ATA Pasilla Chili Powder – Dried Chilaca, Prune & Cocoa Depth, 1,000–2,500 SHU

SKU: ATA-PWD-PAS · Brand: ATA FOOD Co., Ltd. · Catalog: inquiry-only on https://atafood.chinaspice.org/

The Trio’s Bass Note, Already Ground

If guajillo is the bright top of a Mexican sauce and ancho its sweet middle, pasilla is the bass — the dark, earthy depth underneath that makes a mole taste finished. ATA Pasilla Chili Powder is that same dried chilaca pepper, milled to 60 mesh at 1,000–2,500 SHU, so the depth arrives ready to dose into moles, braises and dark blends without soaking, destemming or grinding whole pods. The flavor is the pod’s own: dried plum and raisin, cocoa and a mild, warming heat that supports rather than shouts.

• The heat of ATA Pasilla Chili Powder is 1,000–2,500 SHU, verified by HPLC using AOAC 995.03 and stated per lot on the CoA — the same numbers as the whole-pod pack ATA-WHL-PAS.
• ATA Pasilla Chili Powder is milled from dried chilaca peppers (Capsicum annuum), the long, dark, wrinkled pods Mexicans call pasilla — “little raisin” — with no colors and no anti-caking agents.
• ATA Pasilla Chili Powder is ground to 60 mesh at a moisture of ≤11.0% (ISO 939), dispersing directly into moles, braising liquors and dry blends.
• ATA Pasilla Chili Powder delivers prune, cocoa and earthy depth at a mild heat that anchors a sauce instead of heating it.
• ATA Pasilla Chili Powder ships in 25 kg bags and 10 kg cartons, FOB Qingdao, HS 0904.22.0000.

Product Snapshot

Technical Specification

Physical

Chemical

Microbiological

Contaminants & Compliance

How This Product Differs

Versus ATA Whole Dried Pasilla Pods (ATA-WHL-PAS)

• The same pods, another workload: This powder is milled from the same dried chilaca pods, in the same 1,000–2,500 SHU window. The whole pod asks your plant for soaking, destemming and grinding; the powder arrives ready to weigh.
• What the whole pod still does better: Whole pods go intact into traditional moles built from scratch, give the sauce maker the dark soaking liquor as an ingredient in its own right, and let a blender grind fresh. If your process is built around pods, keep buying pods.
• Customs line: Whole pods are neither crushed nor ground and declare under HS 0904.21.0000; this ground powder declares under 0904.22.0000. The code follows the physical form, not the pepper.

Versus ATA Guajillo Chili Powder (ATA-PWD-GUA)

• Bass versus brightness: Guajillo is unsmoked mirasol at 2,500–5,000 SHU — bright, tangy, brick-red. Pasilla is dried chilaca at 1,000–2,500 SHU — dark, earthy, prune-like. They are the two ends of the traditional trio’s base.
• Color direction: Guajillo lifts a sauce toward red; pasilla pulls it toward a deep, dark brown.
• Use split: Build the base with both — guajillo for body and color, pasilla for the depth underneath — and let ancho (1,000–2,500 SHU) round out the middle. Pasilla alone suits moles and dark braises where brightness is not wanted.

Versus ATA Whole Dried Ancho Pods (ATA-WHL-ANC)

• Cousins, not twins: Both sit at 1,000–2,500 SHU and both read as dried-fruit sweet, but ancho (dried poblano) is rounder and more raisin-sweet, while pasilla (dried chilaca) is longer, darker and more cocoa-earthy.
• Form: The ancho in this catalog is a whole pod for in-house processing; this pasilla arrives as a ready powder. Ask in the RFQ about ground formats for either pepper.

