Chipotle recently tweaked its 'dumpster juice' queso recipe - but it's still not the best queso out there

Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

• Chipotle's new organic queso has been reformulated, and it's definitely better than before.
• Unfortunately, it's still just not as good as Qdoba's classic variety.

Chipotle's queso has been tweaked, and things are looking up for the chain's cheesy dip.

But it just doesn't taste as good as the queso from its competitor, Qdoba. I know I've been hard on Chipotle lately - as has fate, frankly - but it's my honest opinion that Qdoba puts forth a better experience and product balanced with the right pricing.

First, a quick lesson: the "queso," or chile con queso, that we enjoy in America is a bastardized form of queso fundido, a Mexican dish of melted Oaxaca or Chihuahua cheese typically mixed with roasted chilis and chorizo. It's like a fondue-style appetizer. American Tex-Mex cuisine has replaced these easily melted Mexican cheeses with some form of processed cheese and cream, which gives it a distinctly plasticky, gooey mouthfeel.

This is the queso that Qdoba serves. Is it expressly organic? No, it isn't. And if that's not your scene, then Chipotle is the way to go. But in terms of taste and sheer culinary hedonism, Qdoba's queso runs circles around Chipotle's - here's why.

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