Spice Station

Voilà un petit endroit dont mon copain m’avait parlé et que j’avais bien hâte d’aller visiter.
C’est une boutique où on retrouve des épices de toutes sortes. Natures ou mélangées. Il y a des sels de différentes provenance ou assaisonnés, des poivres, des thés, des tisanes, des mélanges d’épices maison et des épices à boulangerie et à pâtisserie.
Je vous suggère: Veggie Seasons, Grecco Power et Sweet & sour sunday.
Comment ça fonctionne? C’est bien simple: les murs sont couvertes de petits échantillons que vous pouvez sentir à votre guise. Une commis est là pour vous aider ou vous suggérer au besoin. Vous faites vos choix et une fois que c’est fait, la commis met tout ça dans de petits sachets scellés hermétiquement pour les garder fraîches et savoureuses le plus longtemps possible.
J’aime bien le concept.

This place is so, so amazing. Everything in jars that you can open and smell and check out. I bought a variety of different rubs and chile blends to bring back to my roommate in Vancouver who now demands them every time I go to Montréal.
The biggest issue I tend to find with buying spices is freshness — whenever I end up in a store buying spices, they’re often a bit old. Not the case here at all.

Why on EARTH would you ever buy a prepackaged spice again!!! Don’t let your lack of spice connoisseurship stop you from just coming in to get Rosemary or whatever. This place is a real feast for the senses.
This is an authentic spice market, with all the variety and beauty of those one might find in Turkey or Morocco, but re-​designed to suit some of the more funky enclaves in North America.
This place has it all. Infused salts (try the ghost pepper and bonfire salts), middle eastern specialties (three country-​specific Za’atar mixes, turkish sumac), indian black cardamom, dozens of infused sugars, teas, and on. They make a lot of signature mixes themselves. Everything is sold in bulk, measured and zip-​loc bagged to order.
***TIP 1: Not sure how much you need? Just start with one ounce samples. That will take you pretty far.***
***TIP 2: You can open the small sample jars that line the right-​hand wall to smell the contents.***
Highly recommended.
Rating Scale:
1 Star: Avoid the town in which this place is located just to be safe.
2 Star: With so many great places to choose from, why risk this one?
3 Star: I’ll try it again or consume here in a pinch.
4 Star: I go here regularly if financially and/​or calorically feasible.
5 Star: I look forward to taking my wife or friends here.

As soon as you walk in, your visual and olfactory senses are overloaded by an overwhelming number of exotic colors and fragrances. The place isn’t that big, but when you step into this world of color and smell, and later taste if you’re lucky, you’re being transported into an expansive gourmet paradise of only the best of the best spices you will ever find in Montréal. No other store, including the markets, even comes close in terms of variety, freshness, and service from the knowledgable staff. Peter, the owner, started the Spice Station in L.A.‘s hip Silverlake community, and just opened up this outpost here in his native Montréal on a great street in the Mile End. If you’re lucky enough to find him alone for a few minutes, he’ll be your guide through a Willy Wonka-​esque world of pure imagination, but with spices instead of candy. In his calm stentorian voice, he’ll explain the cultural background and history of the products, and describe the places where he has traveled to find and source them. He also has a great selection of teas. It’s an absolute must for foodies.