Spices & Tease
“It was three large tins for $30, and she really hooked us up with the tea that was packed in there.”
“Some of my favorites blends from Spice and Tease are Jasmine Green Tea, White Tea Spicy Chocolate, and Firecracker.”
“Ginger nut didn't really taste like anything but the rose and lavender were great.”
Spices & Tease
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range Moderate
8 reviews
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Food can be totally delicious. But, think about going to a restaurant or food vendor and eating unseasoned, completely bare food. I'm pretty sure that all of those places would be out of business. If you're looking for the hub of spices and teas, look no further than Spices and Tease.
I picked up some Hawaiian Black Lava Salt because, a) I've never tried it before, and b) It looked really cool (duh). The salt gets its color by mixing it with activated charcoal which is said to give it a distinctive nutty flavor.
And then, because I can never pass up some candy, I got some Fennel Candy. It's one of my favorite parts about dining out at an Indian restaurant, and now I don't have to leave home to enjoy it.
Just phenomenal! Quality customer service, so pleasing to the eyes and the ole factory system, quality spices, phenomenal pepper selection, and some good pricing, if you look. Spices and teas aren't inexpensive, and quality is worth the price tag. It is Grand Central Market. So you know you're going to get a hike in price. I feel that some of the prices a it much, even for the venue and product. But the large tins provide you with a hefty amount of the product, which will last you for some time, and is on par – if not, in some cases, better than – Penzey. I highly recommend checking them out, at the very least, for just the aesthetic fulfillment, if not to stock up on some amazing items.
Lately I've been making a cold brew tea with Spice and Tease's Peach Vanilla White tea: Add 1 teaspoons of tea to 1 cup (or 8oz.) of cold water, stick in the fridge to seep for up to 4 hours (I've actually forgotten my cold brew for a few days and it still turned out fine) then strain. I actually purchase tea filters, which are also available here for ~$8 for a small pack of 100, so all I have to do is remove the tea bag. This is so, so lovely. This tea is normally one of my favorites, but in the summer it's so light, fruity, and refreshing with a hint of vanilla- and it's zero calories!
Spice and Tease's tea blends are really some of the best I've come across, so I don't really try too many different places because, I admit, I once tried to recreate one of my favorite blends from them (Winter Chocolate) and failed miserably. Getting the blend balanced is hard; I've had so many bad ones elsewhere, especially from some of the larger tea chains such as Teavana and Argo. Surprising! In-store I've found their teas OK, purchasing their teas to brew on your own- even following their precise seeping directions- they're just not as good. When I say precise, I mean: I weigh the water, I measure the temperature of it before adding the tea and I time seepage. Forget about teas from places such as Cafe Bene or Coffee tea and Bean Leaf. If they brew you something from a tea bag, you know you're not getting the best stuff.
Some of my favorites blends from Spice and Tease are Jasmine Green Tea, White Tea Spicy Chocolate, and Firecracker. I can't remember if I purchased them online or at this location, but I'm also in love with their Mate Chocolate, Double Dark Chocolate, Winter Chocolate and Mayan Cocoa. Are you starting to see a pattern? My tastes tend to skewer towards that sepia confectionery, but the great thing about chocolate flavored tea is- no calories!
The reason Spice and Tease doesn't get 5 stars from me is: (1) They can be pricey. $7-$9 for 4 ounces- and they don't allow you to purchase less. (2) I didn't find every one of their teas phenomenal- though I suppose that's hard. (3) As another reviewer complained their online ordering sucks, but unfortunately that's the only place where they sell certain teas- namely their Winter Chocolate. Though I was first introduced to their Winter Chocolate at the Union Square Holiday Market. Lastly (4)- this may not be a complaint for this location, I've always had good customer service here- but I once tried to purchase a box of their filters from their Chelsea Market location during the busy holiday season and they wouldn't allow me to purchase it until they'd finished servicing the people before me, and these people were obviously overwhelmed with the choices and taking their sweet-time– when I knew what I wanted. Lame. They could have helped me in a snap and those people still wouldn't have been ready to place their order. I decided to get my tea filter bags from Porto Rico Import instead. They're also cheaper There.
