Here is a mix-up that costs people money. A buyer asks for “cardamom” from Indonesia, gets a price that looks surprisingly low, and then opens a sample of small, round, creamy white pods that look nothing like the green ones they know. Nobody cheated anyone. It is simply a different spice.
Two plants, one name
The cardamom most of the world knows is green cardamom, Elettaria cardamomum, grown mostly in India and Guatemala. What Indonesia grows and exports is Java cardamom, Amomum compactum, called kapulaga at home and often “round cardamom” in the trade. The two plants are related, and they share some of the same aroma, but they are not the same thing.
| Java cardamom | Green cardamom | |
|---|---|---|
| Botanical name | Amomum compactum | Elettaria cardamomum |
| Grown mainly in | Indonesia (Java) | India, Guatemala, Sri Lanka |
| Pod shape | Round, almost a little ball | Oval, with three sides |
| Colour as sold | Creamy white (bleached) to light brown | Green |
| Aroma | Warm, with a cool camphor and eucalyptus note | Sweet, floral, intense |
| Price | Lower | Higher |
How they taste, and where each one fits
Java cardamom smells cooler and more camphor-like, with a gentle sweetness underneath. In Indonesia it goes into curries and rice dishes, and into jamu, the herbal drinks people take for warmth and digestion. Abroad it is used in spice blends, seasonings, herbal products and by extract and oil producers. Some coffee and tea blenders use it too, when they want a strong cardamom note without paying green cardamom prices.
Green cardamom is the more delicate, floral one. It is what goes into Arabic coffee, Indian sweets and Scandinavian baking. If your customers expect that exact flavour, Java cardamom will not replace it. If you need cardamom aroma in a blend, a drink or an extract, it is often the smarter buy.
Why the pods are white
After picking, the pods are cleaned and dried. Many export lots are then bleached to a creamy white, because that is the look most importers of Indonesian round cardamom are used to. If you prefer natural, unbleached pods, just say so. Before packing, the pods are sieved and sorted to take out stalks, broken pods and dust.
The numbers to agree
Whole dried pods are the standard form. Moisture usually sits around 10 to 12%. Essential oil content tells you how strong the aroma will be, and it is worth asking about if flavour strength matters to you. Add limits for ash and foreign matter, mainly stalks and empty pods. Our working figures are on the cardamom specification.
Before you ask for a price
Please check that Java cardamom is really what you want. We would rather say this now than have you surprised by the sample. Then tell us the colour (bleached or natural), how you plan to use it, the volume and the destination port.
We sell whole Java cardamom pods, FOB Surabaya, and we are happy to send a sample before a first order. Get in touch here.
