What else can so stimulate your senses, blast open your sinuses and send you into paroxysms of exquisite pain like the tiny chile pepper? Quick, we’re waiting.
If you’re captivated by capsaicin, the chile’s active component, you need travel no farther than Las Cruces, N.M. to delve deep into the heart of the delicious little plants. That’s where you’ll find New Mexico State University’s Chile Pepper Institute. Take a quick course in the basics. Learn how to identify different chiles, what makes them smell and taste differently. The institute is open Monday through Friday, and you can schedule a tour in advance.
Beer won’t exactly quench all that capsaicin, but it might give you the illusion of relief. See if you can time your trip out to Las Cruces for the last weekend of July. That’s when this deep desert city plays host to the first annual Tour de Beers out on the New Mexico Fair Grounds. The event features beers from throughout the country including Blue Moon, Leinenkugel, Boston Beer and Rio Grande Brewing. Admission includes a souvenir glass and tasting ticket book. $15 at the door, $12 in advance.
If the chiles and the ambient temperature don’t heat things up, the bands will. Local musicians top the bill: Beans & Crackers, The Liars and Taxi Cab Dancers. There will also be lots of food, southwestern arts, crafts and such.
Las Cruces lies in the Mesilla Valley, between the Rio Grande and the Ogan Mountains. It boasts year-round golf, cascades of sunshine and some really extraordinary Mexican food. Getting there is easy. Las Cruces is a mere 53 miles northwest of El Paso whose airport is served by a number of major airlines.
(Image: Changhai Travis)
