Purveyors of Flavor – Great Lakes Tea & Spice

I ran into Chris Sack’s Great Lakes Tea & Spice booth at a recent trade show. I was immediately stopped in my tracks as all my senses came alive as I neared his booth. It was scented of all the marvelous teas and spices that were on display in their elegant and colorful packaging. I’m a little crazed when it comes to exotic spices, finishing salts, fancy sugars and chichi imported teas. And I could tell that Chris was too.  I felt right at home.

For Chris and his wife, Heather, it all started with a love for foreign travel and with the flowering teas that Heather, brought back from China years before they ever became popular here. The Sacks translated their love for travel and for culinary spices into a – tasteful – business. They are on a mission to develop and expand the American palate:

Inspired by early trading companies that satisfied demand for exotic quality goods by shipping spices, incense, and other luxury items along ancient trade routes, we seek out unusual and exotic products that can be simply adapted into your everyday cuisine for a more sensorial and exciting flavor experience.  Add new flavors to your everyday recipes, explore a new culture through its local teas and spices.

Every single spice, tea leaf and other ingredient packaged by Great Lakes Tea & Spice is painstakingly sourced from its country of origin. This provenance ensures authenticity and the potency of aromas and flavors. The rubs and spice mixes are fabulous, as is the selection of teas. They are perfect for gift giving. Each spice mix is enclosed in a wonderful tin that is labeled with a custom art and the indication of the type and origin of the blend.

I used the Balsamic Fish Rub as a dry rub on salmon last night. Once baked it gave the salmon a lightly crispy delectable crust while the inside remained moist. Served with Italian styled veggies, it was a white-tablecloth-worthy dinner. Niammm.

Also, an absolutely fabulous gift idea for tea lovers, or people who don’t yet know that they are tea lovers, is the sampler box of flowering teas. The box contains 6 different gorgeous flowering teas. These are best served in clear teapots or cups to get the full enchanting visual of the bloom. Well priced too at $17.95 per gift box.

You will want to be on the lookout for the Great Lakes Tea & Spice giveaway that we will be running shortly. Subscribe via email for immediate notifications on that.

I think it’s time for a cuppa tea…