Spice Recommendations? locally available vs. online?

[dmonterisi]

I need to refresh some of my spices. Given how expensive spices have become, i'm hoping for some recs on decent brands to buy locally (i have whole foods, trader joes, sprouts, albertsons/vonns, smiths (a kroger brand) locally. Or an online recommendation is great as well.

I have found the local spices i buy to be so hit and miss. I need to buy a good Cayenne today as i'm making Shrimp Etouffee and the 365 Brand Cayenne that i have smells and tastes like sifted dirt. anyone have good recs for a cayenne? is morton & bassett any good?

thanks!

 

[NickMinton]

Pendry’s out of Fort Worth Texas is known pretty well locally and has online ordering. Not sure how their prices compare to others though but my dad has used them for years for chili mixes and other spices

 

[btbyrd]

Even the best cayenne will smell and taste like sifted dirt when it's old. But Morton and Basset's is the best I've found in normal supermarkets.

 

[Dan-]

Can order from chefshop or mountain rose herbs or frontier coop

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

I buy probably 90% of my spices from here:

https://spokanespice.com/
Yes, they are local to me but they ship and do business with people (individuals and commercial) around the country. They make their own blends which are very good.

I strongly recommend their Dry Hot Sauce :: Michlitch - Spokane Spice Company

 

[dmonterisi]

Even the best cayenne will smell and taste like sifted dirt when it's old. But Morton and Basset's is the best I've found in normal supermarkets.

might be the issue, i think it's about a year old, maybe slightly less.

after i posted this, i googled for local spice shops and came across this locally owned shop that i never knew existed. I'm always looking for online stuff because these kind of stores don't tend to exist in vegas, but i'm happy to be proven wrong. I bought a small sack of their 40k scoville cayenne and will give that a shot. but thanks for the rec on morton & basset.

https://sheffieldspices.com/

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

Also, store excess spices in the freezer. It really does prolong their freshness.

 

[parbaked]

Oaktown Spice are very good , especially if you want to buy smaller quantities…
https://oaktownspiceshop.com/
SF Herb is good for bulk or larger quantities…
https://www.sfherb.com/

 

[SwampDonkey]

Penzey's is where I order most of my spices. About as fresh as I can get. If you live in a bigger city Spice&Tea Exchange is solid, I'm fairly certain they ship online too, though I prefer Penzey's. Worth checking to see if you have any hippie Co-op grocery stores in your area too. Mine has good bulk spices that are always more fresh than anything at the standard supermarket.

 

[daveb]

Penzey's is where I order most of my spices.

That would have been true for me 8 years ago. Bill has always leaned left but during 2016 election cycle he went over the line and infused his business with politics. During one of his rants he called me an idiot and said he didn't want my business. I'm fine with that.

Savory Spice meets my needs now and doesn't preach.

 

[MowgFace]

Even the best cayenne will smell and taste like sifted dirt when it's old. But Morton and Basset's is the best I've found in normal supermarkets.

Morton and Bassetts gets my vote as well for big supermarket brand.

 

[Beerzebub]

Worth checking to see if you have any hippie Co-op grocery stores in your area too. Mine has good bulk spices that are always more fresh than anything at the standard supermarket.

Then you can just buy a little at a time as needed too, instead of a whole jar of the stuff sitting in your kitchen getting old.

 

[coxhaus]

I need some smoked paprika for paella. I was thinking of looking at Central Market or Whole Foods.

 

[Heckel7302]

I have a Penzy's locally to me, spices from there have always been great in my experience. They have locations around the country, or online ordering is there too.

https://www.penzeys.com/locations

 

[mengwong]

I need some smoked paprika for paella. I was thinking of looking at Central Market or Whole Foods.

La Chinata is worth ordering online if you can’t find it at the store

https://a.co/d/jcjE9Q6

 

[Jovidah]

I like the La Chinata stuff. Never really understood the point of the bittersweet version, but it's worth having both sweet and hot versions. Goes well with just about anything, not just paella.

My general rule for buying spices and dried herbs is to buy from a place that has a decent amount of throughput... if the place sells enough that means the stuff won't be lingering on their shelves for month getting old before it gets to you.

 

[boomchakabowwow]

my neighborhood grocery store is fairly Boogie..they have a great spice section. having said that, i have a local store that is very well stocked, but expensive. Penzies is down the street, but the ladies there seem to always ignore me. hahaha..

 

[Heckel7302]

but the ladies there seem to always ignore me. hahaha..

That is my favorite kind of retail customer service. Please ignore me. If I need something, I'll come to you, thanks.

 

[boomchakabowwow]

That is my favorite kind of retail customer service. Please ignore me. If I need something, I'll come to you, thanks.

not when you are standing at the register waiting for them to stop talking about their feelings...

 

[Chips]

That would have been true for me 8 years ago. Bill has always leaned left but during 2016 election cycle he went over the line and infused his business with politics. During one of his rants he called me an idiot and said he didn't want my business. I'm fine with that.

Savory Spice meets my needs now and doesn't preach.

That's exactly when I was done with him too. I'd been a customer since 1999 along with half my family. His email tirades were asinine. Immediately switched to Spices Inc and haven't regretted it since. Their site is even more in depth in terms of explaining the source and quality of their products.

I do miss their pork chop seasoning though, that was really good.