For allspice, it is not necessary to use a large, fancy berry, but a small size which is fairly free from sticks, stones, and decayed or pithy berries will answer the purpose just as well. The relative values of samples can be compared by inspecting them and noting the percentage of foreign and decayed material. As to cloves, it is again not necessary to use a fancy article, although all varieties will not impart exactly the same flavor, just as in the case of cassia a different flavor is obtained from Saigon and China cassia. Some packers like the flavor of the Zanzibar cloves, while others give another variety slight preference, chief among which are the Penang, Amboyna, and Pemba. Penang and Banda are the fanciest varieties of mace, but some of the other varieties are all right for catsup, with the exception of Bombay mace, which has no flavor, and is considered an adulterant. Use of Essential Oils In many cases spices are not used at all, but their essential oils are used instead. In other cases both spices and oils are used. Some packers object to the use of cloves on account of the large amount of tannic acid they contain (usually from 16 to 20%), which it is thought has a darkening tendency, especially if any iron is present, and it is also thought that other darkening substances are extracted from the cloves. If the essential oil is used, this is avoided. Essential oils, when added properly, produce a catsup of good flavor, and the product is in every way acceptable. A better flavor, however, can be obtained by the use of whole spices. A water extract obtained from whole spices is different from the essential oil of the spice. It contains the essential oil, part of it at least, but it also contains other substances which impart flavor. The flavor produced by whole spices is not quite as harsh as that produced by essential oils. “Harsh” is not exactly the word, but it comes about as close to it as anything I can think of. The whole spices impart a wealth of flavor, but there is freedom from “strongness,” or any faint suggestion of a “drugstore taste.” I have tasted catsups made with oils in which this “drugstore taste”—I use the term for lack of a better one—was apparent, and it may have been due to the quality of the essential oils used, but more than likely was due to the fact that they were not properly administered. It is necessary to get the oils thoroughly and evenly incorporated into the catsup without volatilizing too much of them. How to Add Essential Oils