Bulk Herbs, Bulk Spices and Bulk Herbal Teas

Monasteries developed herbal preparations and guarded their secret recipes with as much as care as they did their official gardens from which they harvested their raw materials. Of these “elixir for long life” formulas, the best known are Benedictine liqueur, Chartreuse and Carmelite Water. The last is also associated with a dark tale of conspiracy and the attempted assassination of a French noble, a real life Duke featured in the historical saga of The Three Musketeers… [ read more ]

Monterey Bay Spice Co. lives at HERBCO.com

buy bulk lemon balm

Named and revered for its sweet, lemony fragrance and flavor, lemon balm is a Mediterranean herb in the mint family used in tea blends and as a flavoring agent in wines, cordials and elixirs

buy bulk angelica root

In addition to its inclusion in Carmelite water, angelica root was another monastery herb and used to produce angelica water, an “official” English remedy for the Black Plague.

buy bulk coriander seed

Coriander is the seed of the cilantro herb, is a spice that lends a peppery flavor to curries, soups, pickling spice and liquors.

buy bulk cinnamon chips

Little gems of spicy-sweetness that are perfect for infusing flavor into teas, cordials and elixirs.

buy bulk cloves

This warm spice is harvested from a tree in the myrtle family and is named from clou, the French word for “nail” due to its similar shape.

buy bulk nutmeg

Produced from the “nut” of an evergreen tree from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, nutmeg gets its name from the Old French that describes a "hard aromatic seed of the East Indies.”

You may not see Carmelite water on the wine menu of your favorite restaurant, but the brew shares history and nobility with several other better-known concoctions originating from Medieval monasteries, like Chartreuse, Benedictine and Angostura bitters.

As with any alcoholic beverage, imbibe responsibly, but sip with pure satisfaction…especially when you’ve made it yourself.