Of course. I have a wooden one I’ve used for about 40 years and a ceramic one too. I use them for grinding herbs. I cannot imagine making chili without freshly toasted and ground cumin seed. The pre-ground stuff has very little flavor. I can’t see being without one. I have a Krups coffee mill, the inexpensive oval shaped one that I use for some herbs and spices but the mortar and pestle gets more of a work out…we don’t drink coffee so there are no coffee oils blending with the herbs in the coffee grinder. I specify the oval grinder because the shapes throws the material back into the center for more even grinding.