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A dried chile tasting



I gathered my dried chiles

chiles

Seeded them and ran them through my spice grinder

powdered

Took about 2 grams of each and added 2 tablespoons of boiling water to rehydrate them; sauteed some onions and garlic, and added a spoonful to each chile slurry, and tasted them. I used plain brown rice and some tortilla chips as the vehicles for the chiles, and tasted them from milder to hotter per the ratings on this chart. I decided not to toast or fry the chiles first because I wanted to taste them as simply as possible this time.

Mildest group:

The ancho was only slightly little hot, and mildly fruity.

The mulato was very earthy, darker flavored, less fruity, and hotter.

The pasilla was fruitier, less earthy, and not quite as hot as the mulato.

Medium group:

The New Mexico was fruity, lighter, and a bit tart, hotter than the first three but not by much.

The guajillo was earthier than the New Mexico, but less so than the mulato, but hotter than the mulato.

The chilhaucle negro was fruity, tart, less heat than New Mexico or guajillo, and seemed more like the New Mexico in the tart/fruity flavor.

The cascabel was sweet and fruity, and not particularly hot. I have had these for a long time and hardly ever use them. I will use them more often now!

Hottest group:

The puya was a bit one dimensional with heat but not a lot of depth of flavor.

The chipotle surprised me with how sweet and fruity it was under the smoky heat.

All in all, a lot of fun, and although the chilhaucle negro did have a bit of a unique flavor, it wasn't so astonishingly good that I can see continuing to pay as much as I did for these. e negro was fruity, tart, less heat than New Mexico or guajillo, and seemed more like the New Mexico in the tart/fruity flavor.

The cascabel was sweet and fruity, and not particularly hot. I have had these for a long time and hardly ever use them. I will use them more often now!

Hottest group:

The puya was a bit one dimensional with heat but not a lot of depth of flavor.

The chipotle surprised me with how sweet and fruity it was under the smoky heat.

All in all, a lot of fun, and although the chilhaucle negro did have a bit of a unique flavor, it wasn't so astonishingly good that I can see continuing to pay as much as I did for these.




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