Clove

A clove is the unopened flower bud of the clove tree. This clove originates from Zanzibar, where the clove tree was introduced from Indonesia in the nineteenth century.

The clove comes from the Syzygium aromaticum, a tree that originally only grew in the Moluccas, especially in the sultanates of the North Moluccas (Maluku Utara).

The clove tree is a 10-15 meter tall tree that bears cream-colored flowers that turn red during flowering. This usually doesn't happen, because before the flowers open, the buds are picked and dried into what we call cloves.

The tree first flowers in its fourth to seventh year and can live up to eighty years. The buds are hand-picked by experienced pickers. The timing of harvesting is quite precise; the buds must be nice and round and already beginning to color. Once a bud opens, it is no longer usable as a spice.

The Zanzibar archipelago was already (around 1850) the world's largest producer of cloves. Clove cultivation there dates back to the early nineteenth century, when Zanzibar was under British rule. Cultivation takes place primarily on the northern island of Pemba. After a brief period of independence, Zanzibar has been part of Tanzania since 1964.

There are two harvest seasons each year: the harvest of the generally larger cloves in the Mwaka season (July-November) and the harvest of the generally smaller cloves in the Vuli season (December-March). Cloves are classified into three quality classes: CG1, CG2, and CG3, the latter primarily used for the production of krecek, the Indonesian cigarette. CG1 is the highest quality in terms of composition (minimum breakage, for example) and the strongest flavor.

Smell and taste

The clove aroma comes from the pungent eugenol, and combines well with spices and herbs that also contain eugenol, such as nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, pepper, vanilla (eugenol is the raw material for the preparation of vanillin), basil and star anise.

Usage

Cloves are suitable for both sweet and savory preparations, in baked goods and desserts, as well as in roasts and stews, in sauerkraut dishes and curries, and, of course, in sauerkraut, red cabbage, and mulled wine. Many famous spice blends contain cloves.

Features:

• 100% dried flower buds of the Sygyzium aromaticum
• hand-picked, quality CG1

Assortment

• available in glass (45 grams) and stand-up pouch
  
• larger quantities on request

Gift wrapping

• the glass jar is available in a tasteful gift packaging consisting of a cube box filled with black tissue paper
• For an overview of our gift packaging, please refer to the gift packaging section.

General advice

• store cloves in a dark, dry and cool place
  

Save:

• save your cloves in closed packaging
• preferably store in a dark, dry and cool place
• best before August 2028 (08-2028)
• This expiration date is an indication

Batch number

The batch number helps us track which batch an item originates from. It's listed on the packing slip and invoice.