When I walk through the door at Goumanyat et son Royaume, I'm greeted by a cascade of bells and then the trickle of an indoor waterfall. It's a brief moment of calm before the sensory overload begins. I'm in the best spice shop in Paris, and my eyes and nose are going to be working overtime.

All photos: Mu Foo 

I begin to scan the shelves and am soon approached by a friendly, soft-spoken man. This is Jean Marie Thiercelin, sixth generation owner, whose family has been trading in since 1809. He gives me a lengthy lesson about the history of saffron, complete with old photos of his grandparents, and then offers to take me to the bar. "Le Sniff Bar," that is.

Le Sniff Bar consists of more than twenty glass containers. Their contents range from the highest quality clove and star anise – two ingredients for which the shop is known – to specialties that Jean Marie creates himself. A blend like poivre de dames – a mix of pepper and Iranian rose petals – might be crafted especially for a local chef. Top restaurants across the city source their spices from la Maison Thiercelin, and Jean Marie counts chefs like Pierre Gagnaire among his clients and friends. He lifts the lid on jar after jar, and I'm intoxicated from the heady mix of stories and smells.

Jean Marie then invites me to explore the Chinese apothecary chests that house hundreds of powder-filled drawers. "The chests make sense," he explains. “Spice merchants were the original druggists.” He then excuses himself to greet some other clients in perfect English. There is plenty to keep me occupied, and I begin to fill a basket with delicacies. Low prices make it easy to experiment (saffron vinegar, smoked salt…) without breaking the bank.

Beyond spices, Goumanyat also sells books, high-quality knives, and cookware like Le Creuset. Not exactly easy to carry home in a suitcase, but nonetheless fun to drool over.

Down in the basement there's a carefully-stocked wine cellar and a demonstration kitchen. Cooking classes are taught here on Saturday afternoons. They cost 89€ for a three-hour session, and the theme changes every month. Sign up in November, for example, and you'll learn how to put on a twelve-course holiday meal. December on the other hand, is for serious foie gras gluttons. The fun part about these classes, explains Jean Marie, is that you can just run upstairs to the shop if you need a pinch of oregano.

When I finally leave Goumanyat, I'm shocked to discover that the afternoon is nearly over. The cure for my sensory overload is waiting across the street at Café Crème, where locals are gathering for the apéro. I sit among them and am joined by a friend for a pre-dinner drink. Sipping glasses of pastis, we turn the pages of Saffron: the Gold of Cuisine, Jean Marie’s book, and begin to dream about what we can cook.

GOUMANYAT ET SON ROYAUME, 3 rue Charles-François Dupuis, 75003.

CAFÉ CRÈME; 4 rue Dupetit-Thouars, 75003.