HOT SALSA : Where to Go for the Burn

Face it, you’re an addict; you have to have stronger peppers, hotter and more . . . unusual . . . than the supermarkets dare stock. It’s time to go to a hot-pepper specialist.

Chile-of-the-Month Hot Pepper Club. Every month club members receive a 1/2- to 1 1/2-ounce package of the dried pepper of the month marked with its Scoville hotness rating. Members also receive a newsletter, recipes to go along with the pepper of the month and a chile wreath. Membership is $69 a year, or $39 for half a year. Call (908) 360-0036 for information.

Hot Hot Hot, a hot sauce boutique. Stocks about 400 edible products. Located at 56 S. Delacey St., Pasadena; store hours 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Call (818) 564-1090.

Mo Hotta Mo Betta, the original mail-order hot-condiment company, founded in 1989. Stocks over 500 edible products. For a catalogue, call (800) 462-3220 during business hours. There’s also a 24-hour FAX number: (805) 545-8389.

Salsa Express, a mail-order business specializing in the Southwest, mostly peppers but also, for instance, pottery and Indian fry bread mix. Stocks about 120 edible products. Write P.O. Box 3985, Albuquerque, N.M. 87190 or call (800) 43-SALSA (437-2572); FAX (505) 884-5266.