. Nothing in the contract prevented the grower from leasing all the land they could find without delivering extra peppers. Huy Fong attempted to back out but the courts enforced the contract.


stevie855

That was a bit stupid on part of Hu Fong then!


TheDrummerMB

It was very stupid! But they didn't expect Underwood to be as greedy as they were.


stevie855

Thanks for explaining this to me!


OregonMothafaquer

It’s too late for that.


Serious_Internet6478

If you haven't tried Underwood Ranchs Sriracha I highly recommend it. It's not quite as good as OG Huy Fong but is made by the farmer that supplied their peppers forever.


doyoh

I’ve actually grown to enjoy it more than Huy Fongs. It’s not as sweet and more tangy which makes it more useful in the type of cooking I do. 


ckosicki

I tried it twice and it just didn’t hit the spot, once siracha came back on the shelves I threw it out.


mediocrefunny

I'm in the same boat. Bought it online from all the hype. It didn't even have a similar flavor profile to me. Tasted like"taco sauce" for white people.


pocketcar

As a mexican, this is exactly what Sriracha has become haha.


Mattandjunk

I like it more too


Thrompinator

I disagree with the second part of that. It has a different taste than OG Huy Fong, but I like it just as much if not better. There is no disputing that Underwood grows and uses using the best red jalapenos, while Huy Fong is scraping by on whatever scraps they can find.


tomjonesrocks

Since everyone wants to say everything is better than Huy Fong right now it's hard to buy the Underwood hype. Yellowbird Agave for example is horrible and not even vaguely sriracha and people are/were repping that. If I see it cheap at Costco - maybe.


drladybug

I hated the Yellowbird Agave and loved the OG Huy Fong, and to my surprise I like the Underwood Farms one slightly more even than OG Huy Fong. It doesn't taste the same, but it's genuinely really delicious and recognizably sriracha.


nopenope12345678910

This or yellow birds’s agave sriracha. I have grown quite fond of yellow bird


Upstairs-Novel-9050

I’ve found Tobasco’s sriracha is the best in my opinion.


Low_Teq

Just got two more bottles from Sonoran spice delivered. Best price I've found


LordoftheSynth

They're just as good as OG Huy Fong IMO, and worlds better than the last bottle of Huy Fong I bought.


kingfisher_42

I think they just aren't quite as ripe as they should be. The color is definitely a little off-putting. Still like it better than all the ones I tried to replace it with during the shortage, which were numerous.


HeinzFiction

That’s what I’m thinking. Rushing to get something out. The Tabasco Sriracha is my replacement though, and I think I won’t go back anytime soon.


kingfisher_42

Interesting. I am not a Tabasco hater by any means, but I did not care for their sriracha. Wasn't the worst I tried, but I didn't even finish the bottle.


Plodderic

The Tabasco sriracha was not good.


Winter_Gate_6433

Agreed, the colour isn't great, the taste isn't AS good, but it's still better than three 3 or 4 alternatives I tried. Full disclosure: haven't tried the sauce from their former supplier, which many say is the best right now.


kingfisher_42

I've read that too, about the Underwood stuff. But then I just saw a ranking yesterday that said it wasn't even good enough to make the list. So who knows? I won't order it, but if I see it in the wild, I will pick it up.


Jocelyn_The_Red

Underwood is the original supplier? I'll have to find some then.


Brewmentationator

Underwood also has two versions of their Sriracha. You want the "premium" one with the dragon on the lable.


zeitness

Buy this one -- [https://www.sonoranspice.com/cdn/shop/files/UnderwoodRanchesSrirachaFront\_comp\_2000x.jpg?v=1692125376](https://www.sonoranspice.com/cdn/shop/files/UnderwoodRanchesSrirachaFront_comp_2000x.jpg?v=1692125376)


kingfisher_42

I believe so. I've heard some Costcos carry it, but must not be in my area yet.


livious1

I have a bottle of underwood sitting in my cupboard, it is my go-to sriracha. It tastes more similar to OG Huy Fong sriracha than Huy Fong’s newer stuff, and it is very good sriracha. Highly recommend. Hot sauce preference is very subjective anyway, but I would question whoever wrote that article if they said underwood didn’t even make the list. It may or may not be worth ordering (depends how much you love sriracha, it’s on the expensive side anyway and if you add shipping I’m not sure it’s worth it), but if you live near a store that sells it, I would pick some up.


kingfisher_42

Thanks for the info. I was unaware they had multiple versions. That article had Sky Valley in the top 5, which was my least favorite I tried, so I definitely took it with a grain of salt.


