Black pepper is black pepper, right? Chilli pepper are just chilli peppers, right? Not true.
Over the past year or so I’ve purchased a number of prices Diaspora Co., and I have some thoughts about the company and their products
What Is Diaspora Co.?
Diaspora Co., or Diaspora Company, which you can visit at diasporaco.com, is a web-based spice company that sources a number of spice (about 30) from farms in India and Sri Lanka. They then prepare, package, a sometimes blends those spices and they make them available through their website as well as through any number of resellers.
You may have read about Diaspora as being an inspirational, woman-founded business or through any of a huge number of recommendations in cooking magazines, but personally it introduced to me as a gift. I was given some of their black pepper and chilli spice and I was instantly intrigued by the freshness and flavor.
Diaspora Co.’s Best Product?
If you are new to the brand and want to just get one thing I’d highly recommend the Sirārakhong Hāthei Chillies. Yes, they cost me $12 plus shipping (and waiting) for 50 grams of chilli pepper powder, but I’m honestly hooked on them.
These are the sort of mildly spicy, flavor-forward heat that I love to add to any plain dish I’m eating — fried eggs, roasted chicken, peas with ground meat, brown rice, pasta with tomato sauce… any of the boring stuff that gets me through the work week. They are smoky and bright, with a comfortable heat that I really love.
Diaspora’s flavor notes talk about oak and whiskey notes that I don’t get at all, but they definitely have some smokiness to them that I thoroughly enjoy.
The Sirarakhong chillies are now a pantry staple for me. Full stop.
And while I get a lot of enjoyment out of them I have to admit that it is annoying that I can only buy them online, they are rather expensive, and when I buy them they can take over 10 days to get to me as Diaspora’s shipping (while reliable) has been rather slow.
Other Recommendations From Diaspora Co.
I’ve done a few orders from Diaspora and wanted to deliver some thoughts about the other products of theirs that I’ve tried (and mostly enjoyed!):
- Aranya Pepper: A top pick. This is great alternative to regular black pepper, and it’s definitely worth trying. It’s pepper, but a bit more earthy and a bit more fruity.
- Guntur Sannam Chillies: This is chilli pepper like the Sirarakhong, but from India’s Andhra Pradesh region. This one is a bit hotter and a bit smokier, but I find it to be less fruity and a good deal less interesting than the Sirarakhong.
- Wild Heimang Sumac: This is very good, but perhaps I’m less picky about my sumac as I didn’t notice a huge difference between this and a standard Whole Foods sumac.
- Tandoori Masala: A fun spice mix that has cardamom, fenugreek, cinnamon and other traditional tandoori grilling flavors. Another favorite.
- Chai Masala: Personally I’m not a fan of chai, but I’m told by people who I’ve gifted this to that it’s heavy on spicy flavor and quite good
- Makhir Ginger: Not drastically different than a nice ginger powder, but it’s quick fresh and quite sharp in its flavor
The same complaint can be lodged about all these prices: they are expensive and inconvenient when you can go to any supermarket and buy something similar, but I’d contest that for some spices — chilli in particular — it’s well worth it to upgrade.
Diaspora Co. Review In Short
Ultimately, I’m a fan. This company offer great flavors and prices that, while more than a supermarket, are within reach for me and most flavor fans. They are clearly thoughtful about the products they produce and while I’ve not spoken much about the mission of the company and they good they do, it does seem like the extra money I spend is going to a good place.
I’d very much say this is a brand other trying and I’m happy to have spent my money with them.