Our Pemba Cloves are hand-picked by our partner farmers on the small island of Pemba, in the Zanzibar Archipelago, which is famous for its cloves. They have a bright, sweet intensity with a rich warmth and a numbing menthol buzz. They’re picked at the last possible moment before flowering, ensuring the largest size and most mature flavor. Bright pink when ripe, they turn brown as they dry in the tropical sun. Add whole to braised meats and mulled wine, or grind into desserts.
Highlights
Zanzibar, Tanzania
Sun-dried
Whole cloves (Syzygium aromaticum)
Brown Sugar • Pineapple • Tingly Sweetness
Cooking tips
- Drop a few whole cloves into braising liquids or stews
- Combine with cinnamon and nutmeg for a warm drink or dessert
- Season a rice or biryani dish
- Use as a decorative and flavorful studding for a roast
RECIPES
SOURCING
Cloves are the dried buds of a large flowering tree that is grown in the Zanzibar islands in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Tanzania. Zanzibar has some of the oldest clove trees in the world, and Zanzibari cloves have a significantly higher percentage of essential oils (15-18%) than cloves from other parts of the world. Their essential oil content is so high that they are used locally as a natural substitute for anesthesia.
Zanzibar was at one point the largest producer of cloves in the world, but the rise of plantation-style cultivation and exploitative labor practices in other countries have made it difficult for smallholder farmers in Zanzibar to compete, despite the fact that they produce a much higher quality product. Our cloves are grown by a cooperative of smallholder artisan farmers, many of whose families have been growing cloves and other spices (including our Cinnamon Verum, black pepper and Stone Nutmeg) for generations.
Meet the Farmer: Bwana Mohammad is one of the most successful spice farmers from our partner cooperative in Zanzibar. This photo was taken as he was putting together his own dhow, an ancient style of sailing ship, to transport his clove harvest to the main island himself.
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United StatesThe Spices Arrived & I was Disheartened
I had been looking forward to receiving my order. I was actually demoralized when the spices arrived. They seemed like old stock, not fresh, with loosely sealed tops, packed in a slapdash, hazardously hurried way. I really was/am worried that the spices are not fit for culinary use. I’m sort of frozen. I unpacked them, but am thinking about throwing them away & taking the loss. It’s all so distressing.
United StatesPemba Cloves and more
What a company! I have just recently purchase a few spices from Burlap and Barrel, the Pemba Cloves are amazingly zingy. This is the perfect season for that clove-y element. It is delicious with so many things from Golden Milk or Oatmeal to a wonderful warming in Pumpkin Chili. I started shopping here because of their practice of building relationships with the herb/spice farmers and bringing them to us. Now I will return because of the spectacular flavor. I cant wait to open the Euphrates Mint and the Wild Mountain Cumin I have heard so much about. Yum!
United StatesThe real deal. Tastes great too.
Extremely fragrant. And has a supple texture. I really like the flavor as it is pure. The results give the product a nice earthy spicy flavor. I used it crushed as finely as possible or simply let them simmer then pick the couple whole sprigs out.
United StatesJust OK, nothing special
I didn't find the Pemba Cloves to be anything special, and in fact inferior to cloves I already had here from a local spice company. It's a shame - I was hoping for more.
Supermarket
Fair Trade