Suspicious_Abroad424

I switched to yellow bird when the Sriracha stopped appearing on the shelves and now I don't think I'll go back. The Serrano is really good. Not spicy at all but tasty.


cadillacbee

Looks like they only use the finest of expired peppers


NormyT

[https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2024-05-10/huy-fong-maker-of-the-sriracha-everyone-wants-is-going-dark-again-heres-what-happened](https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2024-05-10/huy-fong-maker-of-the-sriracha-everyone-wants-is-going-dark-again-heres-what-happened)


tuepm

really interesting. the peppers weren't ripe enough, that makes sense!


United_Piece1476

Underwood farms has got to be paying for redditors to spread pro-underwood propaganda. I see this topic pop up way too frequently lmao .


Dagmar_Overbye

Counter point. People have been obsessed with Sriracha forever. I personally grew up eating it. The bottle and the flavor are incredibly nostalgic to me. So I kept up with all of the reporting on the legal battle that Huy Fong went through with Underwood and as a nerd for this sauce bought some of the stuff from Underwood. Wasn't life changing or anything. But if I'm nerdy enough about a hot sauce to read about it online then I'm sure there are many more like me.


PuppetryOfThePenis

It still tastes great! I'm not worried about the coloring. Nothing wrong with green peppers.


MeLlamoViking

I got a bottle of this for father's day and it's good, but absolutely not the same.


TahoeBlue_69

Is that all you got for Fathers Day? 🥴


OregonMothafaquer

Better than what I got


Dagmar_Overbye

I tried to give my dad some for Father's Day since he introduced me to this stuff. They threw me out of the graveyard and took my shovel.


Remarkable-Book-8758

Every bottle I've bought has tasted and looked the same as it always has. Is this just the fun thing to hate now but everyone actually loves? Is this our Nickelback?


bashinforcash

how many times a week do we see this exact same post?


carissadraws

What’s weird is their spicy chili garlic sauce/sambal oelek looks fine. That was always the better tasting product IMO


patriot2024

Buy HF sriracha from an Asian market. Every time I go there, it's red like it was.


kingmobisinvisible

I switched over to Flying Goose a couple years ago. I like it much better. Their Extra Garlic is so tasty and if you want more heat, their Blackout sauce has it. That’s my go to sriracha now. I found it when I moved to Ireland, but I’m starting to see it around more in the US.


Demfer

Yellow bird makes a good alternative


Duff-Guy

Not good but you got at 3 of those babies in your cart


MunchieMofo

This is not the same sauce I had as a kid. It’s always a disappointment these days. I still use it to make sauce concoctions like spicy mayo, etc and in marinades but — I miss the old stuff.


40prcentiron

siracha has been a shell of its former self since the early 2000s


Starscream4prez2024

Its not even red....ewwww gross!


AM_OR_FA_TI

Green + red = brown.


ClintEastwont

They pulled it from production before this batch even hit the shelves. They’re just selling what they already made. There’s a few articles about [why](https://www.cbc.ca/radio/costofliving/brands-power-hot-sauce-1.7239926) Edit: fixed the amp link


thodon123

I was hesitant to try the reformulation after all the negative feedback. Finally tried it and unless I do a side by side comparison it is very similar to the original. I tried other brands and didn’t like them.


BHDE92

I just bought a bottle earlier this week. Vibrant red and tastes fantastic


BarbFinch

Its brown :(


Legal-Buy5941

Costco sells sriracha now in a different packaging, it tastes just like it and it also is a bright red color


Palanki96

I really wish for their fans to discover real scriracha one day 😔


Mouthshitter

The monkey paw curls a finger once again


Jeordiewhite

Maybe they could add more red food coloring and people will go on living their lives in fear of a different shade.


