Three Things to Look for When Buying Spices

Oftentimes we hear folks ask "what makes your spices better than X,Y, Z merchant" as one can buy "spices" in just about any grocery store in the city. We use that term "spices" loosely as the oftentimes old, stale, and just plain low quality fare that is often sold at your local grocery store are stand-ins for real spices and herbs. But hey, they are there and convenient so what the heck! I need my cinnamon now!  For us that question is our raison d'etre on why we opened Bazaar Spices. Like you, we were not able to get the quality and variety of spices that we wanted and we had a feeling that there were others that felt the same way.  So, we went about selecting and identifying the suppliers that sell nothing but the highest quality spices that are available. And that's how we are able to offer the freshest spices to you.

During our search we found out that like fruits and vegetables that have tell tale signs that they are at their peak of freshness and quality (who doesn't thump their watermelons?) so do spices and herbs. Here are three things to look for the next time you are buying your spices or herbs.

Shape: Pods, Seeds, and Berries should be unbroken and uniform in shape & texture. They should be fully developed, not immature or over ripe. They should be well rounded. Look for minimal malformed or empty pods.

Color: Should be uniform, vibrant, and bright;  NOT dull and flat.

Smell: Should be consistent for the respective spice or herb. odor should not be musty or flat and the taste should not be bitter.

So now that you know what to look for...next time you come by the shop feel free to compare our spices to what you see at your local grocers. We're sure you'll see the difference!