Industrial Applications & Use

• Moles and dark sauces: The defining use — mole negro and dark enchilada bases where prune-and-cocoa depth is the signature. Bench starting point 0.5–1.5% of the finished sauce.
• Braises and stews: Birria-style and slow-cooked meat bases needing a dark foundation under brighter chiles.
• BBQ rubs and glazes: A dark, earthy layer in rubs for brisket and ribs, where it deepens bark color without adding smoke.
• Seasoning blends: The bass layer in Mexican-style and mole-seasoning dry blends, at 2–6% of the blend.
• Meat processing: 0.2–0.8% in dark sausages and cooked meats seeking depth and color at mild heat.
• Chocolate and dessert spice programs: A traditional partner to cacao — mole-style chocolate sauces and spiced drinking-chocolate mixes at low dosage.

Handling note: the dark aromatics are the value. Keep the powder sealed, cool and dark, dose against the lot’s stated SHU, and rotate stock promptly once opened.

Packaging, MOQ, Logistics & Shelf Life

• Standard packs: 25 kg kraft bags and 10 kg cartons, food-grade liner.
• Small-lot option: 5 kg by agreement.
• Samples: 250 g–1 kg for bench and pilot work.
• MOQ: Confirmed in the RFQ per pack format; mixed shipments with other ATA chili powders can be consolidated.
• Shelf life: 18–24 months sealed, stored cool, dark and dry. Aromatics fade first — tight sealing and first-in, first-out rotation protect them.
• Incoterms: FOB Qingdao; CIF / CFR on request.
• HS code: 0904.22.0000 (ground Capsicum).

Certifications & Export Documents

• Production under ISO 22000 / HACCP / BRCGS-aligned programs.
• Halal and Kosher documentation on request.
• Per-lot CoA stating SHU (HPLC), moisture and microbiology.
• Commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading (B/L), Certificate of Origin / Form E as applicable.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What pepper is pasilla, exactly?
The dried form of the chilaca pepper (Capsicum annuum) — a long, dark green fresh pepper that dries to a wrinkled, near-black pod. In Mexican Spanish pasilla means “little raisin,” a fair description of both its look and its prune-like flavor. Note that in parts of the US retail trade the name “pasilla” is loosely applied to ancho; this product is true chilaca pasilla.

2. How is the heat measured, and what should I expect lot to lot?
By HPLC using AOAC 995.03, reported on the lot CoA. The specification is 1,000–2,500 SHU — the same window as the whole-pod pack. Judge a lot against that HPLC result, not against color or an unmethoded claim. State your target in the RFQ if your recipe is heat-critical.

3. Is anything smoked, colored or added?
No. Pasilla is an unsmoked pepper, and this SKU is single-ingredient ground pod: no smoke, no added color, no anti-caking agents. The very dark color is the pod’s own.

4. How does it pair with ancho and guajillo?
As the trio is traditionally built: guajillo (2,500–5,000 SHU) brings brightness, color and the middle heat; ancho (1,000–2,500 SHU) brings earthy sweetness; pasilla brings the deep bass of prune and cocoa. A common bench start is equal parts ancho and guajillo with a smaller pasilla share for moles, or pasilla-forward for dark braises.

5. What grind is it, and how does it disperse?
60 mesh, consistent with the ATA chili powder line. It disperses into hot liquids directly; in cold systems, pre-wetting a small portion in warm water or oil gives the smoothest result. Unlike whole pods, it needs no soaking or sieving step.

6. Is it tested for aflatoxin and pesticides?
Yes. Aflatoxin and ochratoxin are tested against destination-market limits, pesticide residues are screened against EU / destination MRLs, and the per-lot CoA states SHU, moisture and microbiology. Name your destination market in the RFQ so the correct limit set applies.

7. I buy the whole pasilla pods — why would I switch?
Only if the pod workload costs you: the powder removes soaking, destemming and grinding, and doses by weight into dry systems a pod cannot enter directly. Keep buying whole pods for from-scratch moles, soaking liquor and fresh in-house grinding — it is the same raw material in two working forms.

8. What information is needed for an RFQ?
Destination market and port, quantity and preferred pack format (25 kg bags or 10 kg cartons), the target application, your heat target if it matters, and any specific CoA or certification requirements (for example Halal or Kosher documentation). Send RFQs to dede@chinachilibiotech.com or chinafoodsgroup@gmail.com. There are no public prices and no cart — every quotation is issued on inquiry.