Blog: buyer guides and insights for importers of Indian spices
Buyer guides and insights for importers of Indian spices, from the people who source them.
Latest · Buyer GuidesMalabar vs Tellicherry black pepper: grades and how to specifyTellicherry is not a different pepper. It is the name for the largest, boldest berries graded out of Malabar pepper, the black pepper grown along Kerala’s Malabar coast and in the hills of Idukki and Wayanad. Malabar grades such as MG1 cover the main crop; Tellicherry grades such as TGEB are the bigger berries, valued for their size, appearance and full aroma.Read the guide More posts
Green cardamom sizes: what 7 mm and 8 mm+ tell youHow Indian green cardamom is graded by pod size, what 7 mm and 8 mm+ bold mean, why colour and well-filled pods matter, and what to specify.Published September 18, 2026
Black gold: how Malabar pepper shaped world historyHow black pepper from India’s Malabar coast drew Roman ships, Arab traders and Vasco da Gama, and why it was once called black gold.Published August 28, 2026
Coriander seed grades: Eagle, Badami and Parrot comparedWhat the Indian coriander trade names Eagle, Badami and Parrot mean, how colour and splits affect quality, and what to specify when you buy in bulk.Published August 7, 2026
Indian cumin seed grades: purity, Sortex cleaning and what 99.5% meansHow Indian cumin is graded for export, what 99% and 99.5% purity mean, what Sortex cleaning does, and what to put in your cumin specification.Published July 17, 2026
How to read a spice certificate of analysis (COA)What a certificate of analysis for bulk spices shows, the tests to look for (moisture, Salmonella, aflatoxin, pesticides, heavy metals) and what to check.Published June 26, 2026
India’s spice harvest calendar: when each spice is harvestedWhen turmeric, cumin, coriander, mustard seed, black pepper and cardamom are harvested in India, and what new-crop timing means for buyers.Published June 5, 2026