Frank, Is Jim C's site wildpepper.com? I know what you mean about "burnt cat hair like flavor". I ordered a pound of pasilla's through myspicer.com and, whew, that is exactly the way they tasted. The other types in the order were OK, but those were bad news. I'll give the fill grind fill shake and grind technique a try tonight. Thanks for the info. Russ >>> "Frank J. Hashek" <fhashek@comcast.net> 08/15/05 02:40PM >>> Russ, I buy Red Savinas in quantity from Jim (no, he doesn't pay me to say this) and dehydrate them. I halve the peppers before dehydrating at 125-130 degrees. They keep their bright red color and have great flavor. It takes 24-36 hours to dry at this temperature. They will dry much faster at higher temperatures, but I do not want to risk carmelizing the oils within the peppers. (Hate that burnt cat hair like flavor.) I store in airtight jars and grind as needed for myself and friends who ask me for some pepper. I use a Krups mini coffee mill. I load the grinding bowl nearly full and give it a spin to reduce the volume of peppers. Then I fill it again and grind thoroughly while shaking it a bit. It comes out as a perfectly uniform powder, no sifting needed. I previously used an el cheapo mini mill from Wal Mart and it did just as good of a job before it died. Let the dust settle for a couple minutes before taking the lid off of the mill. If you use your mill for other purposes, like coffee, you will want to clean it thoroughly. That is, unless you like Hot Java {:-) Use care when cleaning, or some water could cause the bearings in the mill to sieze. I plan to get a KitchenAaid mini mill, as they now come with a removeable bowl. Blue skies, Frank -----Original Message----- From: owner-chile-heads@globalgarden.com [mailto:owner-chile-heads@globalgarden.com] On Behalf Of Russ morgan Sent: Monday, August 15, 2005 11:03 AM To: chile-heads@globalgarden.com Subject: [CH] Powder Hi, Is anyone grinding there own powder? What do you use to sift it with? Hey...remember, this is about chiles! Thanks, Russ