This review is about my shopping experience. I will provide another review after I use the spice given.
This place smells fantastic. I stopped here with my wife while I was in NYC the weekend before Christmas celebrating the holidays. The two of us always come but our party seems to grow a little more every year. With us was a young lady that recently graduated from culinary school and was delighted by the spices in front of her.
We were able to get a large tin of spice for $10+ ($2 more for a premium spice). The first young lady we spoke to was helpful and answered all our questions, even as the stand got busy with the Saturday tourist crowd. We stepped aside to make our decision and to allow her to serve other customers. The young lady that actually rang us up once we finally decided what we wanted to purchase, and her friend were more concerned about how many girls of the opposite race I was with. Nice way to end a good shopping experience.
I have been going to the Grand Central Market over the years and yet this is my first time stopping at Spices & Tease. My BFF has been taking Ginger teas lately and wanted to try Anise tea due to stomach issues. So I need to fine seeds not the stars a decided to come here.
The Spices and Herbs here are not just for cooking but for good heath, Zen, and for making amazing flavored hot and iced teas, like colada hibiscus blend, lavender and strawberry rhubarb black tea, etc.
They also carry salt and pepper set, I counted 16 different peppers and more than 10 types of gourmet salt.
They sell different size packets and tins, I was looking for Anise seeds and they had them and I got a small size packet for $5 which was about 2oz. Another place had the the seed for $9. But other spices are at different prices.
The staff is cool and will give you advise and preparation instructions if you ask.
Great assortment of loose leaf teas and spices to choose from. I had to wait a little since there were only two associates and they were both very busy. I didn't mind since it gave me time to narrow down my tea preferences.
I bought the holiday special of the small tin tea trio with the relaxation blend, chocolate orange, and coconut jasmine green tea. The individuals who received the tons for Christmas absolutely loved them! Reasonable prices to pay for good quality tea.
This place is a must for tea lovers!
Incredibly vast selection of spice blends, salts, herbal teas and accessories.
I was here looking specifically for some tea blends that would make amazing iced teas. I settled on a piña colada hibiscus blend and a strawberry rhubarb black tea. Since the small tins were 3 for $20 we decided to try the stress blocker tea which was a mix of lavender and other flavors that are supposed to zen you out.
Yes, prices are steep but I've personally never bought good quality loose tea that wasn't expensive and it usually is a good amount to last you quite some time.
They also have some pre-packaged teas and spices making this a wonderful place to stop and buy holiday gifts for the foodies and herbal tea drinkers in your lives.
Though it's been months since my last visit to Spices & Tease, I absolutely love this place. I once stumbled across Grand Central Market last summer while killing some time waiting for a friend, and once I came across Spices & Tease I instantly stopped in my tracks. For one, the strong smells coming from the big bowls of vibrantly-colored spices definitely grabbed my attention. But once I saw the teas, I knew I had to investigate further. I absolutely LOVE herbal tea; I have several cups daily. So after scanning their selection I knew I had to come back when I had a little extra money to spend.
When I finally had a chance to go back I purchased 3 tins of loose tea for $20, definitely a bit pricey but I felt like splurging that day, and I did not regret it. I purchased the Pina Colada Hibiscus (hibiscus, rosehips, pineapple & coconut), Chocolate Ginger Rooibos, and Feel Well Balanced (hibiscus, lemongrass, rooibos, and orange peels). The latter two were definitely tasty, but the pina colada hibiscus stole my heart. It's a bright, flavorful, and invigorating tea that goes great with a spoon of honey.
Out of curiosity, on a separate occasion, I decided to splurge again, this time on the flavored sugar. To be honest, I didn't really need them, but in the presence of all that tea my impulse control was pretty much nonexistant. I ended up buying the rose, lavender, and ginger nut sugars. Ginger nut didn't really taste like anything but the rose and lavender were great.
If you're a tea lover looking to add some unique blends to your collection, check this place out. It's definitely pricey but for the quality of loose leaf tea that you're getting, it's worth trying at least once.