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I Tried Burlap & Barrel's Spices, and My Grilling Game Just Got So Much Better

If your spice jars don't include tasting notes, you might be doing something wrong.

Burlap & Barrel Spices with grilled chicken and veggies
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Burlap & Barrel

Every spice has a story. If you look closely at your spice collection (no judgment!), the jars you currently use may not include a region of origin, information on harvesting, or tasting notes. But what if I told you that they could? I've recently been loving spices from Burlap & Barrel, a single-origin spice brand that is all about telling each spice's story, and my cooking has become much more intentional (and a hell of a lot more flavorful).

Burlap & Barrel sources herbs directly from small farmers who grow them sustainably to highlight that region's unique terroir. The brand is working to end the exploitation of skilled farmers by buying directly from them, which helps keep quality up and prices down. Beyond the brand's social impact, these spices are top-notch flavor bombs, and they're a far cry from the flavorless dried spices that used to occupy my cabinet space.

Burlap & Barrel sent me a sample of the Shark Tank Collection spices to try last year. After a few months of testing, I tore through almost every spice jar I received. These single-origin spices blew me away with their flavor, aroma, and, yes, their unique story. Included in the Shark Tank Collection are four of the brand's most popular spices: Royal Cinnamon, Wild Mountain Cumin, Black Lime, and Zanzibar Black Peppercorns. Packaged in glass jars (the peppercorns come in a convenient grinder-top jar), each spice contains a country of origin plus a specific region within that country. Royal Cinnamon is sourced from the Quang Nam Mountains in Vietnam. Each jar also includes helpful tasting notes. Royal Cinnamon includes brown butter, buckwheat honey, and orange peel.

Burlap & Barrel Royal Cinnamon spice with coffee cake

Burlap & Barrel

The spices have an intense aroma. I honestly didn't consider myself a lover of cinnamon before I took a whiff of Burlap & Barrel's fragrant Royal Cinnamon and became instantly hooked. I've looked for excuses to incorporate more cinnamon into my diet, sprinkling a dash into my personal blender for my morning smoothies or adding a teaspoon to my coffee.

The Zanzibar Peppercorns sourced from Zanzibar, Tanzania are just as fragrant with cacao, lemon, and warm nutmeg. I've reached for these peppercorns daily and keep the grinder jar on my dinner table. It was mind-boggling to smell this pepper for the first time. I felt like I had never actually smelled peppercorns in full before these Zanzibar pearls. Now, I smell each spice intentionally, letting the aroma linger and settle before deciding which spice to use in whatever dish I'm cooking.

Burlap & Barrel Black Lime Spice with roasted carrots

Burlap & Barrel

I love these spices so much that I took them with me (alongside some other cooking essentials like my favorite paring knife and olive oil) on a camping trip upstate. I used the ground Black Lime and Wild Mountain Cumin seeds in grilled fare alongside the brand's Smoked Pimenton Paprika, Toasted Onion Powder, and Turkish Flowering Hyssop Thyme (included in the 7-Spice Shark Tank Collection Set). Needless to say, I was happy to have them on hand in a bare-bones cooking setup, as they each provided so much flavor in a small, portable format.

Black Lime has become one of my new versatile go-to spices. It's made from ground and dried Persian limes, and it's deliciously tart and savory, almost sumac-like. I've used this in place of a squeeze of fresh lime juice and have found that it enhances the depth of flavor in roasted veggies like carrots, parsnips, and potatoes. It's also wildly delicious on grilled veggie kabobs, shrimp skewers, and even sprinkled on fresh watermelon or sliced kiwi.

burlap & barrel spices

Danielle St. Pierre

Wild Mountain Cumin has kicked my grilling game up to a new level of deliciousness with its bright, umami flavor. During our trip upstate, my partner added it to a fresh chimichurri sauce served with grilled sirloin steak tips, and it added a minty, herbaceous freshness to the whole meal. It also made our entire cabin smell amazing. Each spice I've used has impressed me, and I've had fun using the spices in tandem to experiment with new flavor profiles.

burlap & barrel spices

Danielle St. Pierre

If you're looking for some fresh recipe inspiration as you grill or if you're looking to upgrade your barbecue rubs and spice collection, I highly recommend you dump out that clumpy jar of onion powder you've been hoarding and upgrade to Burlap & Barrel's intensely bright, flavorful spices. You'll be doing yourself a favor, all while supporting skilled farmers.

To buy: Burlap & Barrel Shark Tank Collection, $53 at burlapandbarrel.com

Editor's Note: I recently tested Burlap & Barrel's Sohla & Ham Blends. In collaboration with chefs, recipe developers, and husband-and-wife duo Sohla and Ham El-Waylly, this fun collection includes three 90s-inspired blends: Yo Quiero Taco Blend, Nothing Hidden Ranch, and Pizza Party! I am not exaggerating: I tore through the Pizza Party blend faster than you could eat a New York slice.

The ingredient list includes sun-dried tomato powder, purple stripe garlic, Cobanero chili, flowering hyssop thyme, oregano flower buds, and sea salt for a zippy addition to pizza, pasta, and meatballs. I'm restocking my spice rack for hearty fall stews and baked pasta dishes. I highly recommend it!

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