Comments on: Sugar and spice and everything nice

Question: Sugar and spice and everything nice

oissubke — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 10:20:45 -0800

I'm looking for some premium, gourmet, fancy-pants spices (e.g., saffron, really good vanilla beans, etc.) as a gift for a food-savvy friend. I'm clueless about where to look, and Google turns up all kinds of shady e-commerce sites. Where do I go for the really nice, high-quality stuff?

By: Skot

Skot — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 10:30:26 -0800

I wholeheartedly recommend the completely awesome World Spice based right here in Seattle.

By: copperbleu

copperbleu — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 10:40:18 -0800

Penzey's Spices has all kinds of gourmet spices and is reasonably priced. They have gift baskets, and also empty baskets that you can fill with spices you choose.

By: garbo

garbo — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 10:48:35 -0800

I second Penzey's.

By: trip and a half

trip and a half — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 10:49:45 -0800

I second (on preview: third) Penzey's. Kalustyan's is also great for spices and other products.

By: spicynuts

spicynuts — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 10:59:14 -0800

kalustyan's rocks. That's where I go for the best cumin and paprika in the city.

By: ericb

ericb — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 11:07:14 -0800

I have given various Dean & Deluca spice sets as gifts -- and the recipients have really liked them.

By: jeanmari

jeanmari — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 11:25:49 -0800

Mmmmmmm....Spice House....

By: jonzino

jonzino — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 11:27:19 -0800

And I second the Spice House.

By: sevenless

sevenless — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 11:27:41 -0800

I'll second World Spice. The Chipotle and Ancho chili powder mixes are especially good.

By: stray

stray — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 12:23:26 -0800

can i tag on a rider: any great spice shops in Vancouver?

By: nebulawindphone

nebulawindphone — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 12:32:59 -0800

Penzey's is reliable and has everything, but you might also try Zingerman's mail-order, especially if your friend goes for the exotic stuff. They've got good saffron and vanilla, but they've also got indigenous spices from Australia, sea salts and peppercorns from around the world, and some other rare odds and ends. (Check out the rest of their site too; they're the best when it comes to olive oil, vinegar and handmade cheeses.)

No, I don't work there. They're just a local business from my home town, and one of the things that made me proud to live there.

By: MrMoonPie

MrMoonPie — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 12:38:11 -0800

I came in this thread to suggest Kalustyan's, so, yeah, I'll second that.

By: willbaude

willbaude — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 12:39:10 -0800

A fifth vote on Penzey's. There may be reasons to shop elsewhere, but they require more thorough knowledge about one's own particularities and idiosyncracies.

By: MrMoonPie

MrMoonPie — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 12:43:17 -0800

If you really want to blow a gourmet away, there's nothing better than a vintage balsamic vinegar. My wife got me a 100-year-old bottle from Di Bruno Brothers.

By: leafwoman

leafwoman — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 12:52:01 -0800

Penzey's for sure.

By: hazyjane

hazyjane — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 13:09:02 -0800

Using saffron as a benchmark because it's so difficult to harvest as is therefore the most expensive spice there is, I checked World Merchants, Dean and Deluca, Kalustyans, and Penzey's offerings. Penzeys is the one who seems to have the best. I couldn't really judge Kalustyans though because there was no photo or explanatory information.

For info, Indian saffron is the finest quality saffron you can buy, followed by Moroccan, followed by Iranian. Also, never let anyone sell you powdered saffron, as it will have almost no flavor.

By: scazza

scazza — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 13:51:50 -0800

Kalustyans, good lord yes, they have like 5 kinds of black peppercorns, dried keffir lime leaves, garam masala that has not been ground up, truffle everything, everything you can think of.

Also, I recently found Nirmala's Kitchen. They have great gift packages, salt from France, Japan (a green tea blend) and Australia. Lovely.

By: roundrock

roundrock — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 14:00:52 -0800

nothing new here, but in case you're still uncertain: one more vote for PENZEY's. Received a huge crate of spices as a wedding gift and was totally sold!! great customer service as well.

By: Melinika

Melinika — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 14:19:34 -0800

I've been hearing lots of raves for these organic, sustainably harvested vanilla beans. They were recently linked on MetaEfficient and the LJ food_porn community.

By: caddis

caddis — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 14:47:12 -0800

I have had good luck with ChefShop.com for spices, but some of the dedicated spice places already described here will probably have a little broader variety. ChefShop is more of a general gourmet food shop. They have lots of great gift items.

By: PurplePorpoise

PurplePorpoise — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 15:07:36 -0800

Fleur de-sel. I don't know if the (post?)graduate students got the authorities in Portugal for them to sell it as a food aditive yet. I have no idea where to get it, sorry - been looking for it locally, myself.

By: theora55

theora55 — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 15:24:33 -0800

Herbs-not-Spices reply: The Shakers at Sabbathday Lake, Maine, sell herbs. You might also consider a pot of fresh herbs. It's nice to have fresh rosemary, chives, sage, and other herbs out of season.

By: QIbHom

QIbHom — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 15:41:40 -0800

An nth for Penzey's, even though I live near Zingerman's. Both have excellent customer service, and will talk you through orders, if needed.

By: luneray

luneray — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 15:53:42 -0800

A tangent: the folks over at America's Test Kitchen did a testing with various vanilla beans, real vanilla extract, and imitation vanilla. They were shocked, SHOCKED!, to find out that no one could taste the difference between real and imitation vanilla.

So forget about the vanilla beans and buy more saffron instead. :)

By: nimsey lou

nimsey lou — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 15:57:13 -0800

Penzey's ROCKS!!!

By: DakotaPaul

DakotaPaul — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 16:55:49 -0800

Just got our first Penzey's shipment. Opening up that box and taking a whiff of each spice just makes you want to cook. Plus, the bonus spices are always nice.

By: awegz

awegz — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 17:42:35 -0800

Another vote for Spice House here. And they sell really cool gift boxes.

By: chota

chota — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 20:47:51 -0800

Spice House just cuz it's in Milwaukee, an' I love me some Milwaukee. (Penzey's is good too, though.)

By: silusGROK

silusGROK — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 21:13:32 -0800

Melinika... I just got my package of organically grown/sustainably harvested vanilla beans this morning. My whole house is filled with their intoxicating aroma.

* drools *

Oh... and Penzeys. Definitely Penzeys.