Ground Chipotle Chiles

Chipotle chiles are dried jalapeño peppers that have been left on the vine to ripen to a cherry-red hue before being cured over woodsmoke. Ripening the jalapeños first gives these smokey chipotle peppers a delectably sweet and savory flavor, emitting notes of raspberry, cherry, and tomato. The word chipotle comes from the Nahuatl chīlpōctli, which means “smoked chile.” The Spice House’s chipotles are of the Morita variety, which are the most popular type in the Mexican state of Chihuahua and in the United States. Morita means little blackberry or mulberry in Spanish, a nod to this variety's fruity sweetness. Ground chipotle Morita chile is a convenient powder that adds savory flavor and pleasant heat to stewed beans, chili con carne, and homemade salsas and spice rubs. Its heat level clocks in at 13,000 to 28,000 on Scoville Heat Scale, giving off a pleasant heat without singeing the palate.