Tucked on a side street off of the busy Guide Meridian Street in Bellingham is Spice Hut, a bright, colorful shop filled with everything you need to make your life a little more exotic —and a lot more flavorful. Established in 2004, Spice Hut is located at 131 Kellogg Road, between Cordata and the Guide, and close to Costco, Whatcom Community College, and Bellis Fair Mall. The shop is family owned by Harmundir and Tanvir Sidhu, who know where to source the best quality teas and spices, and who present them with an enthusiasm and passion that you can't help but feel. Come in to browse, learn, smell and taste, and you'll leave a more knowledgeable and happy person.
Around the shop, you'll find teas and spices from all over the world, as well as Spice Hut's own seasoning blends and boxed teas, plus teapots, mugs, canisters, and accessories to make drinking tea a special, everyday event—as it should be. 
Hundreds of varieties of loose teas line the back wall, including classic black, green, oolong, white, and herbal. Or choose your favorite chai, matcha, rooibos, mate, flavored black or flavored green tea. Steep them in a "Brown Betty" teapot (above, left), or one of the more artistic examples in the shop (below), and pour your brew into a bright, colorful mug or delicate teacup from Spice Hut's collection. 
Spice Hut's own brand of boxed teas features some of their best sellers inside of convenient, biodegradable sachets. (You can also find Spice Hut teas at Bellingham Haggen stores and the Community Food Co-Ops.) Stop by the tea bar, where you can grab a cup of hot, iced or bubble tea to sip while you shop or to take out the door. I highly recommend the vanilla coconut white tea. Yum! [caption id="attachment_24203" align="aligncenter" width="450"]
Yerba Mate gourds from South America.[/caption]
Professional chefs and dedicated home cooks all know that fresh spices are the best spices. And you can't get any fresher than the whole spices you'll find at Spice Hut. From allspice to saffron, jars full of whole spices are waiting for you to take them home and improve your favorite dishes. Just choose what you need, and the staff will happily grind them for you. 
You can also choose from Spice Hut's signature spice blends, which are non-GMO verified and certified organic. Originating from family recipes, they're blended with freshly ground spices and herbs and packaged on site. Spice Hut's salt-free blends will perk up meats and seafood, and give ethnic dishes the authentic taste you're going for. Whether you're cooking Indian, Thai, Mexican, South American, Italian or American regional cuisine, Spice Hut has the perfect spices. [caption id="attachment_24187" align="aligncenter" width="550"]
Jars of whole spices, seasoning blends and measuring out spice blends.[/caption] Stopping by Spice Hut makes any day a little brighter, and a lot more delicious. Check back here or on their website for information about upcoming cooking classes! (I'm in!) Spice Hut, 131 W Kellogg Rd., Bellingham, WA 98226 360-671-2800 Hours: Monday-Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Spice Hut on Facebook
