Spices & Tease

We purchased some spice blends that seemed to be intriguing. However, in the packaging, the combination of spices is not specified. I went on their website to get an idea of what they are and for recipes, and I got a website warning from my antivirus protection that it is high risk. Some of the tins do not open easily, and you must be careful not to spill if you try to force them open. I haven’t tried the spices yet, so I will post later, but hopefully they will take care of these issues. I didn’t want to give a rating without trying the product first, but unable to post this feedback without it.

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.

Tea is good but EXTREMELY overpriced. Staff was not very friendly, and you have to buy a full sized drink to sample the tea. I would recommend Harney & Sons over this any day.

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 piña 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.

Amazing selection of spices; however I gave 2 stars because they were so rude and unhelpful. I had to ask twice how much something was because it was not posted and when the person behind the counter finally responded, she acted like it was a problem to answer a question. She did not offer assistance or suggestions at all. It was clearly more important for her to get back to whatever she was doing with her co-​worker. I was irritated to the point that I didn’t want to make the purchase, but my spouse really wanted to get those particular spices for his sister before we left. Why would I want to spend that much on salt and pepper from someone who can’t be bothered to tell me how much it costs in the first place? Uggh!

After a long day, I needed a quick but nice gift. Matthew made it happen for me quickly and beautifully!

Just phenomenal! Quality customer service, so pleasing to the eyes and the olé 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.

I’ve walked by Spices & Tease so many times in the Grand Central Market.
Today, I needed to pick up a quick little gift for my brother-​in-​law and since he loves to grill salmon, Andy (and Cheyenne [sp?]) at Spices & Tease recommended the Japanese 7 spices which looks awesome! Comes in a cute little tin.
This is a perfect place to swing by if you need to pick up a quick, interesting gift, especially in the summer months when people tend to barbecue and grill outdoors.
Can’t wait to return!

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.

I LOVE this place. I’m a huge tea fan. Always on the prowl for new places to drink tea.
This is perfect! Bowls and bowls of loose leaf teas for you to sift through. A little bazaar that completely immerses you into the place.
I always get a little too excited when I enter this shop. The options! The smells! They have very reasonable prices. I always leave with an extra skip in my step.

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!

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 loved this little stall. True, we walked by it a coupla times before finally stopping to take a look, but once we did, we realized how many good items they had for sale, and decided to get some things to take home.
The girl working this morning was so super friendly and helpful. She took the time to answer our questions and wrapped up the tins that we were giving as a gift.
We bought the three-​tin gift bag with a tin of Japanese Seven Spices, a tin of Passionfruit Black tea and a tin of Pear Green tea. I hope the gift recipient likes it!
For ourselves, we bought a tin of the Lychee Black tea, a tin of the Spicy Chocolate White tea and a tin of Chai Black tea. I can’t wait to get home to try it out!
I was pleasantly surprised by the price. It was three large tins for $ 30, and she really hooked us up with the tea that was packed in there.
It’s certainly priced better than Teavana, and I’m hoping that the tea tastes just as good!

This store replaced Penzeys Spices, which had spices of very high quality at good prices. Perhaps as a result, this review might be harsher than warranted. They do, after all, offer a nice selection of spices and even complement that with an OK selection of teas. I can’t, however, get over how the store and display their merchandise.
Spices should be stored in sealed containers, away from air, humidity, and light. And what’s true of spices is event truer of teas, which easily absorb surrounding odors. These folks, however, display everything in open mounds, piled one next to the other. It looks pretty, but it also compromises the quality of their teas and spices. Worse, when shoveling spices into containers, particles occasionally fall into nearby mounds. I would treat this store as nothing more than window-​dressing for tourists. Spices & Teas is clearly more interested in its display than in providing a good product. People who care about spices or teas should look elsewhere.

Although this store is located within the bustling Grand Central Market, it’s not really set up to sell anything to passing commuters. Nothing is pre-​packaged, and it’s staffed by only one employee.
One employee who carefully assembles and wraps a gift assortment for a pair of happily oblivious tourists. Taking his time. Doing it right.
His concentration was impressive. He didn’t even seem to notice when my head exploded.

Absolutely LOVED this place. It was almost like shopping in a Moroccan bazaar with the spices all laid out. The guys behind the counter will bring the spices up to you to sniff.
The variety is good with single spices to mixtures suitable for different cooking purposes.
They also have teas, but it was the spices which caught my attention. It is a little pricey, but oh so intriguing.

Ran through Grand Central Station looking for a gift. As I pushed and shoved through the crowd (learned from my New Yorker friends) I smelled something delicious in the air. Spices & Tease caught my attention right from the start.
I was lost and just knew that I needed a souvenir.
The girl working there basically gave me a course on teas! She was awesome! I learned so much and ended up buying a small tin.
Small tins run for $ 7.00, a little over priced, but the information on teas definitely made up for it.
The girl was so nice she even opened up the tea case and let me take a picture!
¡ Muy Delicioso!

I don’t know much about teas and spices, but the people behind the counter do. My new year’s resolution was to learn about spices and I went to Spices & Tease to get spices for chicken, meat and fish. They have pre-​made blends that are delicious and their website tells you what is in them. Some spices need to be fresh, like pepper balls, and they have a variety of them.
The teas are delicious!