Ancho Reyes has a rich and complex warmth, followed by sweet spices and subtle acidity, and finishes with the pleasant, smoky heat of the ancho chile.
Our poblano chiles are cultivated in the volcano-enriched soils of Puebla. After harvest, the soil is rested for three years before it again grows chiles.
One by one, each poblano chile is individually hand-selected for quality. For Ancho Reyes Verde, the chiles are harvested earlier, while green. For Ancho Reyes Original, the chiles are harvested later, once they’ve matured and turned red.
For Ancho Reyes Original, chiles are sun-dried for between 15 to 20 days to become ancho chiles. The dried chiles develop a rich, smoky, and fiery flavor.
The ancho chiles used in Ancho Reyes Original are scissor-sliced by hand, a painstaking, time-consuming process that ensures that we use only the finest chiles.
For half of a year, the chiles soak in a stepped process, macerating in small vats of neutral cane spirit from Veracruz, Mexico.
Imbued with chile flavor, the resulting liquid is then hand-blended by our Maestra Maceradora – or Master Blender, to maintain consistent flavor and spice.