Why do cloves cost so much?

You can buy ground cloves in bulk from Penzeys for $20.99/ 8.8 oz.

Buying spices in those little jars is an incredible rip-off.

Difficult-to-harvest items always spike in price due to weather, etc. Have you seen maple syrup prices lately?

My tip: head for the Mexican section of the grocery store (if you have one). I buy the cellophane packets of spices there for much cheaper than McCormick et al.

Also, if you can find a place that sells whole cloves in bulk and grind them yourself using a coffee grinder you’ll save even more—and get better, fresher flavor.

Totally agree! And the Ginger is very expensive too!

I agree with @PupnTaco, always look for spices in the international aisle first, however cellophane packaging doesn’t keep them as long so you need to check those dates.

And sorry to hear you got ripped off – Amazon has a pound of ground cloves for $17.75

Only problem with buying spices in bulk is that you don’t want your spices to lose their potency which happens in about six months for fullest flavor.

Yeah, and why is cocaine so expensive?

@ all: Yes, buying in bulk is a cheap altenative, but as a single guy the tiny jar will last me a year…..

“Does it have something to do with all the goths smoking clove cigarettes?”

Um… what? They’re illegal in the US now anyway.

I wonder why it claimed to be so expensive! I mean, I can understand Saffron, being that it’s only stamens, and thus labor-intensive to harvest and difficult to accumulate in volume, but cloves?

To all spice lovers: For future reference, while Penzey’s is great, we know they’re pretty pricey, turn towards The Monteray Bay Spice company. Their spices really are just as fantastic, at a fraction of the Penzeys price. (i.e. MBSC ground cloves cost $6.20/lb.) For those that don’t require pounds-worth, they sell in ¼ lb. (~4 oz.) units too!

Also, never underestimate the value of shopping around for spices you use often.
Recently I bought 2 lb. of ground cumin for $8, vs. like 4oz. at penzeys for the same price.

@Miles : Are they??? Thank gawd I quit smoking when I did.I am sooo out that loop.

Yep, along with all other flavored cigarettes. As of at least September 21st. The idea was to curtail marketing to children. In the case of cloves in particular, it makes me a little sad because while I am no proponent of smoking, it certainly made second hand smoke ever so slightly more tolerable.

How is making something more expensive, or excercising sin tax going to curtail marketing? Now the government will not allow cigerettes to be labled ultralights, forcing people to buy cigerettes with higher tar or making the cigerettes with higher tar less expensive. It makes you wonder if the government really wants the American people to be healthier…or are they marketing on these addictions to keep billions of funds in their pockets.