Monica Bhide I was in India over the summer and a friend (a lovely Mumbai-based food writer) suggested that I sample Spice Drops. I am glad she did! These lovely little bottles carry the essence of a spices and range from saffron to cardamom to Tea Masala. I totally did not expect to like them – I prefer using fresh spices. But I did! I tried the garlic drops when making a stir-fry and it did indeed add a lovely touch of garlic to my dish.
I caught up with the owner Jinesh Shah to see if he could shed a little more light on the product for us:
1. Tell me a little about your background and a little about the business.
“Universal Oleoresins is a part of Shah Group of Companies. We are joint family based company from Kolkata and are Tea exporters since last 100 years. Established in 1981, we are Manufacturers and Exporters of Spice Oils, Oleoresins and Natural Colours. [THEY ARE}An affiliate of Shah Group of Concerns, which has a combined turnover of over $25 million…”
2. How did you get started with spice essences?
“We came to Cochin to establish our long standing Tea business in the South and that is when we came across the booming market of spices in Cochin and we decided to do something different (value added) from the others( regular exports of spices and spice powders).”
3. What makes your essence, Spice Drop™, so good and stand out so much?
“As the name suggests Spice Drop™ is an absolutely natural, water-soluble spice in liquid form with all the richness of pure spices. It is a unique ‘one-drop’ concept in the world of spice, where the power of Oils and Oleoresins is brought to the consumer’s home in ready-to use form. It can be used drop-by drop adding natural taste and flavour to your daily food and beverages.It is absolutely natural with no synthetic colours or flavours added. It is free from bacteria, fungus and prevents the infestation of the same.Being devoid of moisture it has a long shelf life of 2 years compared to powders or pastes that have a shelf life of just few weeks or months.It does away with the tedious chores of peeling, grinding, mixing, crushing etc.,making it very convenient to use. It also does not require any heating to release the flavour of spices. It can be added at any stage of cooking or even after cooking.”
4. Can you give me examples of the types of spice essence you have and how people may use them?
We have arrange of 12 different flavours in Spice Drop™ as below.People can use them any where they add a regular spice and want a sudden change of flavor. It works like a table salt and does not require any special processing or cooking.People can carry them while travelling and add wonderful flavor with just a drop.
Cardamom, Chai Masala (Tea Masala), Ginger, Cinnamon, Black Pepper, Garlic, Jeera (Cumin), Clove, Red Chilly, Garam Masala (Curry Mix), Kesar (Saffron) and Kesar Milk Masala.
5. Where can people buy them?
Our products are currently available only in India,Middle
East,Singapore.We have exported to the USA in the past, and are
planning to restart the same in the near future. If you are in India, you can find the product in spice stores. You can also order online from their site.
GIVEAWAY – I am giving away a selection of the SPICE DROPS to a reader. Leave a comment here as to why you want to win. I will pick a winner on NOV 7th at 4:00 pm. I am only able to mail to a US address. Thanks for entering.
Oh What a lovely concept! I would love to try these out! I love using fresh herbs and spices but these shall add flavor to my busy days. It’ll be fun to add some chai masala or ginger and cardamom to a chai tea latte on the go! or kesar to a carry out biryani and kesar milk masala to rasmalai or kulfi…I am full of ideas…please send me some to try! Thanks a lot! 🙂
Hi Monica, Intriguing concept! I love the convenience for traveling, and the selection of spices is excellent. I would love to try these out.
You win this giveaway of SPICE DROP! Please email me your address and I will get the box to you!
These look amazing! Great to have on hand for impromptu desi feasts when you are too busy to run to the grocery store. I love saffron and am intrigued by the saffron spice drops!
I think the concept of spice drops is interesting and would love to use them in teas.
I’m not a fantastic cook, but I’m trying to learn to be! I’ve been experimenting with spices and these greatly interest me! I also cook very “Southern” – a lot a butter/grease and am looking for a healthier way to make my food more delicious, and I feel spices are the way to go.
What a neat concept! Even I like to use fresh spices almost all the time, except when I’m lazy and make do with storebought ginger garlic paste 🙂
Amongst the entire list, if I had to pick one, it would be Garlic drops. I am a Garlic lover 🙂
I have seen this in India but i have never shown a intrest in them as i didn’t know how to use them.
Lovely innovative concept.. (I’ll opt out of the giveaway this time, I’m already going CRAZY coming up with stuff for all the wonderful gifts I got in the spicy cocktail contest!)
I’d love to win these, to test out drink recipes with spices! What a great looking product!
Because the holidays are coming and we all need a little help in the kitchen!
These SPICE DROPS are a fantastic idea! They must be very potent and I’m sure take the guesswork out of figuring out how much spice or flavor to put in the dish. And if we’re travelling for the holidays, these would be portable enough to stash in the luggage. I always cook a dish or 2 when visiting family, so this is just great!
Great concept. I would love to try these and see if they make a difference to my cooking.
I’m very intrigued and would love to use these to play with flavors– especially saffron.
An amazingly unique concept! It’s a great way to try different spice, without worrying sbout the quality of the spice. I cook a variety of cuisines, and this would be a great way to have all the major spices handy.
I would love this because I love trying new things and this would be bragworthy. Thanks for the awesome giveaway 🙂
Renee
fattybumpkins at yahoo dot com
I’m excited to put a crockpot of kid friendly (non spicy) chili on the table, then have the more adventurous guests add cumin, red chilly, and garlic to make it more authentic. Also interested in trying ginger, clove and cinnamon in our Thanksgiving pumpkin pie with the maple gingersnap crust. Very intriguing!
This is fantastic! It seems like such a simple concept, but at the same time I’m intrigued as to how these spice drops are actually manufactured. Most extracts are solved in alcohol or oil. If I win, I’d like to toy around with this product to see if a DIY home version might be possible 🙂
Hi Monica,
I would REALLY like to have the Spice Drops, because I am working on a project in which I could really use them–it is either that or try to make such things myself, which is a rather offputting task. (I would run out and by them if they were available in the United States!)
What a neat idea!! It’s almost like a woman getting dressed and adding a final dab of perfume, except in this case it is to enhance the cooked dish with a little more oomph….
I would certainly buy to have in my kitchen
These sound SO interesting. My spice drawer has filled to overflowing as I’ve explored cooking Indian recipes. What a wonderful way to experience the thrill of saffron without the challenge of measuring and dissolving the strands (or investing a small fortune!).
Hi,
Tasted tea masala drops at somebody’s place and its awesome. Just my taste! I want to try more varieties. Where in mumbai can i get it? Does it need refrigeration?
Please reply.
i would like chai masala drops would u please post me if i order from uk?
thank you Ishall wait for an early reply
how to order the products i like to know
Fatima – Thanks for your question. You will need to contact the company directly. I do not know if they sell in the UK.
i need complet range of spice drop but in varanasi there is no option . so please send or give contact.my no. 09415285818
Spice drop can be purchased online from amazon.in