The Spice & Tea Exchange Of St. Augustine - St. Augustine, FL

The celery varietal that supplies us with what we consider celery seed is nothing like the other celery that we know so well. Dried celery seeds are light brown in color and have a penetrating, hay-like aroma. the flavor is strong, slightly bitter, warm, and lingers on the palate. Great for pickles, mustard, chutney, and used in celery salt.

Ever heard someone say open sesame. This phrase is rumored to have started as a reference to the sesame seed pod that pops open at full maturity, spilling out seeds. This tiny flat seed was harvested initially for its nutty oil used in cooking. Popular in Asian cuisine, white sesame seeds’ uses include: bread, crackers, sushi rolls, and making tahini paste.

Star anise is the dried, star-shaped fruit of a small Asian evergreen tree. While unrelated to each other, star anise has an even stronger licorice flavor than anise seed and is used in many baking recipes. It is a key ingredient in Chinese savory cooking and is one of the five ingredients in the renowned Chinese five-spice blend.

A tiny flat seed harvested initially for its nutty oil used in cooking. Black sesame seeds make a strikingly different garnish and have a slightly richer flavor than their white counterparts. For extra crunch, roll meat & seafood in a bowl of these seeds before cooking, use for tuna steaks and sushi.

The fruit of the nutmeg tree produces two edible spices - the nutmeg nut and the outer covering, mace. Whole nutmeg can be stored for years and when grated fresh ensures the strongest flavor "sweet and warm", while pre-ground is more convenient. Nutmeg is traditionally used in baking, but also adds flavor to cheese sauces, pasta fillings, spinach, and fish.

Brown and yellow mustard come from the same family, but different varieties of the plant. The brown mustard seed is smaller and hotter than its yellow counterpart, due to its high oil content.

Black, brown, and yellow mustard seeds come from the same family, but different varieties of the plant. The brown mustard seed is smaller and hotter than its yellow counterpart, due to its high oil content.

The edible juniper berry, which is actually a soft cone similar to a pine cone, is the only spice derived from a conifer.

Along with salt, pepper is one of the oldest and most used spices in the world. Green peppercorns are from the same plants as black but are picked before fully ripe and are typically soaked in brine before drying. Their flavor is slightly crisper and more herbal than black pepper.

Fennel, one of the licorice spices, has a delicate and sweet, yet pungent flavor similar to anise seed and star anise.

Dill seed is the fruit of the dill plant. The seeds flavor is clean, pungent, and reminiscent of caraway, while dill weed "the leaf and stem" has a slightly mellower herb-like flavor.

Cloves are the dried, unopened flower buds of a tropical tree native to Indonesia.

1 oz bag. Cinnamon and cassia "a relative that is commonly mistaken for true cinnamon" are common spices consisting of dried, cured tree bark. Our Korintje is notably fresh and the sticks are great for beverages.

1 oz bag. The chipotle is actually a smoke-dried jalapeno pepper.

Green cardamom seed "one of the more expensive spices in the Western world" is native to India and South Asia and is used in a variety of ways.

Green cardamom "one of the more expensive spices in the Western world" is native to India and South Asia and is used in a variety of ways.

Along with salt, pepper is one of the oldest and best-known spices. These black peppercorns were grown until full maturity and then smoked over hickory wood for a subtle, yet smoky flavor.

Along with salt, pepper is one of the oldest and best-known spices. Left on the vine until about half ripe and just before they turn red, the peppercorns are then picked and allowed to dry.

Anise seeds are small, grayish-brown, and come from a different plant than those of star anise.

Allspice is ground from the immature berry of a tropical tree native to Jamaica.