A woman wrote us recently to ask why we package spices in teaspoon packets. "I have a teaspoon -- don't need it portioned out for me," she said.
Here's what we told her:
Good question! We sell spices in teaspoon packets for one simple reason -- to keep the spices tasting fresh. As you may know, the enemies of spice flavor are light, air and moisture, and a major spice company has long told consumers to store their spices away from these elements. Of course, they then package spices in glass or plastic bottles that expose the spices to light and, once they are opened, to air and moisture. They also encourage consumers to "toss out spices seasonally" and buy new supplies. But that is expensive and nobody we know actually does that.
So we thought: Why not package spices so they stay fresh? We decided that one teaspoon was the most useful size for home cooks, so that's what we did. If you use lots and lots of a certain spice or herb, you my find traditional packaging works just fine for you. However, for spices that will sit in your cabinet for a year or two getting more and more stale, our packaging is a great solution -- saving flavor and saving money.
And although it may seem counterintuitive, our packaging is actually less of a load on the environment. Our tins are re-usable and recyclable, and the packet material weighs far less and takes up far less space than the plastic bottles and glass jars that are in most spice cabinets. And because our packets have a much longer shelf life, our customers don't have to throw out half-full bottles of stale spice.
So it's simple: Packets preserve flavor -- and give you better value for your spice dollar.
No more stale spice!
