We gifted some to family in the Midwest. Included an article referencing Oprah’s gift recommendations list, but they seemed only politely excited. Hah.
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A block away is Pemberton Farms which has Kinneally (sp?) meats (purveyed by the late and much lamented John Dewars) as well as Faroe Islands salmon from Captain Marden’s Seafood and all kinds of other yumminess. Not far at all is Qingdao Gardens where you can have fabulous dumplings. Good neighborhood in other words. 
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Echoing Saregama’s comments, the thing is, I buy most spices at various"ethnic" markets where, to my taste anyway, they’re better quality (and not “better as in bigger”, and fresher, at a fraction of the price of “supermarket” spices. So these “boutique” prices are that much higher. And while I agree that at least in some cases “boutique” spices do have different/better/more nuanced flavor than what I can already get, in many cases, the sort of lyrical descriptions in the article (and sellers’ websites) are better examples of purple prose than accurate descriptions.
And as far as the fair trade aspect is concerned, to be blunt, I want to know who’s getting how much money out arrangements like this before I get all excited about supporting “the little guy” (unless I’m supposed to get excited about the “little guy” in Jackson Heights making a more than respectable income from his “groundbreaking new idea”, which, frankly, not so much… It’s great for farmers to get more reasonable prices for their products, but even if they’re being paid a “good price” relative to the cost of liviing in their countries, and granting that smaller scale operations don’t benefit from “economies of (large) scale”, experience has taught me not to accept at face value that that accounts for the enormous difference in retail prices like these…
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Choice is a great thing.
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Two new offerings from Burlap and Barrel.
Buffalo Ginger and Purple Stripe Garlic both from their partnership with Vietnamese farmers.
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Have you tried them yet? Curious what you think.
Just ordered this week along with their coriander. I will report back.
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Great stuff! I will definitely give them a try.
The oregano buds look amazing! 
The oregano and coriander come Whole in a grinding barrel, the ground purple stripe garlic is mild and the ground buffalo ginger is super warm.
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Just used the oregano on cherry tomatoes and mini mozz balls. So fresh.
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I ordered the B&B cinnamon for my sister. Incredibly fresh.
This peaked my interest. You?
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The first spice blend offered by B&B looks interesting.
And, for those who like that sorta thing, B&B’s playlist on Spotify identifies some terrific international music artists.
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I’m especially intrigued by the silk chili in the Nov '19 post. I’ve been gifted and growing some Turkish chilis and thought silk referred to how they are cut , but can’t find too much on the subject. Now I’m wondering if it might refer to the "silk road ".
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I would reach out to the super friendly owners for any inquiries. they have replied to my questions many times.
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From B&B:
When New York shuts down, New Yorkers show up. Our fearless Ethan has been volunteering at [God’s Love We Deliver for the past few days, prepping and packing meals for thousands of New Yorkers who are homebound with serious illnesses, many of whom are immuno-compromised and without strong support systems in the middle of this healthcare crisis.
There are so many organizations working overtime to support our community without enough resources to do so.
We’ve been inspired by Hugh Merwin so here’s the deal:
You send us a screenshot of a donation that you’ve made to a non-profit supporting our communities through COVID. We’ll send you a code for a free jar of spices with your next order.
Whether it’s Feeding America, your local food bank, or your favorite non-profit, we need to show up for those in need during these challenging times.
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I used the B&B garlic powder and thyme in a lentil soup recipe recently. The thyme is so fresh I only needed a tsp for an entire 6 cup batch and the garlic powder is so smooth that bitter finish was completely absent.
I’m so hyped on these guys attention to freshness, I just ordered seven more spices.
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Okay added the cacao to warmed milk to see what would happen if I froth’d it…great things!
Wild za’atar I’m using in a wild rice soup recipe instead of thyme.
King caraway; next time I bake bread.
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