If you are still relying on the grocery store’s shelf for your spice fix, now is the time to be enlightened: you can buy fresher, single-origin, premium spices online within the comfort of your home. And even better, you will understand exactly what you are getting and discover inspiration to bring joy to your taste buds.
1. How Fresh Can You Get?
Spices in the grocery store have been on a long journey, so their flavor is accordingly weak and stale. With the many steps of processing, warehousing, and transportation, by the time the spices make it to your pantry or spice rack, they are, at the very least, 12-18 months old.
When you buy spices online from The Spice & Tea Shoppe you cut out the middlemen and receive the freshest spices, seasoning and loose leaf teas available in the marketplace. At The Spice & Tea Shoppe we grind our whole spices only as needed and hand blend and package everything on site. To top it off, our fresh spices provide a higher level of flavor and will take all your dishes to a gourmet level.
2. Better Prices For Purer Spices
Now that you know you get much higher quality seasonings when you buy spices online from The Spice & Tea Shoppe, you may be asking if it will cost you more? This is a fair and important question that we will answer for you, but you can also verify for yourself.
Take a look at the per ounce price of Bay Leaves at your local grocery store. They sell small bay leaves that can fit inside a regular sized spice jar (the smaller the leaf the more you usually must use) for $9.50 to $10.00 per jar. However, you are receiving only .14 ounces and paying the average of $69.50 per ounce. At The Spice & Tea Shoppe our per ounce price is only $10.76 AND we package our bay leaves in re-sealable bags because our hand selected, Turkish Bay Leaves are too large to fit inside a standard spice jar. Therefore, you can use fewer of them saving you even more money.
The per ounce price comparison should not stop with just one item. Compare all your favorite spices and seasonings and you will realize you can start saving money on virtually everything in your spice rack.
Finally, when you decide you buy spices online from The Spice & Tea Shoppe you will notice larger, bulk, sized purchase options on your favorite spices and seasonings. We proudly feature our new Spice Lover’s Size re-sealable bags at an additional 15% savings. Your wallet and palette will be forever grateful.
3. Variety Is The Spice Of Life
Whether you have been spice-obsessed for years, or just getting started in mastering the culinary arts, having a variety of choices always makes it more fun. The grocery store spice aisle is full of the same brands that only offer the same basic choices. Where is the fun in that? Sure, they carry whole peppercorns, but do they offer thirteen varieties? Of course, they carry cinnamon, yet can they even tell you what “true” cinnamon is, let alone offer it for sale. How about the incredible Saigon Cinnamon (the best cinnamon for baking) at a lower price than the stale cinnamon brand name variety on the shelf?
When you order spices online from The Spice & Tea Shoppe you will experience first-hand the incredible choices and varieties that await you. Plus, you can order smaller (usually half-cup) sizes to start along your culinary journey and of course our larger Spice Lover Size options for the everyday essentials.
4. Authenticity, Always
Spices in the grocery store, and even big box membership stores, must speak to the consumer masses and carry the burden of being some of the most highly profitable items they offer. To accomplish this, they are usually lower grade quality and chock-full with fillers, additives and unnecessary colors while NOT including many authentic ingredients.
Take Garam Masala for example. Look at the ingredients list of the readily available brands and you will surely see one key and authentic ingredient (Black Cardamom) has been left out, primarily because it is expensive and difficult to source. Additionally, look at other seasoning blends and you will commonly find that salt and/ or sugar are listed as the primary or secondary ingredient because it weighs a lot, is very inexpensive and is readily available.
When you order spices online, like Garam Masala, from The Spice & Tea Shoppe you will experience the authentic masala flavor because we take the difficult steps to single source black cardamom in whole form and only grind it as necessary. Commercial blends simply do not go that extra mile. Experience authentic curry powders and you will notice the superior quality and robust difference.
5. You Do Not Have To Look Far, The Origin’s In The Name
The grocery, and membership stores, provide limited and generic options lacking in point of origin transparency. Vanilla Extract is a perfect example as many store varieties simply state “Vanilla Extract” on the front of the box with no mention of where the vanilla bean was grown.
You may be asking “why does this matter” and that is another very valid and important question.
Vanilla is grown in various regions around the globe but dramatically varies in quality and taste. Much like fine wine that requires optimal soil, sun, and temperature conditions vanilla is no different and the “Bourbon Islands” of Madagascar currently provide the most optimal growing conditions that produce premium Vanilla Beans.
6. Real Quality Says It All
Did you know spices have been adulterated since the Middle Ages? Saffron happens to be the most expensive spice in the world and the beautiful red color is often imitated by adding beetroot or pomegranate fibers.
Obviously, it is very important to know what you are getting, and, more importantly, what you are eating. But finding pure and quality ingredients should not be that hard.
At The Spice & Tea Shoppe, we go above and beyond the grocery, and membership, stores by requiring certificate of analysis’ for every one of our single sourced spices, herbs and loose leaf teas. This ensures the finest purity and highest quality in every delivery from our kitchen to yours.
This is just one of many reasons the Spice & Tea Shoppe is the best place to buy spices online.
7. Knowledge, Passion And Expertise
Choosing The Spice & Tea Shoppe as your best place to buy spices online provides a guarantee that you will always get excellent quality, freshness, variety, prices, authenticity AND the knowledge and expertise that comes from dedicating our lives to our passion.
Unfortunately, grocery stores can not properly explain what makes a peppercorn turn white and how that differs from a black peppercorn (other than the obvious difference in color), or explain what mace spice is, how to use it properly and where it comes from.
Whether you are making a new dish that calls for an obscure ingredient or just seeking new inspiration for your culinary masterpieces, ordering from our online spice store will offer you access to novel spices and expert knowledge.
You might just discover something like the native Chinese spice, Sichuan Peppercorns, which offer a unique citrus and slightly wood-infused flavor and a heat that has a mild numbing effect on the tongue. Szechuan Cuisine depends on these special peppers. And that is just the iceberg of the novelty spice world. After all, we are never too old to grow our knowledge, and especially our passion for incredible food.
8. Stay Calm And Comfort On
We realize meal planning is difficult, time consuming and frustrating when ingredients are not readily available. We try to reduce some of the hassle by making it easy, and hopefully enjoyable, to order spices online. We currently offer free shipping for any order over $69 and flat rate shipping on all other orders to all contiguous 48 states.
And if you are in a pinch on where to find a personalized gift of culinary joy, you will discover an array of gift boxes geared towards your special someone’s unique delight.