Stuart’s Spices

We first became acquainted with Stuart’s down at the Public Market and were pleased when they opened this store on South Clinton so we could visit it winter. The owners are super friendly, helpful and always trying to educated and inform. They have a good selection (though not as extensive as Penzy’s which we are also fans of…). We really like their Garlic Granules. Our spice rack is full of the blue labeled bottles and we like to support this local business!

This place is Awesome. Everything is fresh and absolutely amazing. If you are local, consider yourself very, very lucky! I live in New Orleans — a culinary capital — and we do not have anything remotely like this place. I regularly place bulk orders with the Finnefrocks and have them ship it down to me. I’ve been a customer of this spice joint for twenty years, and they always exceeded my expectations.
Barbecue is a pretty big passion of mine (feel free to check out my ‘cue reviews), so I use A LOT of Paprika, Chili Powder, Cumin, Cayenne, and other magic spices. When I first started using Stuart’s Spices to make rubs in the last few years, I had some huge issues — compared to spices you would normally purchase in the stores, these are EXTREMELY POTENT! They are fresh ground, and required some big modifications to my recipes.
Another nice option is the ability to buy in just about any quantity. They sell small packets of spice all the way up to the two pound bags I buy for my rubs. If you don’t see the size or spice you are looking for, just ask Tom or Vicki — they usually have it in the back.
Here’s a rundown on the stuff I buy a lot of on a regular basis:
CUMIN — This stuff is amazing! Compared to a grocery store, this will knock your socks off. I ended up halving the cumin I use in my rubs once I started using this. Definitely a must.
HUNGARIAN PAPRIKA — Love this stuff. It has an excellent sweet, robust flavor that works so well with Carolina-​style rubs.
SPANISH PAPRIKA — I played with this in my rubs as well, although the Spanish paprika is a lot more delicate tasting than Hungarian. Before I knew of Stuart’s, I did not know paprika came is different varieties. Could be considered a «lite» version of paprika.
SMOKED SPANISH PAPRIKA — Originally bought this stuff for my rubs. Then I realized I wasn’t too bright — I would barbecue everything that had a rub on it, so using smoked paprika was a complete and utter waste. Since this realization, I use it a lot in the kitchen when cooking. It is great in a recipe that calls for paprika, and that would benefit from a subtle smokey flavor.
MEDIUM-​TO-​HOT CHILI POWDER — Another rub staple. Just be warned this stuff has a definite kick to it. I would recommend using it sparingly until you get a handle on the heat.
CAYENNE PEPPER — Be mindful of the SHU level you purchase. I assumed the mid-​level was normal (90,000 SHU), and I was really, really wrong. I ended up with quite a bit of very spicy barbecue. As it turns out, the 40,000 SHU Cayenne is much closer to «normal». Lesson learned!
As stated above, these are the staples. I have not come across anything I didn’t enjoy, ranging from the Rochester Meat Sauce, Fire Salt, English Mustard, Stout Mustard, Granulated Garlic & Onion, Ground Habanero, Vanilla Beans, and on and on.
Give this place a shot and you will not be disappointed!

I and my wife stopped into Stuart’s for the first time today. We were on the hunt for some fresh ground peppers and were very pleased with the selection and prices. The owner’s wife was an absolute delight as she acquainted us with the selections available and gave us a tour of the recipe samples she had prepared for the day. We will never have to hunt for specialty seasonings again with Stuart’s around :)

Very clean and organized store. They have some hard to find items such as pink cure salt, lavender and ghost pepper products. As well as most of the spice shelf staples. There are a few selections that you can tell are exclusive to this store, which they probably make in the back. I enjoy that kind of stuff. Friendly knowledgeable staff and very fair prices.

It is a small Spice store, but it’s very conveniently located for me. And it’s well organized.
The service was very friendly, and they may have spices not on display, so ask!
I felt the prices were OK for a spice store, and because of the location, it’s very easy for me to get there and grab something I need.