Perhaps the most important characteristic of a good burrito are the ingredients from which it's made. We Californians have the superb advantage of having immediate access to the freshest and tastiest produce in the country. With this in mind, I urge you to use the most discriminating judgment in this particular category. Consider the following: How fresh are the ingredients as a whole? Are the veggies freshly cut and crisp or are they wilted? Are the tomatoes in the pico de gallo firm and juicy, or dry and mealy? Has the meat been freshly cooked, or has it grayed from sitting in a heated bin all day? Is the rice fluffy and moist, or hard and dry?

A fine burrito establishment has got their technique down to a science, and we should expect the same quality on each visit.

There is nothing worse than a burrito that falls apart in your hands, a wet mess of foil/rice/bean-juice all over your plate/lap/car seat. A superb burrito is properly drained and tightly wrapped, then neatly encased in a layer of foil.

And let's not forget ratio: A perfect balance of all ingredients is essential to a good burrito. This rating measures the technical prowess of the staff behind the sacred sneeze-shield. In some especially popular burrito joints, where speed is essential in the name of customer service, there is little time to decide how much rice vs. beans vs. meat, etc. to throw into the mix. One must rely on the accuracy – if not athleticism – of our beloved assemblers.

Although not technically part of the actual burrito, many consider the tortilla chip to be an essential element to the burrito-eating ritual. The chip an edible utensil, if you will, used to scoop up the delicious stray innards of your handheld meal.

Like the chip, the extra hot sauce is not officially a part of the burrito, yet an important supplement to the experience as a whole. Many connoisseurs believe you can judge the quality of the burrito by the care put into the flavor of the hot sauce.

Let's face it, even the best-tasting burrito can have, erm, dire consequences. At the risk of disgusting you, the reader, I will refrain from going into too much detail about this category. Be creative, I will leave the categoryended. (Ah!...but the question may be: which end is and why...)

This is the double-jeopardy round of burrito rating. Where some burritos may be lacking in certain categories, they can easily make up for it in this last one. Even when considering all the traits above, the overall taste-bud response ultimately holds the most weight. 

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