The great thing about a Penzey's store is that you can try most of their spices. For me, the nearest store (Madison, WI) is 90 miles away, and I'm a wimp for winter driving and have a babydog I'm still training, so don't want to leave her alone for an all-day affair. So it is nice to know that I've been to the store and sniffed and tasted, then I get their regular catalog (which has great stories and recipes to go with the spices, well worth getting on their snail-mail catalog list), then when I need something I can't get the same quality of here, I order on-line a couple times a year.