Organic Tarragon

Smith & Truslow Organic Tarragon is USDA certified organic, carefully dried and third-party tested for heavy metals — delivering the distinctive, sophisticated, anise-like, slightly sweet and herbaceous flavor that makes tarragon one of the most elegant, most culinarily refined, and most indispensable herbs in French cooking and one of the most underused and most rewarding herbs in the modern American kitchen.

Our organic tarragon is made from premium certified organic French tarragon leaves — carefully dried to preserve their essential oils, delicate green color, and the subtle, complex aromatic character that makes great dried tarragon so much more nuanced and sophisticated than the faded, flavorless tarragon that most home cooks have encountered in a grocery store jar. Whether you're making a classic béarnaise sauce, building a fines herbes blend, seasoning a roasted chicken, flavoring a classic French vinaigrette, building a tarragon compound butter for finishing grilled fish, seasoning a chicken salad, adding the distinctive anise note to a cream sauce, building a classic poulet à l'estragon, or simply reaching for the herb that instantly elevates a dish from good to genuinely French, Smith & Truslow organic tarragon delivers a freshness, complexity, and aromatic elegance that grocery store dried tarragon simply cannot match.

What Does Tarragon Taste Like — and Why Is It So Uniquely Elegant?

Tarragon is one of the most distinctive and instantly recognizable herbs in the culinary world — and one of the most difficult to describe to someone who has never tasted it. The flavor is simultaneously anise-like and herbaceous, slightly sweet and subtly bitter, with a clean, cool, slightly minty finish that is entirely unlike any other culinary herb. The dominant aromatic compound in French tarragon is estragole — a naturally occurring phenylpropanoid that delivers the characteristic anise-like sweetness that makes tarragon so distinctive — alongside ocimene and other terpenes that add green, slightly citrusy, herbaceous complexity. Unlike star anise or fennel — which deliver a bold, assertive anise flavor — tarragon's anise character is subtle, refined, and delicate, more suggestion than statement, which is precisely what makes it so versatile and so beloved in French cooking. It adds sophistication without assertiveness, complexity without competition, and an ineffable elegance that distinguishes French cooking from every other culinary tradition in the world.

Tarragon — The Most French of All Herbs

Tarragon is so deeply embedded in French culinary culture that it is sometimes called the king of herbs in France — a title that reflects its extraordinary importance to the flavor philosophy of classical French cooking. It is one of the four classic fines herbes — alongside parsley, chervil, and chives — the foundational herb blend of French cuisine that seasons omelettes, fish, and delicate preparations where a light, sophisticated herb character is essential. It is the defining herb of béarnaise sauce — the classic French reduction of white wine, vinegar, and shallots finished with butter and tarragon that is the great accompaniment to grilled beef and one of the most beloved sauces in the entire classical repertoire. It is the seasoning of poulet à l'estragon — the braised chicken with tarragon cream sauce that is one of the most celebrated dishes of French provincial cooking. It flavors the classic French tarragon vinegar — an essential pantry staple in every serious French kitchen — and the tarragon mustard that is a cornerstone of French condiment culture. Understanding tarragon as the defining herb of French culinary elegance positions it not as an exotic specialty ingredient but as an essential building block of the most refined and beloved cooking tradition in the world.

French Tarragon vs Russian Tarragon — A Critical Distinction

Not all tarragon is equal — and the distinction between French tarragon and Russian tarragon is one of the most practically important and least understood facts in the herb world. French tarragon — Artemisia dracunculus var. sativa — is the culinary tarragon used in classical French cooking and virtually every recipe that calls for tarragon. It has the characteristic subtle, refined anise flavor, delicate texture, and aromatic complexity that make it so valued in fine cooking. Russian tarragon — Artemisia dracunculoides — is an entirely different variety with a coarser texture, much weaker flavor, and almost none of the characteristic anise character that makes French tarragon so distinctive. Russian tarragon is easier to grow, more widely available, and significantly cheaper — which is why it is used in most commercial dried tarragon products without disclosure. The practical result is that many home cooks who have used dried tarragon and found it flavorless or disappointing were using Russian tarragon without knowing it — and have never experienced the genuine flavor of real French tarragon. Smith & Truslow Organic Tarragon is French tarragon — the genuine culinary variety — delivered in certified organic form with the freshness and aromatic integrity that makes the difference between tarragon that disappoints and tarragon that transforms.

Why Our Organic Tarragon Is Different

Most conventional dried tarragon sold in American grocery stores is Russian tarragon rather than French tarragon — delivering little of the characteristic anise-like flavor that makes real tarragon so valued in French cooking. Even when French tarragon is used, conventional versions are grown with synthetic pesticides, irradiated to extend shelf life, and dried at high temperatures that degrade the delicate essential oils responsible for tarragon's distinctive aromatic character. Some cheaper brands blend dried tarragon with stems, filler plant material, and low-grade tarragon byproducts to increase volume at the expense of the clean, leaf-only flavor that makes premium dried tarragon so aromatic and effective. Not ours. Every lot of Smith & Truslow organic tarragon is made from 100% certified organic French tarragon leaves with nothing added — no fillers, no stems, no anticaking agents, no irradiation — and tested by an accredited third-party lab against heavy metal specifications more stringent than industry standards. Pure French tarragon leaves. Genuine anise character. Nothing hidden.

How to Use Organic Tarragon

• Build classic béarnaise sauce with tarragon, white wine, vinegar, and shallots
• Season poulet à l'estragon — French braised chicken with tarragon cream sauce
• Blend fines herbes with parsley, chervil, and chives for classic French cooking
• Build tarragon compound butter for finishing grilled fish, chicken, and steaks
• Season classic French vinaigrette with tarragon and Dijon mustard
• Add to homemade tarragon vinegar for a classic French pantry staple
• Season chicken salad, egg salad, and light summer salads with tarragon character
• Add to cream sauces for fish — sole meunière, poached salmon, and seafood preparations
• Build classic French omelette aux fines herbes with tarragon, parsley, and chives
• Season roasted chicken, chicken breasts, and whole poultry inside and out
• Add to mayonnaise, aioli, and tarragon-flavored condiments
• Season steamed or roasted asparagus, artichokes, and spring vegetables
• Add to potato salad, new potato dishes, and creamy potato preparations
• Blend into homemade tarragon mustard and French-inspired condiments
• Season white fish, scallops, and delicate seafood preparations

Certifications & Testing

• Certified organic by the Colorado Department of Agriculture (USDA NOP)
• Certified gluten-free by the Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG) — less than 10ppm
• Certified kosher by Earth Kosher
• Third-party tested for heavy metals: lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium
• No fillers, no anticaking agents, no irradiation
• Non-irradiated — steam sterilized only

Available in a 1.7 oz jar (by volume) and refill bag. Free shipping on orders over $85.

Also try our Organic Parsley and Organic Thyme — or browse our full line of USDA certified organic herbs

Below are the test results for the organic tarragon lots that we currently have in stock

View Heavy Metal Test Results for Organic Tarragon Lot 3754

Organic Tarragon Spec Sheet