Clove was once at the center of the global spice trade and remains an important and well-used spice today. Popular in Middle Eastern, north African, Chinese, and Indian cuisines, cloves also have a history of use in Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine practices. Ground cloves are valued for their stimulating aromatics and can be added to seasoning blends, coffee, tea, mulled wine, baked goods, extracts, and more.

An extensively utilized culinary spice since ancient times, clove rivals other well-known spices such as cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg for popularity. Clove is used in liqueurs and mulled wine, perfumes and even love potions. 

Clove is a small evergreen tree with smooth gray bark and large, bright green, aromatic and lanceolate shaped leaves. The flowers grow in yellow to bright red clusters at the end of branches. It is in the Myrtaceae family, with relatives ranging from guava to allspice to eucalyptus. The clove of commerce is the pink or reddish flower bud that turns dark brown when dried. The entire tree is highly aromatic and its Latin specific name aromaticum, refers to this intense aroma. The generic name Syzygium is based on the Greek word 'syzygos', that means 'paired or joined' and is in reference to the petals which are joined. The common name 'clove,' a derivative of the Latin 'clavus' meaning 'nail,' and refers to the shape of the clove. Clove is native to the Maluku or Molucca Islands (often referred to as the Spice Islands, due, in part, to the abundance of clove) in Indonesia.