If you like spices as much as we do, you’re going to love this giveaway. We’re reviewing two spice extracts from Holy Lama Spice Drops, cinnamon and tulsi. But the giveaway is for a lovely bundle of five spices, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and vanilla. Read on to find out how to enter.
Spices really are the spice of life, or at least they are in my world. I find it hard to imagine not having a ready supply of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, vanilla and chilli, all spices I use on a regular basis in my baking and cooking. Cumin, coriander and turmeric are firm favourites too, but I have many other spices stuffed away in my cupboard. It is these, other less used spices that can be a bit of a problem. Spices are expensive and once ground, they don’t have a very long shelf life. Ideally, for real freshness and flavour, I would grind all of my spices as I need them, but this just isn’t practical; I’m usually in a hurry and often can’t grind them as finely as I’d like. This results in having to throw some of my precious spices away as they just become to old to use.
Holy Lama Spice Drops
Holy Lama have come up with an ingenious solution to this dilemma – spice extracts, or as they like to call them Spice Drops. These are highly concentrated extracts which have a shelf life of three years. Priced at around £3 a bottle, these could cost considerably less than buying whole or ready ground spices over the same time period. The extracts come in little 5 ml bottles with droppers for precise and easy measures. Although the spice drops work well in baking, it is recommended that they are added at the end of cooking where possible to keep the flavours vibrant. As regular readers will know, I like my products to be as natural as possible. The extracts are held in caster oil, which is fine, but I was a little concerned to see it was hydrogenated oil and wonder why this is necessary. However, they are ethically made in Kerala, South India. The company website states it offers fair wages to its staff and fair prices to it’s farmers. Most of the staff are women and many of them are from disadvantaged backgrounds. Sustainability is important so the factory’s carbon footprint is deliberately low. Holy Lama is a member of the British Association for Fair Trade Shops and Suppliers. All that counts for a lot.
The range is quite large and include spice blends as well as individual spices. There are a number of kits containing a collection of relevant spices. I had my eye on the Baker’s Spice Drop Kit, a collection of five spices: cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and vanilla. However I was only sent a bottle of cinnamon and one of tulsi to try out.
Cinnamon Spice Extract
As soon as I unwrapped the outer layer of protective plastic from the cinnamon bottle I nearly swooned with the wonderful scent that emanated from it. I adore cinnamon and if forced into a corner, would probably name it as my favourite spice. One drop is meant to be the equivalent of ½ a teaspoon of the ground spice. I tried a tiny drop neat and it was very strong – not something I’d recommend. The first thing I made with it, was this Spicy Orange and Chocolate Easter Bundt. I used one drop only, hoping to get just a hint of cinnamon and it worked perfectly.
Tulsi Spice Extract
The tulsi I was a little more unsure about. CT and I drink quite a bit of tulsi tea and are accustomed to the flavour. Holy basil, as it’s also known, has a very distinctive taste and although I was keen to try it with chocolate I wasn’t at all sure it would work. I decided to use it first in a cup of hot chocolate, a rich dark drinking chocolate I’m currently reviewing.
The directions say one drop for every 200ml of liquid or more to taste. I had 250ml of liquid and used only one drop and it was very powerful. I’m not sure I shall be taking to tulsi hot chocolate as a regular drink, but it did sort of work.
Like coffee and tea, it has similar bitter notes which marry well together. It was, however, too strong and I was left with a powerful tulsi taste in my mouth for a long time afterwards. So for this extract, I would suggest, proceed with caution.
Other Spice Extracts
Subsequent to writing this post, I’ve acquired a range of Holy Lama spice drops. I use them regularly, but mostly when it comes to baking. Here are a few of the recipes where I’ve included them.
- Carrot cake flapjacks – cinnamon & nutmeg
- Granny’s apple pie – nutmeg
- Spelt waffles with rose raspberry sauce – rose & cardamom
- Spiced kefir pancakes – cardamom
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Giveaway
Do take a look at the Chocolate Log Blog giveaway page to see if there is anything else you would like to enter.
Thanks to Holy Lama for the spice extracts. There was no requirement to write a positive review and as always all opinions are my own. Thanks to my readers for supporting the brands and organisations that help to keep Tin and Thyme blithe and blogging.
cinnamon is amazing!
Cinnamon is my favourite, I use it in cakes and in hot choc drinks. x
Keeley Shaw
Vanilla, would use it for my cupcakes 🙂
Cinnamon – great for gingerbread!
Cinnamon in some rolls I think 🙂
vanilla
Cinnamon in an apple pie
Cinnamon for lovely crumble toppings
Vanilla in a sponge cake – yum!
It would be Cinnamon! I love the taste and the aroma! I would use it in my baking, cakes, french pastries, on top of egg custard tart, and on freshly made French Toast!
Cinnamon – I make amazing Cinnamon buns and danish pastries! A weekend treat for the hubby and kiddies 🙂 We all love it! 🙂
Cinnamon in pastries are yum but lurve Ginger
Ginger, so i could make gingersnap cookies the way my grandmother used to. delicious
Cinnamon for me as I have just discovered French Toast and can’t get enough of it
Cardamon and I would make a vanilla and cardamom panacotta
I love Cinnamon smells like Christmas 🙂 so id make cinnamon buns 🙂
Cinnamon, me and my kids are cinnamon addicts even the smell mmm
Cinnamon in freshly made French toast- ooh, going to make Some now….
