Spice & Tea Exchange of Cincinnati

The tea and spice exchange offers a variety of teas and spices. You may purchase pre-​filled bags or containers or order by the ounce. There are all kinds of tea and spice related accessories here. Overall, I find this location to be overly pricey. The dim lighting doesn’t help too much either.

The crossing guard held me while trying to cross at Buca de Beppo — so I decided to step into the Exchange to peek around. I was met with a warm greeting, and a whiff of some incredible dry rub which I ended up taking home as a stocking stuffer.
The shop has a simple layout, with a wall of fresh homemade blends of rub/​marinade spices on the left and whole spices on the right. A wall of pepper and one of salts are in the back, with other items around for tea and spice grinding, etc.
What impressed me most were the unique blends if spices that the knowledgable shop keeper showed me around, by both flavor profiles and by regions of the world. I asked if they had a salt-​free blackening powder for Cajun recipes, and after inspection of their on the shelf options, she offered to blend a batch for me. No ended up going with the Tuscan rub, which was excellent.
Incredible service and unique selection make this a great place to pop into in the way in or out of Whole Foods to improve tonight’s dinner.

I stopped in for some bulk loose tea today and was immediately disappointed. Walking in the door on a bright and sunny spring day you feel like you’re walking into someone’s root cellar. The lights are dim enough you have to stop a moment and let your eyes adjust.
The next thing you notice is that the place is very sparsely stocked with a very limited assortment. If you look at the photos, the jars on each wall are just about all there is. They’re spaced widely apart, and other than a handful of pre-​packed items that’s it. And aside from the greatest hits there’s very little in the way of rare spices or teas. There’s very little in the way of spice related gadgets such as grinders, shakers, decorative racks, mortars and pestles, etc… Nor the wide range of kettles and infusers you’d expect in a tea shop.
I went in looking to buy a simple pound of green tea and found that all their teas are priced by the ounce, packed by the ounce, and all are priced at $ 5.49/oz.
That comes to $ 87.84/lb for tea that I could purchase online for $ 19/​lb. plus $ 3.75 shipping. Four times the price! Even for a shop that’s in an upscale shopping area, that’s insane.
And since I was the only person in there, a rather dubious honor at lunch hour, I had the proprietress’s undivided. And unfortunately her manner was rather unrelenting and pushy. Probably because she had very few customers so far and came across as desperate to make a sale.
In the end, I’d rather make two stops at Crate & Barrel and Findlay Market then get hosed down at $ 5.50 an ounce.

Loved the atmosphere of this store. They have all kinds of spices, salts, sugars, teas, and accessories to go with. The store is decorated so nicely and they have a few samples of teas and sugars. I didn’t end up buying anything, but I would have liked to have the whole store in my kitchen!

I’ve been to a number of different locations around the country for Spice and Tea Exchange — and I have never been disappointed in the selection. Each store has its own vibe, but carries the same spice choices — and the super helpful staff.

Spice & Tea Exchange is a neat place to browse (and if you’re lucky, sample!) spices and teas. Although it is a chain, it definitely has the feel of a slightly upscale but independent spice shop. The displays are attractive and nicely organized.
Loving: fun variety of teas and spices, you’re allowed to open things up to smell them, neat gift sets, super friendly staff
Loving less: a little on the pricey side– might save this as a stop for a nice gift or in a pinch.

Speaking of tea…
I first discovered the Spice & Tea Exchange in Charleston, South Carolina. So, yes, this is a bit of a chain, but one that is very limited in scope.
I think what I love about this place is that there is a very hands-​on atmosphere. A lot of their concoctions are made on site. You can watch the store clerks making products pretty much whenever they are open. Some of the spices, salts, sugars, and teas are unique to the location as well. Additionally, Spice & Tea provides various classes for making your own spices. Customers are encouraged to open up spice containers and take a whiff to get an idea of what things might be palatable.
Some items can be a bit on the pricey side. I spent $ 50.00 on accessories today, so be careful not to go too crazy.

I think I overloaded my smeller when I visited! So many great spices to choose from and the gentleman working, who also teaches the cooking classes, gave me some fancy tips on infusing. Will definitely be back and hopefully for a cooking class.

cool place. Lots of interesting spices, herbs & teas to smell.
i got an «espresso steak rub» that i put on a grass-​fed steak I got at Whole Foods (in the same shopping center) and it was very good. I also bought some «Ghost Pepper Salt» that i was, at first, nervous to try because Ghost Pepper is really really hot. Anyway, it wasnt unbearable and actually tasted really good. Look forward to putting it on popcorn.
I think this place would be a great place to buy gifts for other people (especially annoying people that dont drink who you cant just throw a bottle of wine at). They have crate shaped variety gift boxes that would be perfect.

This place has a good collection of specialty spices, teas and other things.
I was looking especially for the specialty sugars they have. I bought the strawberry sugar and the dark cocoa sugar. They are both very spectacular, but I have yet to put them to good use!
They aren’t very large, but the staff are very nice. I walked in on a cooking demonstration night and they still let me do my shopping. Don’t come here if you are looking for your typical bulk spices though…

The Spice and Tea Exchange is great for buying unusual spices and creative spice blends. I’ve enjoyed their herbes de Provence, espresso steak rub and pizza seasoning. I also purchased some strawberry sugar, which I haven’t figured out a use for yet, but it sure is delicious!
Also, spice collections make for a personalized and interesting gift. You can assemble a nice gift set for about $ 25 here.

If you’re looking for an ingredient to «wow» your dinner guests, or yourself (what a kitchen diva I must be!), this is a great place to go. There are walls of spices, salts, sugars, teas, and blends, all of which are fragrant, and fresh.
The staff is so helpful. If you need help figuring out what to do with that chocolate sugar you bought, no worries! They have recipe cards, and plenty of suggestions.
While I can’t make this a regular stop because it’s a little farther than I have time for, but it’s a fun way to treat yourself every so often. A little pricey, but definitely fun to explore!

It’s no Herbs and Spice at Findlay Market, but they do have their own unique blends of spices and some nice teas. It is close to home so it is an easy place to grab some spices or rub for dinner. Not a bad alternative to Findlay.