A walk through a cardamom estate
From the shade of Idukki’s forests to the curing house: how cardamom is grown.
Why we grind every Tuesday
What happens to a spice after it is ground, and how to keep powders fresh.
The flavour of a spice lives in its oils, and those oils start to escape the moment it is ground. A whole cardamom pod keeps its scent for a year; cardamom powder loses much of it in a few weeks.
That is why we grind once a week, every Tuesday, and only as much as we expect to sell before the next Tuesday. The grinding date goes on the pack, and we ship the same day.
At home, a few habits make powders last. Keep them in small glass or steel jars rather than large tins, so less air sits above the spice. Keep jars away from the stove, where heat and steam speed things up. Never take spice out with a wet spoon.
Buy powders in small packs and finish them within three months. For spices you use rarely, such as cloves or star anise, buy them whole and grind a little at a time in a small mixer jar or a stone mortar.
If a powder has lost its colour or smells faint, it is still safe, but you will need more of it, and the dish will never quite taste right.
