The blend was a deep black maroon color with pink berries, whole spices pieces
shards of an orange flower. (like Safflower) which are rarely found in an American or European blends.
As I smelled and tasted it…I was sure that about 70% of the blend was a specific Middle Eastern chili.
while the rest of the spices were there to frame the flavor notes of the chili.
Looking at the blend pressed it in my hand, I realized it had been crafted by an expert!
“Can you tell what’s in there?”
“I think the main ingredient is a chili, but I will have to really examine this to get the balance of the elements.
Plus, there is something else in here that gives it a hint of sweetness. This is a wonderful blend- where did you get it?”
“On a trip to Istanbul.”
The game was on. We were about to reverse engineer an exotic spice blend.