The easiest way to tell whether a spice is of good quality is through its aroma. Sometimes, spices can be cheaply imitated especially the overly expensive ones just like cardamom. Cardamom pods are usually large. Bright green cardamoms or a yellowish one are noted to be of low-quality. It’s either an artificial color has been used, thus the bright green color, or it has been wrongly dried, making it look yellowish.