While the recipe for Sriracha hasn't changed since David Tran boarded the Huy Fong ship, the chiles used to make the sauce have gotten progressively spicier. The chiles are harvested from the same farm only once a year so Huy Fong can monitor the quality of the ingredients.

Why is my sriracha so spicy?

The Chemistry of Sriracha/ACS But only one is responsible for its kick — the peppers. Their sweet burn is what makes us all swoon — quite literally — for the sauce. The peppers used in Sriracha contain two molecules in the capsaicin family that trigger the production of a special protein in our mouths.

Why does sriracha taste different now?

While jalapenos naturally ripen to the bright red color that gives sriracha its distinctive hue, it is cheaper for farmers to harvest them earlier when they are still green. ... This change alone is what has caused Huy Fong sriracha to taste different now than it did just a few years ago.