583462 Mon Dec 29 01:42:54 -0800 2008 65 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 4279130 Has anyone ordered from here? I am looking to order some spices etc and I found this site. Any other ideas??? Mon Dec 29 01:42:55 -0800 2008 244806 Bavin 1 4279131 First rate outfit that i have used for years. Their catalog offers some excellent recipes as well. dick Mon Dec 29 01:45:37 -0800 2008 4279130 148516 mr jig 1 4279241 Penzey's is great. I used to think they were expensive until I started using their spices and learned that their spices are so much more fresh and tastful that you don't need to use as much. We've been buying from them both catalog and in store for about 6 years now. Mon Dec 29 05:20:15 -0800 2008 4279130 11256 LikestoEatout 1 4279245 We've gotten cinnamon and Jingle Bell dried peppers from one of their stores. We generally get our spices from the bulk bins (which contain Frontier products) at a local co-op as they have affordable prices. Mon Dec 29 05:21:00 -0800 2008 4279130 169792 lgss 1 4279269 jfood orders from Pennzy's all the time. he has a draw full of their stuff. Fantastic Mon Dec 29 05:33:25 -0800 2008 4279130 11290 jfood 1 4279288 Penzey's is terrific! I've been ordering from them for years, but now that there's a store relatively close to where I live, it's wonderful to actually go directly to the source. Their variety is extensive. Mon Dec 29 05:44:04 -0800 2008 4279130 75332 Gio 1 4279327 i use kalustyans - never tried penzy's - anyone who has tried both see a reason to switch? i got turned off to penzy's because the one time i wanted to order from them they didn't have who fenugreek, only pre-ground Mon Dec 29 06:09:16 -0800 2008 4279130 135229 thew 1 4279347 Another Penzey's lover - their double-strength vanilla is pricey, but excellent. When people rave about something I baked (I said when, I didn't say they always do), I'm sure it's the Penzey's d-s vanilla that makes the difference. Selection is great, quality is great, store people are nice. jfood, you order instead of going to their store by Stew's? Mon Dec 29 06:20:56 -0800 2008 4279130 74301 harrie 1 4279350 Love 'em. High turnover, decent prices (I don't know about S&H.) a good variety including things three types of vanilla beans or saffron (!). If the opportunity arises go to one of the stores (I'm in St. Louis). stop inside the entrance, close your eyes, and take a big sniff. CH heaven.... They have smelling jars for almost everything. I love their take on Old Bay, and I was a Baltimoron for six years. One picky detail - a lot of stuff is sold in plastic bags. Make sure you've got containers - and, of course, date them. Mon Dec 29 06:24:07 -0800 2008 4279130 95291 Richard 16 2 4281230 At their stores, you always have a choice of the smaller containers (and they've switched to glass jars vs. plastic jars, I just found out),the taller glass jars, and the ziplock heavy-duty bags. What of theirs is only sold in plastic bags? Or do you just buy in larger quantities? Mon Dec 29 16:14:06 -0800 2008 4279350 10532 LindaWhit 3 4331350 Most of what I buy buy from Penzey's is in 1-2 ounce bags. I buy small mason jars (4 and 8 ounce sizes) and one-piece lids, and transfer the spices to these jars for storage. Fri Jan 16 06:29:29 -0800 2009 4281230 49600 CindyJ 4 4332758 I'm pretty sure that none of their herbs/spices that are sold in bags are less than 4 oz. Are you filling your 4 oz. jars? Just a quick glance through their website (and knowing what I see in my local store) shows sizes of 2.1 oz. (1/4 cup), 4.6 oz. (1/2 cup) - both sold in jars - and then they go to the bags - 4 oz. and 8 oz., and sometimes larger. Fri Jan 16 12:55:43 -0800 2009 4331350 10532 LindaWhit 5 4364758 I have in front of me, right now, unopened (sealed) 1-ounce bags of Turkish Oregano, Mexican Oregano and French Thyme. These are the heavy-duty ziploc bags, and they were purchased at Penzy's in Grand Central Terminal. Wed Jan 28 05:47:33 -0800 2009 4332758 49600 CindyJ 6 4369426 Fair enough. My understanding is that the GCT Penzey's (a kiosk?) is a good bit smaller than regular Penzey's stores, so that makes sense that they sell them in 1 oz. bags for space-saving reasons. And their website says that GCT has "limited sizes of products" - so that clarifies it as well as a space issue. Thu Jan 29 10:14:48 -0800 2009 4364758 10532 LindaWhit 7 4369466 Yes. in fact, I had sent my daughter, who spends a lot of time in NYC for work, to CGT with a "shopping list" that included 4 ounces of a few items, not realizing that that particular