We tell you everything about the good conservation of our spices

At La Plantation, we use our spices on a daily basis; from breakfast, to dinner, to aperitifs… There is always a perfect spice for every recipe and time of day. One question we often get is about the proper storage of our spices. What could be worse than a spice that has lost its full flavour? We’ve put together a guide to explain everything and help you protect the aromas of your favourite spices and our exclusive creations.

La Plantation and short circuit: our traceability

Our spices are processed on the day they are harvested, then packaged immediately. This ensures that their colour and aromas are preserved as best as possible, guaranteeing their freshness, a guarantee of quality. They are then shipped by cargo directly to our warehouse in Europe.

The short distribution circuit and the Direct Producer purchase guarantee that you will receive our spices as fresh as possible. All you have to do is open the jar or sachet and you will be overwhelmed by the explosion of aromas. So don’t worry, even after the specified date, you’ll still get spices of exceptional quality.

We guarantee a unique traceability of our spices. In fact, on each packet you will find the harvesting plot, the production date and the Best Before Date on the label.

What is the Best Before Date?

What is the difference between the BBD and the UBD?

There are two types of dates on food labels: the UBD or Use By Date and the BBD or Best Before Date.

The best-before date concerns perishable foodstuffs or products qualified as fragile, such as dairy products, meat, cold meats or fish. The best-before date is a mandatory use-by date, indicated by the words “Use by. “followed by the date (day and month).

The UBD is not a mandatory date, as is the case with the SLED. Even if the expiry date has passed, the food is not dangerous for the consumer.

But what is a “best before” date?

The expiry date is an information date, to warn the consumer of a possible loss of taste, aroma or texture of the product. On our spices, you will find the words “best before” – shortened on our labels to BB (Best Before), followed by the month and year. This label is affixed to the bottom of each packet.

Consumption after the date?

Of course, there is no health risk in consuming spices after the date indicated on the label.

An oxygen absorber?

You may have noticed that in some products there is a small plastic bag: this is our food-certified oxygen absorber. What is it for? This little bag helps to preserve the colour and organoleptic properties of the product (flavour, aroma). We have tested spice sachets with and without this oxygen absorber and the results were amazing, after a few days in the light. That is why we insert this oxygen absorber in every spice packet (except for the dry peppercorns).

How to store your spices: best practices?

Once the spice packet is opened, the oxygen absorber is no longer effective. You should then follow the recommendations mentioned on the package.

For dry spices:

Pour the contents of the sachet into the cardboard tube or into a jar. You should then store it in your cupboard, preferably away from light and moisture.

A word of advice: when adding your powdered spices to your cooking mixture, never pour directly from the tube or jar over the pan. You risk absorbing the cooking steam into your spices and this can affect their shelf life. Use a spoon, which also makes it easier to measure out the quantity and take the desired amount. Often spice jars are left next to the cooker… This is convenient, as it is within reach, but not recommended as the heat source can damage their quality.

For fresh spices:

Like our Fresh Kampot Pepper with Salt, it is recommended to pour the contents of the bag into an airtight jar and store in the refrigerator. This will keep the Fresh Kampot Pepper with Salt fresh and crisp, which is so popular with consumers.

For our Spice Sauces:

Which contain only natural preservatives such as vinegar or lemon, it is also recommended to keep them in the refrigerator after opening and to shake the bottle well before each use.

How do I know if my spices are still fresh?

If you have not kept your spice tube, you are not sure when you last ordered it, don’t panic! There are other ways to find out if your spices are still fit for use.

The Sight

A colourful spice is a healthy spice! That intense colouring presence

If you were already familiar with turmeric before you discovered ours, you must have been surprised when you found it! Our turmeric is particularly colourful, a deep orange, because its concentration of Curcumin (its active ingredient) is particularly high (at least 10%). We also test the durability of our spices and for example, a jar of turmeric that has been in our cupboard for more than 4 years still gives off powerful aromas…

If you have left your spice in a transparent jar, in the light, it may have lost its colour, so don’t hesitate to shake it before use, and follow our advice above: avoid storing spices in direct sunlight! If you find a nice colour after shaking your jar, all is well!

Smell / Taste

We have often been told of the surprise when our orders arrive, an explosion of intense aromas that rise to the nose as you open your package! This is the ultimate sign of a fresh spice.

If your spice jar no longer has an aroma and taste on the tongue, it’s gone!

Sometimes it’s not just the date on the package, but also the route taken by the spice or spices in a blend. The traceability to the parcel that La Plantation offers is unique, because we are producers. You will never find such transparency if you buy your spices from a spice blender or in a supermarket.

And finally, why buy dried spices rather than fresh ones?

Some of our products, such as Combava, turmeric and ginger, are available in the shops and are often flown in from tropical regions.

We choose to harvest our spices at their optimum maturity, according to their individual seasonality, in order to provide you with high-quality spices with a remarkable range of flavours. This means that you will always have the right spice in your cupboard for your recipe.

Even if our fruits, flowers, roots and herbs are dried, fermented or dehydrated, our first guarantee remains the freshness of our spices, which contains all the organoleptic qualities and the desired aromas. By ordering directly from us, i.e. Direct Producer, we guarantee that you will not find spices that are more quickly harvested, selected, hand-packed and available in stock!