As with coffee beans and wine grapes, varieties of peppercorns can have different flavor characteristics that are dependent on climate, soil and growing conditions.

• Malabar peppercorns, from India, are small, full-bodied, strong, aromatic, and a favorite of many.
• Tellicherry peppercorns, from the Malabar region, are larger and milder, and considered the best for grinding fresh in a peppermill.
• Lampong peppercorns, grown in Indonesia, have a very bold and pungent flavor - even stronger than Malabar.
• Muntok pepper, a relative of Lampong, is grown exclusively for making white pepper.

Pepper was once more valuable than gold; such was its importance to the world. It is used in virtually every cuisine on the planet, and is the only spice worthy of its own shaker along with salt at the table - don’t fill yours with anything but the best. At Watkins, we buy top-quality Malabar and Lampong peppercorns, then granulate them through our exclusive process, which preserves their high essential oil content. Watkins Pepper is sneeze proof because it is granulated.

See Watkins 1868 Online catalog for Canadian prices.

Watkins Pure Ground Black Pepper, tin

00582 - Organic Ground Black Pepper, tin 4 oz/113g - $6.99
21602 - Organic Ground Black Pepper, glass jar - $5.99
21616 - Organic Lemon Pepper Blend, glass jar - $6.49
21639 - Organic Black Peppercorns (whole), glass jar - $6.49

All-Natural Gourmet Whole Peppercorn Grinders

21680 - Organic Peppercorn Blend Grinder - $7.99
21681 - Organic Black Peppercorn Grinder - $7.99
21685 - Organic Garlic Peppercorn Grinder - $7.99

A Heritage of Gourmet Flavors

Watkins Black Pepper (along with other ground spices and vanilla) were awarded the Gold Medal at the 1928 International Exposition in Paris. If you stacked up all the containers of Black Pepper Watkins has sold since 1895, it would be 51,826 times taller than the Eiffel Tower!

From Watkins 1937 Almanac

"Almost every order that the Watkins Dealer gets from his customer ends up with '....and a can of pepper.' For 69 years the House of Watkins has enjoyed an enviable reputation for the superior quality and the fine flavor of its spices.

Watkins Pepper is granulated from the most expensive grade of Tellicherry Pepper. The pepper berries are granulated - not ground - because ordinary grinding would break the oil cells and allow the flavor to evaporate. That's why Watkins Pepper keeps its pep. It is stronger and goes further."

General Description

Pepper is the dried berry of Piper nigrum. This vine which can grow up to ten feet tall is indigenous to India and Asia. Pepper is actually berries that are picked about nine months after flowering. (This is true pepper, and should not be confused with paprika, cayenne pepper, chili pepper, red pepper, and bell pepper, which are fruits from the capiscum family.) Black Pepper, the spiciest, is berries that are picked unripe. The berries used for White Pepper are ripened on the vine and soaked so that their outer hulls are easily removed. Green Peppercorns are immature berries which are freezedried or packed in brine for preservation.

History/Region of Origin

Since the Roman times, Pepper has been the most important spice. The cities of Alexandria, Genoa, and Venice owed their economic success to Pepper. Three thousand year old Sanskrit literature mentions Pepper. It was one of the earliest items traded Asia and Europe. In 1101, victorious Genovese soldiers were each given two pounds of Pepper as a gift for their successful Palestinian conquest. In the Middle Ages, Europeans often used Pepper to pay rent, dowries, and taxes, and Shakespeare mentions Pepper in his plays. The need for Pepper inspired Spanish exploration and spice trade in the 15th century.

Order Watkins Pepper - Watkins 1868 Online Catalog