Olmec Mortar and Pestle

Regarding Ironwood Acacia Wooden Mortar & Pestle, Here is why this particular mortar & pestle are worth your consideration: If you are going to use this wooden device in the kitchen, (as opposed to just putting it on display), it is good for grinding. I have visited about 4 major well known stores, and checked out about 10 different wooden motars (on line as well), and none of the wooden mortars had the features for which mortars are really used. This mortar did have the important features: (1) the pestle tip is nice and wide, about 2.5 inch diameter, angled. This makes it practical to grind things. (2) The mortar has a wide opening, 4 inches diameter, yet it is not too deep. The depth is about 1.5 to 1.75 inches, and the depression or inner surface is round. So if you want to crush, say seeds, then you have practical access to do so. (3) the top end of the pestle is comfortable to handle firmly, which is important if you want to really crush things in there; the handle is about 4 inches on length. 80% of the wooden mortars that I have seen were either too small, the pestle was too thin, or the mortar was so deep that it would not be practical to use for small crushing jobs. Believe me, if you want to crush more, you will probably just want to buy a mortar with a 10 or 16 inch diameter, and you'll need major muscle to actually crush something. In such case, I would just use a food processor. One more point that people do not seem to get: although wood is not the perfect material for grinding (because you need to be carefull to crush mostly dry ingredients, and because the wooden surface is rather smooth) -- wood could possibly be the most inert material to use if you care about health. Companies that sell metal, stone, earthen ware, or marble materials, do not tell you the chemical makeup of the material. When you grind food, small bits of the mortar and pestle actually come off and get into your foods. These amounts are really very tiny. So if you get some extremely tiny amount of the wood in your diet, that is usually perfectly fine. This is not necesarily the case with metals or stones. Unless the mortar manufacturer specifically certifies the quality of the material in writing, you do not know what bits of the material you are ingesting. For example, metal and stone mortars will enrich your food with certain minerals and possibly some heavy metals. Some of these minerals, like calcium, are okay. But you really cannot be sure if some of these materials contain excess amounts of poisonous lead, cadmium, etc. Even tiny amounts of lead or heavy metals can actually make you less healthy. That is why I chose a wooden mortar. Wood does not guaranty that you will not encounter something bad, but Wood does not typically contain such heavy metals. I look for a mortar which is not coated with paints or varnishes-- because as you may have guessed, these also end up in your food when you grind with the mortar and pestle. My only negative point about this mortar is that it is not made of one solid piece of wood. This could be a problem, because the parts will eventually split apart if you are not carefull to only grind seeds, dry herbs, and low-moisture items. Though I do wash it with soapy water quickly and immediately dry it after each use. The thing about it not being from a single piece of wood, is also that some kind of cement or glue must have been used to put the pieces together, so go figure what's in there. A word to the wise: if you use a wooden mortar, you might consider not grinding strong tasting things in there like garlic, cinnamon, or cloves, because you will get that flavor in you next grind session. I usually grind seeds and some spices which are not too strong, and use a hand-held garlic press for the garlic. Then I mix everything later in a separate bowl. If you really are not concerned about ingesting stone, then a big earthen ware or volcanic stone with a wide pestle tip - would be more practical than a wooden one. It all depends on your interests. For food, I shoot for a good piece of wood mortar. I am writing this review because this is the type of review that I wanted to find when I was looking for a motar and pestle. So now there is one, if you are still reading it. One last note: I use the mortar to grind small bits of ingredients, so I will not have to pull out my food processor and then have to clean all the parts. Be aware that you really need a bit of vigorous and controlled muscle action to grind things with a mortar. Strength & patients is needed with tougher ingredients, like flax seeds. If you have pains or carpal tunnel syndrome, then maybe a mortar is not your best option. But a typical little coffee grinder is not necessarily appropriate for grinding certain foods, so that is why I now have a wooden mortar & pestle as well. My coffee grinder instructions say not to grind oily seeds, like flax or peanuts. There is a reason for that! Good luck in your search!

Very nice set. Great having it!

This worked out great for our garlic and herbs. We needed something that would help when cooking but was durable yet pretty. The wood is strong and thick. The stain is a lovely walnut. Good grade item and coating. The handle is easy to hold and comfortable. The size is a good size but it is on the smaller end. So that I would consider. It’s perfect for us but if making larger sides or preparing more I would suggest the larger size. Very pretty in the counter top and easy to clean.Update: After sometime not too much use, the wood seems to be fading and white markings. We hand wash it and dry right away, but the sealant finish is not protecting the wood. It still works but it's starting to not look so pretty anymore. Sadly I think may get a marble one. Love the finish,shape, and style of this one but with continued use and washing dont think it will last long with its aesthetic look and sealed protection.

I've had for a while now and I use it a few times a week. So far it's amazing.

This set has the best pestle of them all. It is round and mushroom like at one end and narrow and flat at the other. With the round end it allows it to cover a larger surface by pressing and rocking, while the flat end is great for crushing hard seeds like coriander or pepper corns. The disadvantage of having both surfaces smooth is that it pushes around semisoft stuff like chunks of garlic and can not trap and crush them with ease. Ideally, the mortar should be rough and the pestle made of hard wood so that the stone pestle doesn't wear. I purchased a "Giovy Brands USA Granite Mortar and Pestle Set " also from Amazon and use the granite mortar with the acacia wood pestle.

I use it for everything that needs pulverizing!!! The mating geometry of the pestle and well are really well designed. They make it really easy to take on the task of, well, smashing up stuff.I oil it every time I use, once it's dry of course, with olive oil and it keeps it nice.According to my tape measure, and my aging, yet recently calibrated, eye balls, the outside diameter is about 5-7/8" the inside top edge of the well is close to 4" and is near to 2" deep at the center of the well. The total height is about 2-3/4"One thing I've noticed, when researching items on Amazon, is that in the "Product Details" area, the "product dimensions" and "weight" are sometimes misleading as they often refer to the outside dimensions and the weight of the packaging for the item. It's best to find the product dimensions down in the "Product Description" area, but in this case, no go. The lights were on, but no dimensions were home. So you roll the dice and figure it might be a bit smaller than stated in the "Product Details" area . Or you look for one that has more precise dimensional information and call it a day. There's no point in getting all bent out of shape over it my dear.In the final analyses, I'm glad I got this smashing tool, if you get it, you'll probably be glad too!!!!

I ordered this mortar and pestle because the pestle shown in the pictures has a flared end with enough surface area to get the job done. That's actually the express reason I bought this particular set.Unfortunately, what arrived is a very sad imitation of what is pictured. So much so that there's no reason for me to take the mortar out of the wrap it came in - I'm going to pop down to the UPS store and return this less than an hour after opening the package and being very disappointed.It's rare that I return items and I almost never write negative reviews (don't remember the last one) and perhaps I'm being too harsh...please look at the pictures and decide for yourself.

As others have said, the pestle is not the same one pictured. I'm bummed, but still gave it 3 stars because it does most of what I need it to do.