Penzy's outpost was unlike most of their others, and that 1-ounce bags were available,. Had I known, I would have changed my order, because she ended up having to buy 4 1-ounce bags of each of these items, which was much more costly and more spices than I actually needed. It's more than a kiosk, BTW. It's a long counter in the marketplace area of the terminal, which is an interesting place to visit if you're ever in the neighborhood. Thu Jan 29 10:23:14 -0800 2009 4369426 49600 CindyJ 7 4370461 As CindyJ mentions it is more than a kiosk, probably 15' long with a display case in front and a bookcase of spices behind. Jfood would guess it's about 10% of the size of the store in Norwalk, CT. Thu Jan 29 14:06:08 -0800 2009 4369426 11290 jfood 2 4364569 Can I ask - what is wrong with buying them in plastic bags? I am moving overseas in a month and wanted to buy some spices to take with me, and was going to go with plastic bags since they are lighter - should I not do that? Do the spices get stale quicker in the bags? Wed Jan 28 00:18:15 -0800 2009 4279350 124125 seconds 3 4364767 I don't think there's anything wrong with buying them in plastic bags, as long as the bags are well-sealed. The small bags I have seem to have had the air removed before they were sealed. They're certainly transportable, and I doubt they would get stale any faster than if they were in jars. Wed Jan 28 05:50:51 -0800 2009 4364569 49600 CindyJ 1 4280069 I've ordered from both Penzeys and Pendrys. I've found, for instance, the cayenne pepper to be hotter from Penzeys but a greater variety of spices from Pendrys. I'm not particularly crazy for Penzey's BBQ3000 spice. The service from both is very good. Why don't you go on-line and try them both with a side by side comparison. As I answer this, one thing comes to mind; Penzeys lists a very tempting choice of curry powders. Bob Mon Dec 29 10:25:04 -0800 2008 4279130 107452 SonyBob 1 4280152 I've ordered from them for 5+ years. I appreciate the plastic bags in the larger quantities - easier to store the surplus in my fridge after I refill my jars. If you have a location nearby it is wonderful to go in person and do comparison sniff tests! Mon Dec 29 10:47:57 -0800 2008 4279130 111267 meatn3 1 4280817 Penzeys is great - their bay leaves are huge and fabulous. Also love the dried powdered chipotle to add smoke/heat to things in a pinch - grilled cheese, etc. Mon Dec 29 13:58:16 -0800 2008 4279130 63462 missfunkysoul 1 4281224 Superb site...and I'm lucky enough to have a retail store within a 15-20 minute drive of me in the Boston area. *Anything* you get here will be top-notch. "Regular" spices and herbs I always get: Turkish bay leaves Sweet Hungarian paprika Vietnamese Cassia cinnamon Canada powdered mustard Chinese powdered ginger Medium-hot chili pepper Crystallized ginger Double strength vanilla Whole nutmeg (SO much better after grating than ground nutmeg you get in the stores!) "Special" spices and herb mixes: Aleppo pepper Sandwich Sprinkle Creamy Peppercorn Salad Dressing Ground Sumac Tuscan Sunset Seasoning (great no-salt herb blend) Mon Dec 29 16:11:25 -0800 2008 4279130 10532 LindaWhit 2 4370071 I love that store. I've ordered from them by phone and on line, but going to one of the stores is a lot of fun. A gift certificate for my Boston family is always greatly appreciated, AND you can get a lot for your money. Thu Jan 29 12:43:07 -0800 2009 4281224 10087 Pat Hammond 3 4370259 I know - and if you can believe it - I was given a GC last Christmas (2007) that I forgot about - so I have either $25 or $50 to spend there - and, of course, I discovered the GC *after* I had spent $36 there. Grrrr....) But then again, they don't "go bad". :-) Thu Jan 29 13:22:47 -0800 2009 4370071 10532 LindaWhit 1 4281477 I've been ordering Penzey's for almost 15 years. Great spices, great people. I especially like their Ceylon "true" cinnamon for banana bread. All their cinnamons are heavenly. Their pizza seasoning, chili con carne, fajita, and poultry seasonings are especially good. Using their Mexican oregano for Mexican dishes (as opposed to Turkish) makes a surprisingly large difference. Their big black peppercorns are great. And their stores are indeed an olfactory delight! Mon Dec 29 17:50:06 -0800 2008 4279130 226378 turqmut 1 4281528 Aside from similar praise I have for the Penzey varieties mentioned here, I have both their sweet and hot curry powder, which lets you "turn the dial" a bit. Mon Dec 29 18:10:41 -0800 2008 4279130 57170 Veggo 1 4281615 Great stuff. The quality is