Explore the World through Your Tastebuds 🌎

We're launching a monthly spice club starting April 2026! This passive program allows patrons to try a new spice every month. Venture to a new country to learn the spice's origins, process, tasting notes, and what it pairs well with.

In addition to learning about the spice, you'll have the opportunity to try it using a recipe and helpful cooking tips. We also want you to share your creation and thoughts about the monthly spice and recipe. To do so, email Brianna at bchristie@cwmars.org

You can learn more about the Spice Club and other cultures in Berkshire County at the library's first Cultural Showcase happening Saturday, May 30th at 11:00 a.m. The showcase will feature more than 20 Berkshire organizations where attendees are encouraged to “Explore the world in a day” through food, music, dance, crafts, and more!

Spices have been generously donated by Burlap & Barrel.

Spice Archive

April 2026 - Royal Cinnamon

Our April 2026 spice was "Royal Cinnamon"

• Origin: Quang Nam Mountain, Vietnam

  • This area was historically famous for spicy, sweet cinnamon, but in the last decade, the commodity market has shifted further north, where the prices are lower.

    They use a technique for harvesting cinnamon. Instead of chopping down the tree to harvest the bark, they make a deep cut around the base of the tree and let the bark dry on the tree for a couple of weeks before harvesting it. That makes it easier to harvest, but it also concentrates essential oils rather than letting them evaporate as the bark dries in the hot sun. The bark comes off the tree mostly dry and intensely spicy and sweet, with a beautiful fragrance.

• Process: Sun-dried

• Tasting Notes: Brown butter, buckwheat honey, orange peel

• Cooking Tips:

  • Beautiful in baked goods, spice cookies and desserts

  • Sprinkle over yogurt and oatmeal, and add to smoothies

  • Brew with your favorite coffee or tea

• Recipe: Cinnamon Raisin Bread

"I just wanted to say thanks for creating the Spice Club! I picked up some cinnamon on Saturday and made a loaf of cinnamon bread that is so delicious .  We sort of took parts from a few recipes and came up with an amazingly tasty bread! Used some from French Toast - wow!!!"

"Cinnamon bread! I couldn’t wait for it to cool down, it smelled so incredible! The quality and taste of the spice is really exemplary. Thanks for the Club 'membership'"

"I made the cinnamon raisin bread yesterday.

Came out good. It was getting pretty dark after 30 minutes, so covered the top with foil and lowered the temperature to 350F and baked another 20 minutes. I couldn’t really tell the difference between regular cinnamon and this cinnamon though."

"I picked up some of the royal cinnamon last week and it smelled so amazing! Was very excited to try the cinnamon bread recipe. It did not disappoint. Could have eaten the whole thing in one sitting.

Love that the library is doing this!"

May 2026 - Guajillo Chili

Our May 2026 Spice is Guajillo Chili.

• Origin: Guanajuato, Mexico

  • Bright, tangy and full of character, our heirloom Guajillo Chili powder brings a vibrant balance of fiery heat with notes of tart cranberry and herbal green tea. Made from sun-ripened mirasol peppers, grown in Guanajuato, Mexico by Don Jesus, these chilis are dried to preserve their lively fruitiness and warm, floral aroma.

    A favorite in salsas, adobos and marinades, this chef approved, kitchen-ready chili delivers bold flavor that lifts everything from soups to spice rubs.

• Process: Sun-dried, then ground

• Heat Index: Hot - 3 out of 4 on the chili pepper scale

• Cooking Tips:

  • Blend into salsas, adobos, and marinades.

  • Add to soups, stews, and braises for bright, fruity lift.

  • Use in spice rubs for chicken, fish, or roasted vegetables to bring lively flavor and aroma

• Recipe: Squash Blossom Quesadillas

  • "I finally got around to making the quesadillas with the May spice, Guajillo Chili powder. Just enough heat, not overpowering. The quesadillas(used chicken) came out very tasty." - Spice Club Member

June 2026 - Herbes de Provence

Our June 2026 spice is Herbes de Provence

• Origin: Provence, France

  • Herbes de Provence is an iconic blend of hardy, aromatic herbs and a cornerstone of French cooking. Unlike every other product in the US, ours is truly grown and blended in Provence itself, by a cooperative of farmers who cultivate heirloom herbs and craft a perfectly balanced, traditional mélange.

    Add to tomato sauces, roasts, pan sauces and any other dish for a boost of savory, fragrant aromatics.

• Process: Dried and blended

• Tasting Notes: Pan Sauce, Limestone, La Cuisine Provençale

• Cooking Tips:

  • Rub on proteins before braising or baking

  • Sprinkle over fresh tomatoes with good olive oil and bake, then eat with crusty bread

  • Coat potatoes in a mixture of olive oil and salt, then add herbs and bake or pan-fry

• Recipe: Ratatouille

July 2026 - Buffalo Ginger

Our July 2026 spice is Buffalo Ginger

• Origin: Cao Bằng, Vietnam

  • Known for its fruity, floral aroma and powerful heat, this is a complex and flavorful ginger powder that will elevate baked goods, stews and curries, and beverages from hot drinks to cocktails.

    In Vietnam, this ginger is used with chicken, soup, rice, and candy. It’s also been used for medicinal purposes — to calm upset stomachs, restore appetite, and support the immune system. Any way you slice it, this is a spicy, wonderfully intense ginger.

• Process: Dried with hot air, then ground

• Tasting Notes: Pineapple • Fresh Herbs • Bright Heat

• Cooking Tips:

  • Add to apple pies, cookies, cakes and other baked goods

  • Use in place of fresh ginger in soups, stir-fries and braises

  • Mix ¼ teaspoon with water and honey for a potent ginger tea (or skip the water and stir a pinch of ginger into honey)

• Recipe: Candied Ginger Chocolate Chunk Cookies

About Burlap & Barrel

Burlap & Barrel is a Public Benefit Corporation building new international spice supply chains that are equitable, transparent, and traceable.

They are working to build an equitable food system - one that values skilled farmers and ends exploitation. They do that by:

• Connecting farmers to high-value markets

• Educating consumers about the human impact of traceable sourcing

• Sourcing exceptional spices and foods with true terroir, grown sustainably using traditional methods

Burlap & Barrel source their spices directly from small farms and cooperatives, building long-term relationships that improve quality and increase farmers' earnings. By skipping brokers. they keep the supply chain short and transparent.

Burlap & Barrel believe true sustainability must also account for the livelihoods of the farmers who power global food systems. By sourcing single origin ingredients, they highlight the unique places they come from - and the skilled farmers who grow them with care.