I have tried to buy chili powder for years--grocery store varieties, Mexican specialty store varieties, gourmet store offerings, and mail order types--all have been extremely disappointing. Some were clearly comprised of inferior ingredients. Others, I suspect were the victims of excessive shelf storage or low turnover, and I will even admit to occasional pilot error on my part.
Solution: make your own. Moreover, you should treat your evolving chili powder recipe as you would your special coffee blend--experiment, adjust, enjoy. Here is start. I like a smokey flavor, so I have included some smoked ingredients to create this taste. You can find your own way.
Start with 7-9 dried chiles using a variety of specimins. Ones without too much moisture and with low sugar content seem to work best. As I write this, I am using:
3 Guajillo chiles
3 smoked Espelette chiles
3 Chihuagle chiles
You can add tiny cayenne peppers to bring up the heat as desired.
Remove all stems and seeds from the chiles. Break them up into a cast iron pan on medium-high heat with 2 tbls whole cumin seeds. Toast stirring frequently until you can clearly smell the cumin. Don't let it burn. Remove from heat and cool completely.
Once cool, place chiles in blender or spice mill with:
2tbls garlic powder
1 tsp smoked sweet Spanish paprika
1 tbls mexican oregano
Pulverize until it reaches the consistency you associate with garlic powder. Let stand in spice mill covered for a couple of minutes for the dust to settle (else it can irritate your eyes and nose). Remove, store in non-volatile container until for several months.
