Cardamon

I bought this because a friend said cardamon is his favorite spice.  

Or maybe it was Pokemon his favorite cartoon.

It tastes exactly like the extremely strong tiny black licorice-like dots that come in a package intended to disguise breath fouled by alcohol or pot or both. It's a head shop thing. The dots, one dot will  go BLAM in you mouth and it is an explosion of licorice and eucalyptus and camphor all at once, a chemical release, a reaction of astonishing rapidity right there in your mouth, one tiny black seed much smaller than these photos. 

And I cannot imagine a cop not saying after one whiff of that breath emanating from a vehicle, "Who you trying to fool?"

I found that powerful flavor sensation in the seeds denatures by cooking so that very little of it is left. I found also the pods are quite tough and difficult when newer than this. These pods are a few years old in the freezer, languishing because I do not find uses for them. Cutting the seeds out of the husks is a bit of work. These freezer-damaged pods are easier to break open and get at. The black seeds no less powerful. I'm tired of seeing them. I found also the cardamon bought from the grocery store spice racks are pod and seed ground together, its tastes goes thud, and contributes nothing worthwhile that I detect.   

Altogether a powerful seed but one that I have not been able to appreciate by cooking, baking, or in its ground commercial form. 

Epicenter has good comprehensive information on cardamon, best I've seen, especially for general uses for cardamon and how other people manage to appreciate it. Mostly, 80% Arab countries for coffee, and  Scandinavians for use in baking,