UPDATE : OCTOBER 2016 We are proud to announce we have created our own authentic pecan smoked chipotle all as it should be!
CHIPOTLE IN THE EU - RIP
As you may have seen a lack of Chipotle on the market this year
The cause is changes to EU regulations, which control what can be in food and what cannot be in your food
The Chipotle in all its forms are smoked finished by burning Pecan Wood, which gives this chilli its very unique flavour of a sweet nutty citrus with a backdrop of heat
This wood which is not common outside of a handful of places on the planet
It has been discovered recently with new tests Chipotle contains a controlled substance called anthraquinone (AQ) at levels higher than are permitted by the EU
After testing every batch from different farms and in coordination with other food importers all across the EU it is impossible to find any Chipotle stock that is within legislation limits
The consequence of this is nobody can import this wonderful chilli as stocks are checked and destroyed plus the obvious safety concern this controlled substance possesses - please note though, you would have to consume over 1.5kg of raw chipotle in one sitting to get close to any dangerous levels
As we take such matters seriously we can no longer import or supply the Chipotle Chilli in any form, Morita, Meco, Powder, Whole or Flakes
This situation will continue for quite a while - several years is our estimation once the wood is tested and the chilli is grown cleanly and then tested it will still take 2-3 months from point of order to our shelves and as chilli takes 6-9 months to start producing fresh pods etc. it is a situation we have no control of or can sort this side of the Atlantic
It makes me very sad to say that!
You may have seen or tried what we are referring to as "Fake Chipotle"
There are some that think a Chipotle can be defined as a chilli smoked dried, unfortunately this is too general for us to consider as we sell other chillies like paprika that are smoked with oak wood to produce its infamous flavour
Some sellers have taken to source stocks of red jalapeno chillies smoked with oak and ground down, even rarer are some people smoking their own which we have yet to find anyone smoking with Pecan Wood
So the chipotle on the market at present is either breaking EU regulations or fake
There have been some suggestions cooking the chipotle in a sauce or similar will remove the AQ and make the product safe to consume, sadly this is not the case either
The chipotle I am afraid to say is gone from the EU for some time to come, we will send out notices of a mass party if we can source clean AQ free chipotle
For the full regulations please see here http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32014R1146&from=EN
Any queries please contact us here
Steve Alexander