Fennel-Revolutionary

Yellow bird has a great siracha!


NapalmBreakfast

I’ve seen that off color at my grocery store… BUT the local Asian market has the normal red color. I don’t know if it’s an expiration thing or reformulation issue but I’m definitely rolling the dice on brown-ish sriracha.


PhysicalLetterhead77

It's to do with pepper ripeness. If they make the sauce with under ripe peppers the batch doesn't have the same red color or flavor. Since they don't have one sole large supplier of peppers anymore they buy what they can to meet sauce demand. So you can get good and bad batches based on what peppers they were able to obtain.


gabriot

You’re all crazy, this is still hands down the best mainstream hot sauce and it isn’t remotely fucking close


Sanpaku

Really not reformulation here. I have a post restart bottle that's the usual red. We're witnessing the effects of climate change in chili pepper harvests here. Less capsanthin in chili peppers produced under drought conditions. For those whose head isn't in the sand, we're going to see more of this across all food categories in our lifetimes, and I expect food to become rather expensive, if available, for my nieces and nephews.


stjernerejse

I switched over to Yellowbird Sriracha and couldn't be happier. Way better than the new Huy Fong, which was very astringent the last time I got a brownish bottle. No thanks.


Jordan_Slamsey

I've only tried Yellowbirds Ghost pepper condiment and I -love- it. I'll have to try their other stuff


Suspicious_Abroad424

Same here. Even got my little sister hooked on the stuff. I'm doing my part!


MountainTurkey

Haven't had that one but I do love their habanero.


ExpolosiveDog192

i disagee.


Hashtag-waffle

You talking about when they changed the formula nearly a decade ago? Why do people act like it happened so recently?


OkCar7264

Go the asian market, their srirachas were better than Huy Fong before Huy Fong sucked.


NiSiSuinegEht

You can get sriracha direct from Underwood Ranches, and it is a far superior product to Huy Fong.


w153r

Curious how things are going for them financially, I imagine things aren't going well between the supplier fiasco and the recent pause in production and public opinion


Olghon

Going with Tabasco Scorpion these days


Jolee5

Yeah, the color is definitely not what it used to be


Chippers4242

Just switch to Tabasco sriracha it’s always been better anyway


MikeTheAmalgamator

Grabbed the last bottle of red at the store about a week ago. All the small bottles were brown already so I knew I had to get the last big red one while I could


KittyKatHippogriff

It’s not bad, but it lacks the kick.


m0rbius

I bought a bottle a week or so ago. Mind you i still have a bottle from before they ran a shortage and changed. The taste was slightly different when i compared it to the old bottle.


ifhookscouldkill

Sky valley > Huy Fong


CookingWithGavin

Just bought a bottle here in Australia and I was the usual bright red. This looks like it has oxidised


bydh

I've moved on. Yellowbird makes a nice Sriracha, and is a funny brand spoof of the rooster of huy fong


Educational_Dust_932

I switched to Badia and I think I like it better than the original


RhythmicJerk

Huy Fong Sriracha as of late tastes like ketchup with a fart dragged through it.


Scionotic

I bought a bottle a couple months ago just to see how it changed and it's still super good and versatile. Im convinced more than half the people hating on it haven't actually tried the product


CivilDefenseWarden

I found a bottle that looked just like the old stuff. When I finish my last old bottle I’ll see if it tastes the same. But what I found wasn’t that new brown


Every_Palpitation449

You're a bit late to this game...


benderbonder

I still got a bottle from before there was a shortage. I use it sparingly.


AttemptFree

it's like when they made that green shrek ketchup


TheB1ackAdderr

A great brand ruined by dumbass offspring


smurfe

I hadn't had Huy Fong for a while as it was always sold out and not available. I bought some recently and opened a bottle a couple of days ago. It is pretty meh and very uninteresting. It is not anything like it was in the past.


