Ingredient guide · dossier № 10
Cloves
MB2 · Ambrosia Activationoptionalspice
Buy whole organic cloves — heavy, oily buds that leave an oil sheen when pressed signal high eugenol — and grind one or two at a time, because clove's potency dominates a blend at anything past a pinch.
Where to buy
- Frontier Co-op$9.69 / 1.40 ozCertified organic, hand-select whole cloves; non-ETO, non-irradiated; 1 lb bulk and Fairtrade-certified versions also available
- Burlap & Barrel$9.99 / 1.4 ozPemba Cloves — single-origin, hand-picked on Pemba Island in the Zanzibar Archipelago; exceptionally oil-rich
- Simply Organic$14.69 / 2.05 ozCertified organic (QAI) whole cloves; mainstream grocery option, ~$14.33 at Walmart
Role in the beverage
Clove is the bass note of Morning Beverage Too — dark, numbing-sweet warmth that anchors the brighter cinnamon and cardamom. It is also the most dangerous spice in the blend to overdose: eugenol, the compound that makes cloves taste like cloves (typically 70-90% of the bud’s essential oil), is so potent that one clove too many turns the whole drink medicinal. A little goes a very long way — think one whole clove, or a bare pinch of ground, per serving.
Quality criteria
- Whole buds over ground. Whole cloves keep their eugenol locked in the intact bud for years; ground clove fades and goes acrid within months. Grind one or two buds fresh in a mortar or spice grinder.
- Eugenol potency test. Good cloves are heavy, unbroken, and slightly oily — press a bud with a fingernail and it should release a visible sheen of oil. Buds that are light, dusty, or headless have already given up their oil.
- Organic and non-irradiated. Cloves are commonly fumigated or irradiated in commodity channels; Frontier and Simply Organic are certified organic, non-ETO, non-irradiated.
- Origin. Zanzibar (Pemba Island) is the historic benchmark; Sri Lankan and Indonesian cloves are also excellent. Single-origin buds like Burlap & Barrel’s Pemba are noticeably more aromatic than commodity blends.
Where to buy
Frontier Co-op Organic Hand-Select Whole Cloves, $9.69 / 1.40 oz jar direct from frontiercoop.com; also sold in 1 lb bulk (including a Fairtrade-certified version) at Target, iHerb, Vitacost, and Amazon. Certified organic and kosher.
Burlap & Barrel Pemba Cloves, $9.99 / 1.4 oz glass jar ($39.99 / 16 oz, often sold out). Hand-picked by partner farmers on Pemba Island, Zanzibar Archipelago — the classic clove terroir; a pre-ground “Treetop Cloves” is also offered.
Simply Organic Whole Cloves, $14.69 / 2.05 oz retail ($14.33 at Walmart). Certified organic by QAI, hand-selected, widely available in mainstream groceries.
Backpacking form
Ground clove is completely shelf-stable — its problem is potency, not preservation. Pre-measure at home: grind fresh buds and blend the exact pinch-per-serving into the dry camping mix so there is no free-pouring by headlamp. Whole buds are an alternative (drop one in the cup while water heats, fish it out), but pre-blended ground is simpler on the trail.