really high; I bought some mace and nutmeg from another place and ended up throwing them out since I'm used to Penzey's. I just moved to NorCal and found out I have a Penzey's store about 5 minutes from my house. No more shipping! Mon Dec 29 18:48:14 -0800 2008 4279130 18705 emily 1 4281845 I, too, have used Penzey's for several years, but less so recently. I found the spices from The Spice House (Owned by Bill Benzy's sister and her husband) are just as fresh and a bit less expensive. I also like The Savory Spice Shop (http://www.savoryspiceshop.com). All provide quick service. Penzey's Pros: Good selection, fast service, smaller quantities if desired. Penzey's Cons: Higher prices, which I think are used to finance his other ventures like his lame magazine. Mon Dec 29 20:29:20 -0800 2008 4279130 226942 al b. darned 2 4281918 I don't care for Penzey's that much. They are expensive, and they don't allow you to order in small increments. I much prefer The Savory Spice Shop (which is local for me--Denver Metro area). The owners of Savory Spice Shop worked for the Penzey family for years, so they know their stuff--and they are much cheaper and let you order in whatever quantity you want (they allow you to order in plastic bags rather than jars for the smaller quantities). SSS also has a much broader selection of spices and blends than Penzey's (heck, you can get real Frankesence and Mhyrr from them during the Christmas season!). You can order directly online from the Savory Spice Shop; shipping is cheap. In Denver, we have 4 locations for Savory and only 1 for Penzey's (which opened a year ago). Mon Dec 29 21:09:03 -0800 2008 4281845 48839 rokzane 1 4282985 Another vote for Savory Spice shop. I was buying all of my spices from Penzey's for years until I tried the Savory Spice shop in Denver. Now I'm hooked their spices actually seem fresher to me (is that possible?). I did go to Penzey's this weekend for a few spices that I had to have like yesterday including Aleppo pepper, sandwich sprinkle, whole nutmeg, pizza seasoning and adobo seasoning. Tried Pendry's and found that quite a few of their blends contained MSG!!! That kinda turned me off from their blends. Tue Dec 30 09:45:48 -0800 2008 4279130 62053 rosepoint 1 4283082 Ive ordered from Penzeys for almost 10 years and regularly get free samples in my orders. I love their 2x vanilla, various cinnamons, whole pepercorns, baking spice and some of their blends. You can find better prices at middle eastern ethnic markets for whole seeds, but Penzeys has excellent service and their products are always fresh. Tue Dec 30 10:13:19 -0800 2008 4279130 22220 Kelli2006 2 4284239 I've purchased from Penzey's, both from their store in Columbus and through their catalog for the past 10 years. We have found some of their products just fine (their special vanillas, cinnamons, etc.) and other products inedible. In particular, my family dislikes their salad dressing mixes and I think it's probably because Penzey's adds a lot of salt and/or MSG to their mixes. Recently I have purchased several "The Spice Hunter" brand spices/herbs from the grocery store. They are labeled 'organic' and seem to be quite flavorful although they seem a bit pricey. I am not particularly fond of their "chili powder" though. It contains a lot of chipotle, I think, and so is not the 'classic' mixture I've come to expect after growing up with the McCormick's mixture! Of course, most times these days I mix my own combinations and grow many of our herbs in the pots or in the garden. I understand "The Spice House" with a few stores in the Chicago area is a very good source for herbs and spices. "The Spice House" is owned by a different branch of the same family that owns the Penzey brand spices and is a completely separate corporation, and in fact, the the tow companies are competitors, it seems. The Spice House sells some of their spices in very small quantities for customers. Tue Dec 30 17:04:15 -0800 2008 4283082 249199 dumas 3 4285252 The Spice House is the store originally opened by Bill Penzy Sr. back in the 50's and is now owned by his daughter Patty and her husband. Penzey's Spices was started as a mail-order house fror the same spices by Patty's brother Bill Penzey Jr. back in the 80's. The two siblings had a bit of a falling out after Bill Jr. started opening storefronts and put one in very close proximity with an existing Spice House location. Wed Dec 31 07:03:12 -0800 2008 4284239 73013 LabRat 1 4284557 I prefer World Spice Merchants over Penzey's for freshness and price. Tue