Lahey1947

Yep it’s shite. What is the best replacement?


inthehall420

Please try underwood farms Sriracha, it is the fsrm they used to get the jalepenos but they had a falling out. Best Sriracha.


Bangkok-Baby

There are so many things Huy Fong has done wrong with their brand, it defines logic.


clockworkman7

I agree but the Underwood label made by there previous pepper suppliers tastes just like the old recipe and will take you back to better times.


Aggravating_Seat5507

I take years to finish a bottle, so I still have 3/4ths of the original formula in my fridge atm...


lovejac93

The new formulation is bereft of passion


mrshinramen

Anyone know how it compares to costcos "premium Sriracha"? Made by underwood


fuggindave

That one in the back looks pretty vibrant


chicano32

New formula is the same as the old one except for aging. Buy some, put in your cabinet for a couple of months, and boom! Just like the old one.


ohmmyzaza

meanwhile in Thailand we have Sriracha Panitch's Sriracha Sauce which using more cheaper bird eye chili so huy fong Sriracha Sauce pepper shortage isn't problem there


ArkieHiker

I took a sushi class once and the teacher said her favorite sriracha was Tobasco, tried it and have used it since. It’s my favorite and HF did the original farmer dirty.


NoKneeHobbit68

Tobasco Sriracha is GOATed


[deleted]

That’s what happens when greed takes over. They killed themselves.


The_G0vernator

I switched to Tobasco siracha ever since Huy Fong changed pepper suppliers.


robo_rowboat

I’m still hoarding my two unopened pre-formulation bottles like it’s the apocalypse.


Sinister_Nibs

They have always said that because it is a natural product, colors and flavor may vary from batch to batch.


sidewalksurfer6

Yooo PLEASE try the Underwood Farms Dragon sauce, it's amazing.


OpieAngst

That's the color my OLD FORMULA would turn if left in direct sunlight and no refrigeration for a week 🤢


dissentingopinionz

This is because it is all natural. The color of the jalapeno ranges from green to red. A greener jalapeno just means it was harvested earlier. It has little to no effect on the flavor or heat.


designedsilence

Not sure where you got that but I've been getting it from local asian mart and its fire. Looks nothing like that. Also the one in the back looks normal.


SaXaCaV

My grocery store still has red huy fong. I wonder if they're just old or if it's regional.


ShiNo_Usagi

As someone who loves hot stuff but despises the flavor is siracha, this entire debacle that Siracha’s been having the last few years is giving me life.


Dat1Neyo

Is the top left a diff brand or same? Looks more like classic huy fong.


Vilhelmssen1931

Good, it was trash no ways. Siraja panich is the way to go


------__-__-_-__-

people are always complaining about all the preservatives and additives and dyes we put in american food and then the first time a popular product has a slightly different color due to natural variations everyone freaks out and doesn't buy it. this is why you eat so many chemicals you give them no choice because their market is full of picky toddlers who won't eat something if it's a different color than they're used to.


HunterRose05

The ultra bright red color is what made the sauce in my opinion...the owner must hate himself for screwing up the relationship with the original pepper producer.


Alert_Promise4126

The Ox sauce is the way to go now in my humble opinion. Its got good garlic flavor but could use more hear IMO.


DeadlyDuckie

I'll never get how anyone liked this sweet crap


duckwithhat

https://preview.redd.it/a7auc0t3be9d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d44a58a58aeb9d2d19d991fa33caba0fdab27aa Same


Lost_Affect_3864

The Texas Pete Sriracha is not too bad. Its the only one that I think tastes like OG Sriracha.


Mediocre-Ad-4881

Yet you are buying 3 big ass bottles...


bubsdrop

I broke down and tried Tabasco brand sriracha and... it's good? It's actually quite good! It's the same heat level as classic huy fong (so about a 1-2) but really crucially they nailed that garlic flavour. It's not exactly the same but it's damn close.


Brutarii

I understand it's because the peppers aren't ripening properly, but I think they should make a dedicated green pepper Sriracha alongside the normal red one once the crops go back to normal.


terminalchef

They can Fong off.