Chipotle peppers are dried smoked jalapeno peppers. They have an underlying sweetness with bitter and smoky notes. These chiles measure 2,500-10,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), so they deliver medium heat and smoky-sweet flavor.

There are different types of Chipotle peppers. If you’re shopping for Chipotles in the US, you will most likely encounter the Chipotle Morita. This chile is smoky and medium-level spicy, with sweetness and fruitiness. It can be found dried and is also sold canned in the sauce.

The tradition of smoking and drying chile peppers began long ago when Aztecs ruled the region around modern-day Mexico city. Jalapeños grew in abundance in abundance in that region, particularly around the town of Xalapa (ha-LA-pa). They grew so heartily in that region that they were named for Xalapa; jalapeño translates as “the thing from Xalapa”.

People began preserving these peppers to safeguard against flimsy future harvests. Other peppers were left in the sun to dry, but the thick and fleshy walls of the jalapeno don’t dry thoroughly when left out in the sun, and the amount of moisture they retained made them susceptible to rot.

Smoking, though, dries the chiles thoroughly without cooking them and adds an incomparable flavor. Hence chipotle was born. Aztecs called them chilpoctli; chil- translates as "chile pepper", and -poctli means “smoked.”

Mexican chiles can be intimidating to learn about, particularly when you’re trying to understand the difference between them when they’re dried vs. fresh. If you’re curious about Chipotle Morita we can help explain when and how to use them, the differences between the dried varieties, their origins, and which one is right for you.