Dec 30 19:31:12 -0800 2008 4279130 36312 HillJ 2 4285157 I've ordered from World Spice the last couple times I've needed spices. I'd been buying from Penzey's previously but wanted to try Would Spice out after reading about it here. I've been really happy with the quality and price on everything I've ordered and love their low-key business approach. I've never liked any of the spice blends from Penzey's but did order a Berbere spice blend and a Mole blend from World Spice last time and have like both quite a bit. I'm going to need cinnamon soon. That's one thing that Penzey's does really well. Have you tried the cinnamon from World Spice and if so, how does it compare? Wed Dec 31 06:23:49 -0800 2008 4284557 16406 ziggylu 3 4285291 ziggylu, glad to meet another fan of World Spice. Cinnamon is fantastic. I have ordered all of the cinnamon var. actually as I bake bread weekly and sell my cinnamon raisin bread in a few NJ spec. shops now. (something new for me). I also enjoy their bill upon arrival policy and the people at WSpice are top notch. I even own a copy of the founders story, so my devotion is long term. Their whole nutmeg and loose teas are also marvelous. In the summer I tend to order their premade spice blends for grilling but making your own is so easy thru WS. Happy shopping! Wed Dec 31 07:16:29 -0800 2008 4285157 36312 HillJ 4 4328065 I am also a fan of World Spice. I do wish that they would have an on-line payment option, though I appreciate that they are trying to keep costs down and pass it on to us. I feel such a sense of obligation when my order comes that I have to drop everything, write a check and run to the post office to mail my payment. (For those of you who have never ordered from WOrld Spice, theny send you the spices along with an invoice for the amount due, a charmingly old-school and trusting way to do business.) Thu Jan 15 05:46:00 -0800 2009 4285291 34558 roxlet 5 4329544 roxlet, I just placed a large tea order today with WS. I love their billing policy and the glass jars they use to store spices. I've stopped buying nearly all of my dried herbs and spices from anywhere else. Two exceptions: fresh whole vanilla bean and saffron I buy from a wholesaler in CA and in the summer (I live in NJ) I grow my own herbs. Thu Jan 15 12:28:27 -0800 2009 4328065 36312 HillJ 2 4289565 I love the quality of Penzy;s and think the prices are good...but I just looked at World Spice and am very impressed with the variety of their blends - pretty amazing! I think I will give them a try next time I need to order something. Fri Jan 02 08:25:43 -0800 2009 4284557 12513 Divamac 3 4289775 Divamac, if you do give World Spice a try consider ordering 1-2 ounces of your favorite spice and see how you like it. That way you can determine if you like their freshness w/out a large expense. Since the weight of spices, herbs, teas tends to be very light you actually wind up w/quite alot of ingredients. For instance, a 2 ounce order of dried bay leaves yielded a very large supply for pennies so I'm more apt to use the bay leaves in dishes at that cost, instead of "hording" them :) One of the ordering aspects that I continue to enjoy about this merchant is the ability to order small batches of spices & teas for both freshness and the opportunity to try something "new' without a large cost outlay. Especially the more exotic spices new to my recipe file. Once I know through taste & recipe sampling that I like something, I'll order a larger quantity later. WS's shipping turn around is very quick. Fri Jan 02 09:31:42 -0800 2009 4289565 36312 HillJ 4 4290713 Thanks for your comments above, HillJ. I'm going to order some cinnamon this week from World Spice and am looking forward to seeing how it compares with Penzey's. I was going to order the Vietnamese since that's what I normally get from Penzey's but is there one you really like and would recommend? I've been impressed with the freshness of World Spice and I really like that for ground spices they don't grind them until you order. Fri Jan 02 15:14:57 -0800 2009 4289775 16406 ziggylu 5 4290799 ziggylu, I bake with the stick, chip & true cinnamons and use the Vietnamese & Indonesian in savory dishes. I leave the chip whole for baking muffins and grind my own cinnamon in a spice mill I keep just for that purpose; for breads. Generally, if I order any pre ground spices I order a smaller qty than if I order whole spices/herbs for freshness. Also, buying WS jars with your order adds $2.00 more to each purchase but I reuse them over & over. At this point I