Cloud Forest Cardamom
Sweet and tart, vine-ripened cardamom pods from Guatemala.
- Regular price
- $9.99
- Regular price
- Sale price
- $9.99
- Unit price
- per
- Availability
-
- Sale price
- $9.99
Why Burlap & Barrel?
Single origin spices sourced directly from small farms
Over 10,000 5-star reviews
Guaranteed to wow you or we'll replace
Our Cloud Forest Cardamom is sweet and tart, reminiscent of summer fruits, fresh herbs and cut grass. It comes straight from a single-estate regenerative farm in the high-altitude cloud forests of Guatemala. The fruit turns yellow as it ripens on the vine and has a softer and sweeter flavor that makes it a perfect upgrade to standard green cardamom.
It is grown on a biodynamic farm, using traditional organic methods. The farm emphasizes workers' rights, sustainability and fair business practices.
Highlights
Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
green cardamom, yellow cardamom, elaichi, hel
Hot-air-dried
Ginger • Apricots • Jungle Flowers
Ingredients
Whole cardamom pods (Elettaria cardamomum)
Cooking tips
- Add to dishes at the beginning of the cooking process
- Crack pods in a mortar and pestle and add them to a pot of rice
- Add to a stews, curries or other rich sauces
- Throw a few pods into braising liquid for chicken or beef
RECIPES
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Black Tea with Sage & Cardamom -
Traditional Sri Lankan Chicken Curry with Ghee and Cinnamon Rice -
Sri Lankan Sago Pudding (Saw Kanda) -
Pear & Walnut Upside-Down Cake -
Chicken Salad with Indian Spices -
Savory Bread Pudding with Short Ribs and Chickpeas -
Ginger Date Chai -
South Indian-style Lentils -
Tequila Shrimp & Chorizo Skewers
SOURCING
Guatemala exports 80% of the world’s cardamom, but the spice is virtually unknown in local markets. It is grown exclusively for export, mostly on tiny plots by indigenous farmers in the country’s remote mountainous region.
Guatemala's cloud forests are ideal for growing cardamom, which thrives in temperate high-altitude environments with plenty of rainfall. The comparatively low temperatures in the mountains during the harvest season (November-January) ensure that the cardamom has very high levels of fragrant essential oils.
Our cardamom is grown on one of the only single-estate cardamom farms in Guatemala, which is also the only farm to manage the supply chain in its entirety, from cultivation to harvesting, drying and export. Cardamom is officially graded only by its size and green color; however, those factors don’t correlate to flavor. This cardamom has a yellow tinge since it's allowed to ripen fully, resulting in softer, fruitier, and overall more complex flavor.
Meet the Farmer:
Our relationship with partner farmer Don Amilcar in Guatemala is one of our longest-standing and closest farmer partnerships. Maybe he was amused when Ethan first visited the farm in 2016 and hauled back a duffel back full of Don Amilcar's vine-ripened cardamom pods in 2016. We all hoped that would be the beginning of a long partnership... and it was.
In 2020, we brought in more than 20,000 pounds of spices from him, which, among other things, helped him build a new farmhouse. (Last photo, scroll to the end. )
Don Amilcar planted his first cardamom vine when he was 9 years old. In the years since then, he's created the only vertically integrated cardamom operation in Guatemala with his own farm, his own drying facility and now, his own export operation run by his daughter Meyllin.
His farming operation is so impressive and produces cardamom so good that Saveur called him "the farmer shaking up the Guatemalan cardamom trade."
Want to check out his farm? You can watch a short video we made with him here.
Supermarket
Fair Trade