My first attempt was over acidified and the chipotles tasted like little more than cinders. This time around I used my own peppers, which are a bit less smoked than store bought varieties, probably more morita than chipotle. I like them, that's all that matters to me.
I bought a $10 ph meter last time I ordered from Amazon, to see what it would do. After calibration the liquid I'd rehydrated/steeped my peppers in had a PH of 4.2. A little baking soda neutralized most of the acid, back up to 6.4 pH. The make was pretty close to 200 easy cheeses stirred curd cheddar, except I overshot the target temps by 2 degrees. I hit my peppers with my stick blender, and added them and the water to the curds prior to culturing.
Currently in the press at ~3.4 psi, 50 pounds at 3:1 on a 7.5" mold. I need to make a longer arm or join the pulley club. Hanging a 50 pound dumbbell is about my limit these days
Curds and between second and final pressing. Hopefully this will turn out well in a couple of months.