# Going to Penzey's Spices! Must-tries? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 16, 2011, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-penzeys-spices-must-tries/599856 "2011-10-16T23:14:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Vita\_Beata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@Vita\_Beata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vita_Beata)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-penzeys-spices-must-tries/599856/41 "2011-10-22T01:31:22Z")
[http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/KindHeart3.html](http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/KindHeart3.html) Penzeys offers gift boxes with four small jars of spices. This one includes 33rd& Galena, Forward, Mural of Flavor and Arizona Dreaming. I would buy a few for extra holiday gifts. These are priced $8 now, will be $13 after Jan 1st. ---
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-penzeys-spices-must-tries/599856/42 "2011-10-22T18:41:00Z")
> [@Ruby](#): > > Did you get any Two Buck Chuck at Trader Joes? I got 2 bottles for my son. Not much of a wine drinker myself. Still waiting for his verdict. I’ll have to start a new thread for my TJ experience, per Hello Again’s request! ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-penzeys-spices-must-tries/599856/43 "2011-10-22T20:27:42Z")
only problem with places like Penzey’s and Spice House is that you can’t go back to using those stale old jars o’ crap in the grocery store. ---
**Author:** ![Cryptic\_C62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cryptic\_C62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cryptic_C62)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-penzeys-spices-must-tries/599856/44 "2011-10-22T21:04:32Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Aleppo pepper This. Very delicious and very versatile. IMHO, goes with pizza much better than traditional red pepper flakes. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-penzeys-spices-must-tries/599856/45 "2011-10-23T18:02:34Z")
> [@Cryptic\_C62](#): > > This. Very delicious and very versatile. IMHO, goes with pizza much better than traditional red pepper flakes. I’m going to have to try this the next time we order pizza. I love red pepper flakes sprinkled on top. ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-penzeys-spices-must-tries/599856/46 "2024-05-30T15:37:52Z")
(May 2024: intentional resurrection of a timeless topic, and the “flip out” newer topic is political in nature) It’s time to reorder from Penzey’s. We actually do have a retail store in the metro area, but it’s quite the drive, and overwhelming in choice if you don’t already have an idea what you want. So I’m going to order online, shipping is free at $40. Definitely on my list is Sandwich Sprinkle, an old fav; Northwoods (non-fire version), and Ruth Ann’s Muskego, which we got last time on a $1 promo and now want more. Penzey’s that we use but don’t need refills at this time: Aleppo pepper (mild, subtle flavor) Mural of flavor (Mediterranean) Arizona dreaming (Southwest) Fox point (all-purpose, good on salads and potatoes) Red & Black (replacement for Hot Shot which is out of production) Northwoods Fire (general purpose with some heat) Like many (most?) of the dopers, I need to control my salt intake, so I prefer blends without salt, but like Sandwich Sprinkle, for most of Penzey’s that contain salt the blend still works out about right for me. Any suggestions? Anyone try the Florida Seasoned Pepper? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-penzeys-spices-must-tries/599856/47 "2024-05-30T15:47:37Z")
I do enjoy Penzey’s Justice: a blend of shallots, garlic, onion, green peppercorns, chives and green onion. Our household is also a regular consumer of their Bavarian blend, along with Northwoods, and Northwoods fire. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-penzeys-spices-must-tries/599856/48 "2024-05-30T15:52:41Z")
Penzey’s is like crack. We go in there to buy one spice and come out with a bag full. Red and Back is our new favorite. We make a taco seasoning from Bold Taco, R&B and ground onion. My wife loves Fox Point (we put it in eggs primarily) but to me too much and it tastes like toilet water. Moderation! We have this amazing cajun rub mix recipe, and we blend it from a boatload of Penzey’s spices, the biggest contributor being Spanish paprika. We love sending gift packs. But we never get feedback - we wonder if people love them, or go “oh god another spice pack!”. Too bad, until we hear differently, our friends are going to keep getting hot cocoa or grilling or seasonal pumpkin spice gift packs! Also, of course, we love their political stance. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-penzeys-spices-must-tries/599856/49 "2024-05-30T16:00:12Z")
I’m fond of Tuscan Sunset as a sort of shorthand for _italianità_. Perfect for seasoning olive oil to dip Italian bread into. ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-penzeys-spices-must-tries/599856/50 "2024-05-30T16:59:54Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I do enjoy Penzey’s Justice: a blend of shallots, garlic, onion, green peppercorns, chives and green onion. Doc, it sounds somewhat similar to Fox Point; have you used both by chance and can contrast? ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-penzeys-spices-must-tries/599856/51 "2024-05-30T17:09:40Z")
I was given a box of Peney’s seasonings intended for popcorn. There’s a romano cheese one that has chives and salt, and yesterday I made garlic bread with it. Yummy! ---
**Author:** ![amaguri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@amaguri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amaguri)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-penzeys-spices-must-tries/599856/52 "2024-05-30T20:18:49Z")
I like that they have granulated roasted garlic for a bit of a different flavor profile It’s really interesting (well, it was for me anyway) to visit a store and smell their different varieties of cinnamon, which are all easily identifiable as CINNAMON but they’re all quite distinct from each other! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-penzeys-spices-must-tries/599856/53 "2024-05-30T20:20:36Z")
They have sniff jars of other spices as well; I liked smelling the saffron. ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-penzeys-spices-must-tries/599856/54 "2024-05-30T21:45:32Z")
Thanks everyone; order placed. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-penzeys-spices-must-tries/599856/55 "2024-05-30T23:04:46Z")
Did you get any of the Ozark blend by any chance? I put that on everything. I really haven’t found anything that I haven’t liked. I placed an order last week for a bunch of their trial bags. I cook a lot but it’s just me so I don’t always go through spices that fast. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2024, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-penzeys-spices-must-tries/599856/56 "2024-05-31T00:13:10Z")
> [@Raza](#): > > Doc, it sounds somewhat similar to Fox Point; have you used both by chance and can contrast? Justice is ground finer, and is salt-free. As I understand it, anyway. They’re both good. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2024, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-penzeys-spices-must-tries/599856/57 "2024-05-31T00:49:47Z")
Justice is one of the few blends I get from Penzey’s - I like it on any potato-ey thing I make (roasted, mashed, potato salad, etc.). I also like the Bold Taco seasoning for chicken bites. Chicken bites are chicken tenders that have been cut into bite-sized pieces and pretty much any flavoring can be used on them. The Bold Taco is one of our favorites for chicken bite night. I prefer their seafood seasoning to Old Bay as well. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2024, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-penzeys-spices-must-tries/599856/58 "2024-06-02T03:17:17Z")
As it happens, I visited the local Penzey’s store this morning. Along with the stuff I bought, I was given a small jar of “Justice” and a small packet of “Outrage”. No idea what either is, but both have strong messages on them. It reminded me that the owner is _very_ vocal in his liberal, anti-Republican opinions. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2024, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-penzeys-spices-must-tries/599856/59 "2024-06-02T03:33:59Z")
God bless him, and he always spells out exactly why he believes what he does. I don’t believe that Penzey’s Pasta Sprinkle has been mentioned, but it’s an awesome blend of oregano, basil, garlic and the like. It’s almost enough by itself to make pasta or pizza sauce. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-to-penzeys-spices-must-tries/599856.md?page=2)