Single Origin Cloves from Kottayam in the state of Kerala, India.

Carefully handpicked clove flower buds grown at Mr. Babu’s plantation in Thalanadu, a village in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India.

Picking clove buds is a delicate process as the timing needs to be perfect, just before the flower buds open and the stems need to be removed with the cluster of flowers intact.

A third-generation farmer, Mr. Babu has devoted a lifetime to clove farming and trading. Some of the Syzygium aromaticum (clove) trees you will find on his plantation were originally planted 5 decades ago by his father.

These clove buds have been harvested in mid-2022 and then sun-dried for 5 days, a process that is undertaken at Mr. Babu’s farm itself. Once dried, the lots have been hand cleaned to remove any seeds and stems. The entire process has been carried out by the local village folks.

These cloves are plump and a vibrant, almost iridescent, golden brown in hue. Rich, sweet, Christmas cake-like aroma with a warm and strong numbing effect on the tongue.  

1 tbsp of Cloves whole equals about 7g.

About the Farmer

Mr. Babu cultivates cloves at his ancestral land which is located in Thalanadu, a village in the Kottayam district of Kerala. Some of the clove trees you will find at his plantation are more than 50 years old, originally planted by his father. Other than clove, he also has rubber trees on his land.

Babu started his career as a politician and rose to the rank of president of his local village council. Farming was always his passion and he continued to do so while fulfilling his responsibilities as a politician.

Some of the changes he has been able to bring as the head of his council include developing a clove farmers’ society that allowed farmers to get a stable price for their produce. He also created a training program to upskill labour to work at clove farms and supported other farmers throughout his career with the challenges they faced from time to time.

His plantation is completely organic with no use of any chemicals whatsoever.  

COMPLIMENTS

Cakes

Sweet pastries

Stewed fruits

Curries

Gluhwein

Moroccan tagines

Preserved lemons

Pickles

BLENDS IT IS USED IN

Curry powders

Sweet mixed spice blends

Ras el hanout

Tagine spice blends

Baharat

Garam masala

Chinese five spice

Pickling spice

COMBINES WELL WITH

Allspice

Amchur

Cardamom

Chilli

Coriander seed

Cumin

Ginger

Liquorice

Nutmeg

Star anise

Turmeric