Friday, November 02, 2007
Review: tsp spices
A PR person emailed me about tsp spices, a client of her firm. The marketing claim is that the firm sells organic spices in 1 tsp. packets. When you need a spice, you open one of the packets, which is fine if you're using exactly 1 teaspoon. But what if you need a quarter or half teaspoon? You're left with an open packet, which seems to defeat the purpose of sealing individual teaspoon amounts in the first place. I told them not to send anything - well, actually, I asked why someone would buy 1 tsp. amounts of spices. The answer? Convenience - it's good for people traveling, camping, etc.
You know, I still think a measuring spoon and some small containers go a whole long way. And getting spices - from Pensey's, as one source - would seem cheaper. The tsp spices site sells organic basil, for example, for $9 for 12 one-teaspoon packets, or 75 cents a teaspoon. According to at least one conversion chart I found on the web, one ounce of dried basil equals about 35.6 teaspoons. A one ounce bag of California basil (not organic) at Pensey's is $2.59, or just over 7 cents a teaspoon - about a tenth the price. Go to Frontier Coop (just as a comparison - I've never used them so cannot comment pro or con) and a 2.4 ounce bottle is $7.09. That's just over 8 cents a teaspoon. Going traveling? Get some small Nalgene containers and bring some spices along. Although an interesting gimmick, I think serious cooks could better spend their time and money elsewhere.
You know, I still think a measuring spoon and some small containers go a whole long way. And getting spices - from Pensey's, as one source - would seem cheaper. The tsp spices site sells organic basil, for example, for $9 for 12 one-teaspoon packets, or 75 cents a teaspoon. According to at least one conversion chart I found on the web, one ounce of dried basil equals about 35.6 teaspoons. A one ounce bag of California basil (not organic) at Pensey's is $2.59, or just over 7 cents a teaspoon - about a tenth the price. Go to Frontier Coop (just as a comparison - I've never used them so cannot comment pro or con) and a 2.4 ounce bottle is $7.09. That's just over 8 cents a teaspoon. Going traveling? Get some small Nalgene containers and bring some spices along. Although an interesting gimmick, I think serious cooks could better spend their time and money elsewhere.
Labels: Pensey's, spices, tspspices.com
