Taco Bell's Newest Salsa Packet Is The Only One You Have To Pay For

Taco Bell launched its new Cantina Menu on March 21, featuring a lineup of soft tacos, crispy grilled tacos, quesadillas, burritos, and bowls (on which our opinions were decidedly mixed). This is a permanent addition to the Bell's menu, along with its new slow-roasted chicken as a protein option. But one thing included in this release we haven't quite zoomed in on is the new Avocado Verde Salsa. There's one curious aspect about it that makes it unlike any other condiment packet you'll find at Taco Bell: In some cases, you have to pay for it.

If you're ordering anything off the new Cantina menu, a single packet of the Avocado Verde Salsa is automatically included with your item at no extra charge. However, if you want to order extra — or tack a on a few with your Crunchwrap Supreme — the packets will cost you $0.20 each.

That's an unusual move, considering we all know that the regular packets like the Mild, Hot, Fire, Diablo, and the often overlooked Breakfast Salsa are always free. (Though it's worth mentioning that any sauces served in tubs from the kitchen like Creamy Chipotle and Avocado Ranch come at an additional price.)

I reached out to Taco Bell to get some insight as to why the company decided to charge for it. A spokesperson replied, saying:

Our premier Avocado Verde Salsa is a premium sauce made to compliment the new Cantina Chicken Menu. The new sauce packet is more than double the size of our traditional packets, and similar to other premium sauces and menu add-ons, such as nacho cheese sauce, reduced-fat sour cream and guacamole, there is an additional charge of 20 cents per packet.

I guess that means if you're ordering an extra few packets of the Avocado Verde Salsa, you're truly living más, according to Taco Bell's standards.

Naturally, then, you're probably wondering whether or not it's worth throwing down less than a quarter for the additional sauce packet. That might not be much, but it's still your money.

I'm going to have to go with a no on this one. My colleague Angela Pagán noted that "unfortunately, the salsa itself doesn't pack a lot of flavor" in her review, and after trying it independently multiple times now, I wholeheartedly agree.

I'd describe this salsa as "delicate," which in some cases is a positive way to describe a food's taste, but at Taco Bell, you expect to be clobbered over the head with something, anything. And the Avocado Verde Salsa doesn't bring much to each bite except for maybe a slight perky acidity with very little heat. It's fine with the Cantina chicken but even then barely noticeable, which means you wouldn't be able to taste it on a Mexican Pizza, let alone a bean burrito.

Plus, it has an unusual ingredient list as well. The main component of the Avocado Verde Salsa is of all things, soybean oil (the next two being water and tomatillos). Based off the oil it seems tangentially like a vinaigrette or a chili crisp, but has the flavor-boosting effect of neither.

Because the chicken-based Cantina Menu is now a permanent fixture to the Taco Bell menu, the Avocado Verde Salsa is as well. But feel free to quell the impulse to add it to your cart when you're checking out on the app. Looks like I'm not defecting from Team Diablo Sauce anytime soon.