Cinnamon in fresh French toast – going to make some now!
I use ginger in my curries all the time
I love cinnamon for buns and pastries 🙂 x
Natalie Gillham
I’d use them to put into yogurts and make dressings etc.
love vanilla, use it in so many things, always good in a sponge
cinnamon for my porridge!
Vanilla for sponge cakes, enhancing sugar and coffee syrups.
vanilla to use in baking, also cinnamon. Actually they would all be pretty useful!
cardamom to flavour icecream
cardamom to flavour icecream
Vanilla for ice-cream, cakes & custard
nutmeg is my secret ingredient in lasagne shhhhh
Cinnamon on apple pie or in apple cake
cinnamon, I use it in little bulgarian cakes with hoey and almonds too -they’re gorgeous
Ginger for some gingerbread men 🙂
vanilla as i make some yummy cakes with it
vanillla to make some yummy cakes
vanilla i use it load sin baking and also in coffee 😀
Ginger for gingerbread men
Cinnamon – I’d make cinnamon toast.
vanilla, so I can cook so much more x x x x
vanilla, love the taste and the smell
I love nutmeg in a rice pudding.Home made of course!
Ginger, my children love making gingerbread men
Vanilla so many uses in cooking
Vanilla, in cupcakes and a lot of my home baking
Cinnamon for buns
I love vanilla and cinnamon, and use them both extensively in baking and desserts x
Vanilla
Ginger, it gives a real kick to both sweet and savory dishes
vanilla is my favourite, as it adds a not too oversweet aromatic taste
I’d use the nutmeg on top of a rice pudding
Vanilla
Cinnamon for a fruit lof
Cinnamon for to add to a fruit loaf
Cinnamon in hot milk with honey.
Cinnamon. It reminds me of Christmas
Ginger is my favourite.
Vanilla in cupcakes
Cardamom is my favourite as it always is a little mysterious yet is so versatile!
cinnamon and id make my lovely home made rice pudding x
The vanilla, for making my cakes taste extra yummy! 🙂
Love ginger 😊 x
Kelly Hanson: [email protected]
Cinnamon, a pep of that makes an apple pie.
Vanilla for the custard
The Cinnamon to make baked apples.
Ginger. I use it every day.
nutmeg
Vanilla
Ginger
Ginger I love it . and I would make Ginger curd. Delicious on toast or toasted bagels
I would love to make some proper ginger biscuits.
Vanilla!
It would have to be the chilli. . I use it in everything but my signature dish is quesilladas… mmm yummy. .. 😀
Vanilla to put in cakes and coffee!
Vanilla to go into my butter icing for the cupcakes
Would have to be vanilla – I use it in everything I bake including the cream and butter cream!
i love cinamon, and so does the hubby! a nice fruit cake x
cinnamon
Cinamon
Cinamon for apple crumble
hey 🙂 mm cinamon for fruit!
cinamon i would use with fruit or curries
gingerbread men & women with the ginger @msedollyp
ginger to make ginger biscuits
Nutmeg!
ooh, a drop of cardamom in some home made ice-cream
Cinnamon love it!!
Nutmeg in my irish coffee
Nutmeg and I would make a lovely homemade rice pudding just like my nana used to make
Use vanilla a lot in cooking – especially desserts
Spencer Broadley
[email protected]
I love vanilla and use it within lots of my baking 🙂
It will be a tough choice between cinnamon and vanilla, as I use both extensively in my baking
I would choose cinnamon for baking as its delicious and smells divine
cinnamon and nutmeg… for loads of baking
Ginger
Cinnamon
nutmeg & vanilla in our favourite rice pudding
Cinnamon and vanilla. The vanilla for when I am baking cakes also cake and Apple pie baking with the cinnamon, but I also like coffee with a touch of cinnamonin it. Yum.
Nutmeg ,grated on hot chocolate
Vanilla in cakes x
Cinnamon
Ginger’s my favourite. I’d make some ginger flapjacks
cinnamon to make cinnamon buns and chilli to use on everything savoury x
vanilla
i love cinnamon and would add it to my porridge
Cardamom for curries, especially chicken curry
i’d use vanilla to make custard
pretty nice blog, following 🙂
vanilla we use it for all sorts but the hubby is trying to teach me to make proper custard
Spice drops? What an ingenious idea!!! I too am a cinnamon girl at heart, but I would love to experiment more with cardamom (without the risk of getting the pods stuck in my teeth!!
Ginger, I would try adding it to my raw chocolate recipes.
chilli in a big pot of chilli we make and freeze a lot of it
Cinnamon for bread
Claire D
ginger – I love gingerbread so would make some of this.
KATHY D
Cinnamon, love it witha fresh fruit pie or tart
Try tulsi in a lemon and ginger tea. It also works wonders for a common cold and can be substituted for basil (same family).
Thanks Amrita. We drink tulsi tea anyway, mostly for its health benefits, but I was keen to do a bit of experimenting.
Nutmeg is my favourite spice in the kit. I use it freshly grated in both sweet and savoury dishes.
would put cinnamon on home-made egg custards
I love nutmeg especially as a little extra topping on homemade rice pudding
Vanilla would be my favourite and I’d use it to make custard.
I love cinnamon and vanilla, especially in baking! They are my go to ingredients no matter the recipe!
I am quite partial to vanilla in stuff I eat and drink for that matter! An exciting giveaway!