have a couple dozen. Otherwise, your purchases will arrive in plastic bags. Fri Jan 02 15:49:24 -0800 2009 4290713 36312 HillJ 1 4285009 I like Penzeys, but I shop in a store rather than ordering online. I always come home with something new, kind of like going to Trader Joes. The only thing I've disliked intensely was the buttermilk dressing spice mix. If you get on their mailing list, you occasionally get a coupon for a free product, which is fun. Wed Dec 31 04:07:04 -0800 2008 4279130 109573 coney with everything 2 4291761 I agree with you re: "ranch dressing mix." Rather than throw it into the garbage, I gave it to a friend. I've liked all the other stuff I've ordered from them, tho. Sat Jan 03 01:15:01 -0800 2009 4285009 12520 walker 2 4326366 >>> If you get on their mailing list, you occasionally get a coupon for a free product, which is fun. <<< Hmmm! I've been on their mailing list for years and never got any "free" coupons. Maybe that's only for people near a store. Wed Jan 14 13:14:16 -0800 2009 4285009 226942 al b. darned 3 4328012 that could be true, al, as I'm only a couple of miles from the store and the freebies are effective at getting me in the door! Thu Jan 15 05:05:56 -0800 2009 4326366 109573 coney with everything 3 4331474 We're far from a bricks & mortar store, and get the coupons with the catalog from time to time, usually for a new product they're just rolling out. (Got us hooked on the Tuscan Sunset blend that way, which gets used a lot in our house in pizza sauce) We'll also sometimes get a random trial-sized jar of something thrown into the box when we've placed a bigger order. Fri Jan 16 07:09:35 -0800 2009 4326366 11781 beachmouse 1 4285302 I'm a Penzey's fan. It's funny how everyone is saying they're pricey. I think I get a much better deal at Penzey's than I would buying spices in a supermarket, especially considering the quality. I don't have any other spice shops convenient to me and I don't want to buy mail order, so I have no basis for comparison. Penzey's Northwoods Fire seasoning is great on everything but dessert! Wed Dec 31 07:20:51 -0800 2008 4279130 116495 Avalondaughter 2 4289451 I'm thinking the same thing when reading this! Maybe I just haven't gone far enough to check all the mail order prices, or maybe it's just that I'm not comparing prices of more exotic stuff. We're lucky enough to have a Penzey's store that's convenient to visit every once in a while, and I'm still amazed that I can go there and get a huge variety of stuff, and the items that overlap what would be in the supermarket are FAR cheaper at Penzey's every time and likely higher quality as well. So far that's been good enough for me that I haven't bothered looking for additional mail order sources or such. Fri Jan 02 07:33:52 -0800 2009 4285302 40162 CrazyOne 3 4289543 how do you think penzy's compares to kalustyan's in terms of price, selection, and quality? Fri Jan 02 08:17:02 -0800 2009 4289451 135229 thew 2 4326418 I actually did a direct comparison between Penzey's and The Spice House for my last order a few months back. Same spices/blends and same quantities. (Ones I have previously used, so I know they are the same or comparable.) Penzey's, on average, was about $1 more per item and the total bill was almost $12 more. Yes, Penzey's puts in a free sample occasionaly and a suggested recipe, but not one using the sample spice. Go figure. Wed Jan 14 13:25:00 -0800 2009 4285302 226942 al b. darned 1 4285444 I just hit Penzey's yesterday. It's about 27 miles from here. Went down just for the vietnamese cinnamon which is excellent. Course I had to buy a few other things I really didn't need also! Wed Dec 31 08:15:04 -0800 2008 4279130 10646 javaandjazz 1 4329697 Another Penzey's fan here. Although I will say that I tend to steer away from their spice blends (some I like but many are just so-so & others I actually dislike). Instead, I buy plain ol' spices through them: whole peppercorns, bay leaves, that sort of thing. Thu Jan 15 13:06:38 -0800 2009 4279130 16340 alanstotle 2 4331434 Alan, I agree with you, the Penzey mixes aren't anything I would use. Their ground India cumin is very good, but I don't like their curries. Also, the chipotles are terrific, both whole and ground. Fri Jan 16 06:58:10 -0800 2009 4329697 11139 BlueOx 2 4364690 One vote for the other way. Jfood loves their blends as well as the single seasonings. The shallot pepper is mrs jfood's favorite. Fantastic on Chicken. The Lemon pepper and the Florida pepper are also great on fish and the Old World works great in