Savory Spice Shop: Spices, Seasonings, and More

Savory Spice Shop is one of my favorite finds over the holidays. Well, I didn’t “find” it, my daughter told me about it and we headed to the store in Corona Del Mar, CA. She wanted to go shopping for Christmas gifts for “The-Most-Difficult-Person-To-Shop-For-In-The-World,” her dad- and she did not leave empty handed. Neither of us did!

What do I like about Savory Spice Shop? Hmmm…

How about the fact that they have loads and loads of spices from all over the world? Yep!

How about the unique balsamics? Yep!

How about the books, and other accessories? Yep!

How about the fact that they have tasters for every spice in the store? Oh, yeah!

That’s right, you can taste any spice in the store (they have water and cups) and whatever you have left on your hand you can just drop on the floor! My daughter and I had so much fun to trying and comparing notes on the savory and sweet spices while tossing the remainders on the ground. And the flavors, wow! Not only is there a huge variety of spices, there are multiple options within a type of spice.

Since I like baking more than cooking I spent most of my time in front of the cinnamons. (Yes, plural!) Savory Spice Shop carries at least 6 different types of cinnamon from around the world. My favorite is the Chinese Cassia ground cinnamon. It’s flavor is deep and satisfying, significantly more flavorful and aromatic than typical grocery store cinnamon. I wanted it just because it tasted and smelled so good, but when I made my first batch of cookies with it, WOW! The cinnamon was so much more complex and interesting without overwhelming the cookies and made them taste incredibly delicious. I had never tried a really good cinnamon before and had no idea what a difference good, fresh spices make! Not only did that Chinese Cassia cinnamon go in my cookies, I used it in my Swedish meatballs, apple pie, and even sprinkled some on my coffee. Yum, yum, yum!

Pricey, you’re thinking. Nope. My bottle of fresh cinnamon was the same price I’d pay for regular cinnamon in the grocery store. When I bought my cinnamon, the cashier put the purchase date on the bottle so I could keep track of its freshness. When I run out (which will be well before it can go bad!) I can take the bottle back to Savory Sweet Shop for a refill and get $1 off my next refill. So I get great cinnamon for even less than the grocery store price. Um, yes, please! Oh, they have cinnamon sticks too.

I was also swayed by the flavored sugars. Vanilla bean sugar? Like the seagulls in Finding Nemo- Mine! Mine! Mine! Yeah, that one went in my coffee, too:0)

The BBQ section was where my daughter headed while I assessed the cinnamon. There are several rubs, marinades and seasonings for all kids of beef, poultry and fish. She leaned toward the tropical flavored ones for her dad. Since we eat chicken regularly, she wanted to get him a poultry seasoning. The Gold Coast Tropical poultry seasoning was a huge hit. With orange peel, black pepper, coriander, ginger, annatto, and allspice, how could we go wrong? Nom nom!

She also found this gem, a Himalayan Salt Brick, for cooking. My friend Mary has been talking about these for months, but I didn’t get the appeal. When my daughter saw it, she knew immediately that she wanted to get it for her dad, rattling off all kinds of ways he could use it. “Salmon would be great cooked on this. Oh! And chicken! Especially Daddy’s Old Bay chicken!…” And it went on. It’s nice when a father and daughter have things in common (especially if I get to enjoy the fruits of their labors…)

They also offer different pastas as well as many other delicious things.

Did I mention Savory Spicy Shops carries a lot of delicious things?! Butterscotch sauce? Oh, my! Needless to say, my daughter found great gifts for her dad and I found great gifts for me ( What? I share…)

They have locations in 12 states, but don’t worry if you don’t live near a Savory Spice Shop: they ship. You’re welcome :0)

For more on Savory Spice Shop check out their web site at http://www.savoryspiceshop.com. Warning, with the ideas and recipes they offer on line, be prepared to drool…

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with Savory Spice Shops. If I did I would sleep on a bed of Chinese Cassia cinnamon!