Penzeys Spices

I was happy when a Penzeys Spices came to the East Side of Madison. Great store, not as big as the University Store, but easier for those who live in Sun Prairie and the East Side. Staff is always friendly and knowledgeable. Great thing about all Penzey stores is that you can smell the spice/​herbs before purchase. I also love all the recipes they give out at the store.

Penzeys is a place of beauty for the eyes and the nose (and once you’re home and cooking, the mouth!). Marvelous spices and seasoning from wall to wall with helpful and knowledgeable service. Really reasonable prices for the high quality of product. Plus, they’re a Wisconsin company, so I’m extra proud of that.

This is my first experience in a Penzey’s store. The staff was extremely helpful. I really liked the set-​up of the store and the ability to smell the different spices in sample containers. My family started to cook with Penzey’s spices and got me hooked! Reasonably priced for very high-​quality spices! I will definitely be back! Thank you for a great experience picking out my spices!

So happy to have an East Side Penzey’s!
+ Great stuff, friendly staff.
+ Great hours; open until 7pm most nights
+ Plenty of parking in the lot

My go to local source for spices
As a cooking enthusiast, I was thrilled to see that Penzey’s opened a new store near East Townee Mall earlier this year. I almost exclusively rely on their products for dried spices and seasonings. Other than some eclectic Asian spices, I can pretty much find whatever I need there.
The store is basically a carbon copy of the store on University Ave. While things are sorted by alphabetical order, they do have separate sections for things like baking ingredients, chilis, pepper etc., which can be a little confusing when you get to the P section and can’t find pepper because it is in a separate section. But it’s not a large store, so eventually you’ll figure it out.
The staff is generally pretty laid back. They greet you when you enter, let you do your shopping and are available when you have a question.
They sell spices in various quantities, but remember that spices have a shelf life of six to twelve months, so the half pound bag of cumin may seem like a bargain on a per ounce basis, but if you are going to use an ounce per year, stick with the smaller quantity.
Even though Penzey’s can be a little more expensive than your local supermarket, the quality level of the product is consistently high and because it is a specialty purveyor, the product on the shelf is fresher
Some of the products I really love:
* Pure vanilla extract — the gold standard for vanilla
* Ground chipotle pepper — infuses a wonderful smoky flavor to my Mexican dishes
* Extra Fancy Vietnamese Cassia Cinnamon — The cinnamon choice of America’s Test Kitchen, ‘nuf said
* Dutch process high fat cocoa powder — make a chocolate cake with this stuff and you’ll have the unconditional love of your kids, trust me
* Whole Special Extra Bold Indian Black Peppercorns — the «Bold» is in the description for a reason, these peppercorns pack some serious heat.