Ristramnn Chile Company

This is a cool place to visit if you are in the market for some excellent local peppers. The "Ristra Man" can school you on peppers better than Wikipedia ever could, and he makes terrific recommendations based on your tastes. A buddy of mine and I walked out with two pounds of beautiful Puya peppers for about $9, which is a steal.

We strolled into the shaded outdoor chile market looking for Chile and found ourselves in a desert paradise of chile. Don't let the exterior fool you. This is THE best place to get ristras at a great price. Not a tourist trap or premium price. Just great service and great chile!

On the road to El Paso years ago we took a slight detour to Mesilla and picked up some great chile powder. I glued the RCC label to the side of the jar. When it sadly ran out I called this roadside stand and talk to an old cowboy who was "stringin' chiles, packin' comeenoh" while I gave him my order. In the background a radio played, and I heard the voice of Marty Robbins "out in the west in a town called El Paso I fell in love with a Mexican girl" just barely over the desert wind.Two weeks later, in a plain wrapped box (so as not to arouse suspicions in the neighborhood), two quarts of fabulous ground red chile arrived, albeit in ziplock bags. This stuff had been harvested at the peak...it had a sweet as well as spicy flavor, and of course, the paint-worthy crimson pigment. Also, a bonus little pack of "comino" which wasn't bad. As far as the red grind: I've been using this wonder-powder ever since and even added it as a fourth spice to have range-side (kosher salt, ground pepper, smoked paprika, and now my reliable Ristramann Chile Powder). It comes in different heat levels, so choose yours...I got x-hot! Thanks, cowboy.

I always had trouble finding bags of red chile until I discovered this place. Lots of high quality red chile. Very interesting store, all kinds of things to shop for in a rustic setting. Love this place!

We came for chilis and were delighted with the charming character of this place. Old timers were sitting and shooting the breeze in an easy, low stress way. As this shop is open-air, naturally everything is covered in dust. The guy pictured, the owner, I think, took time to explain that the redder chilis were better for eating and they should be taken from the top of the string first. He also told me about his mineral and rock collection which was mostly from Mexico. If you're passing through, don't pass this place up!

Stopped by this farm driving through NM from Dallas, TX. I took home two 5 lb bags of red Chile. I made Chile Colorado and the Xxtra Spicey is SPICEY! But it is delicious!!! So worth the stop! I also bought their honey and it's also good! Thank you and definitely stop because they have more than just Chile!

I was absolutely delighted with my experience here. This place has obviously been around a while and things get dusty when they sit on the shelves that long, there is stock in this store that looks like it's been there since the seventies. The ristras though, the glorious ristras are fresh made if you want, or great selection of dried ones. And locals coming in to buy their fresh chilies. Very helpful to a tourist like me, with instructions how to take a three-foot ristra on the airplane.

Appreciate the friendly customer service and the chilies I took back to California were a huge hit. The best chilies and priced right.

Interesting stop in Old Mesilla.Saw this place while driving by. Looked interesting and my mom said something about wanting New Mexico chiles to hang in the house so we decided to stop. It has the feel of an open air market, but completely roofed in. They sell chile, rocks, knicknacks, postcards, souvenirs. Prices seemed a little high to me and it's not the cleanest of places. But it was interesting and fun to walk around. It was our first stop in Old Mesilla, and was a part of the ambiance of the area.

Could not find directions to this gem on any of my map apps but ended up stumbling upon it. Meant to be. Large selection of hatch chili powders. Picked up several bags for family and friends. The gentleman that ran/owned the store was rich w stories and the history of the region. Thank you