jfood's pot pie. Wed Jan 28 04:55:36 -0800 2009 4329697 11290 jfood 2 4370057 For a long time they were sending us free spice blends with our purchases. The only thing we ever use them for is burgers. Toss a little in with the burger, and it's often quite good. And best of all, they're free. Thu Jan 29 12:39:10 -0800 2009 4329697 111371 greglor 1 4332692 I just got some saffron, Spanish coupe, and I didn't find it that fragrant or tasteful. I really liked the one I got from Whole Foods ("Whole Pantry" brand, Spanish saffron.) Fri Jan 16 12:37:23 -0800 2009 4279130 74905 jaykayen 1 4364632 Sometimes I buy from them, but I'm more likely to buy from the co-op, Kalustyan's, or Aphrodisia. Honestly I have a somewhat unfair grudge against them because they supplanted Adriana's Caravan in the Grand Central Station Market, which was an AMAZING store, one of my favorite stores in New York. I'm still mightily pissed that Grand Central wouldn't renew her lease. Wed Jan 28 03:33:31 -0800 2009 4279130 42367 ratgirlagogo 1 4370047 Penzeys is nothing short of awesome. Their major benefit? All their spices are fresh, fresh, fresh. So if you buy from Penzey's, and then pack your spices in the back of your cabinet for 10 years, don't bother. But for fresh (dried) spices, you won't do better. Their bay leaves smell wonderful! Thu Jan 29 12:37:35 -0800 2009 4279130 111371 greglor 1 4372739 i ask again- someone who has used both, how would you compare penzey's and kalustyan's? i got turned off to penzey's when they only had fenugreek and something else (can't recall) ground, instead of whole...so i've never used them Fri Jan 30 09:17:43 -0800 2009 4279130 135229 thew 1 4630965 I just flew back to ATL and sat by a chef and we started talking cheesecakes and spices...he highly recommended Penzey's and said that is where he gets most of his spices...hope that helps...I am going to order some dutch process chocolate from them...we will see! Sun Apr 26 18:43:14 -0700 2009 4279130 286438 rrector 1 4631600 I've used them for years and am really satisified. It's a nice touch if you have a local store like we have here in Pittsburgh. They have open jars of each spice so you can really see and smell the spice before you buy it. This is especally nice when you are looking at different versions of the same spice such as chili powders. P.S. The smoked Spanish paprika is out of this world!!! Dave, the 'Burgh Feeder http://burghfeeding.blogspot.com/ Mon Apr 27 04:33:24 -0700 2009 4279130 281386 Burghfeeder 1 4634861 Penzey's is good. I live in minneapolis and there's a penzey's store in uptown. I've been there a couple of times to get your regular, run-of-the-mill spices----like french thyme, herbes de provence, tarragon, and cinnamon---- things like that. I'm a spice buff and what I recommend is the following: you could get your regular spices from good places like penzey's. It's a good store and the prices are alright (not cheap and not too expensive). But if you are looking for your ethnic spices, always always always get them from their respective ethnic specialty stores. E.G. get your curry, coriander, tumeric from indian stores. Sumac from middle eastern stores, Chinese five-spice from asian stores. I would never make a curry chicken with something that had mccormicks on the label (no offense to mccormicks). Tue Apr 28 01:19:34 -0700 2009 4279130 285769 alpa chino 2 4635065 "I would never make a curry chicken with something that had mccormicks on the label (no offense to mccormicks)." why? is their cumin from a lesser plant? Tue Apr 28 05:51:05 -0700 2009 4634861 135229 thew 3 4635236 A national supermarket brand like McCormick's could have been ground months before it makes it's way to your basket. Places like Penzey's grind their spices in smaller batches so what you receive will generally be much fresher than what you can find in a supermarket. Of course the best thing to do is buy your spices whole and grind them yourself prior to use, but most people prefer the convenience of pre-ground. Tue Apr 28 07:10:46 -0700 2009 4635065 73013 LabRat 3 4636499 Labrat mentioned the freshness factor--which is correct. And yes, you should always grind your own spices from whole, on the spot. But the mccormicks stuff will always lack punch. It's like imitation vanilla extract vs. the pure stuff. If you don't believe me, try making fajitas with good garlic powder and cumin. Compared to the cumin and garlic powder in the 99cent bottles. And plus, mccormicks is way overpriced. Tue Apr 28 12:58:33 -0700 2009 4635065 285769 alpa chino