Asheville News

The Spice and Tea Exchange coming to downtown Asheville

Jason Sandford August 21, 2009

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

Photo by Jason Sandford

The sign in the window says that The Spice and Tea Exchange is coming soon to downtown Asheville, in the space on Haywood Street formerly occupied by the Ariel Gallery.

Anybody have any details? A quick look at The Spice and Tea Exchange web site offers the following. Sounds awfully “touristy”:

Be adventurous as you explore the finest in savory spices, gourmet teas and seasonings. Our cooking herbs, spice blends and rubs are hand-selected for your cooking needs. Our gourmet teas are enjoyed by tea lovers across the nation. A culinary delight awaits.

We combine traditional and exotic gourmet spices, cooking herbs and seasoningsfrom around the globe in the preparation of our 60+ hand-mixed signature blends and rubs. Packaging by the ounce allows you to experiment as you journey through our vast selection of spices and seasonings.

Be forewarned! Many of our customers tell us that shopping with us for your gourmet seasoning needs is addictive. You just might find yourself opening up one of our quaint spice franchises in YOUR hometown.

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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7 Comments

bird February 11, 2011

@flguy you should try the farmers' market! 🙂

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flguy September 30, 2009

Instead of bashing before you go there, I would suggest you stop by. I went by last week and was more then pleasantly surprised by what they had. I have NOT seen this quality of product in Greenlife, Earthfare or Fresh market. Granted they are expensive but a little specialty spice goes a long way. And sorry I didn’t even look at the teas.

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Abby September 1, 2009

I have to say that I am really excited that Spice and Tea is coming to town. I love the variety of smoked salts and teas that they offer.

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Steve in NC August 24, 2009

I don’t hate all chains. But I’m a foodie and real foodies make their own spice blends. Perhaps the store will be better than the promo verbiage. We’ll see. No matter what, it’ll be better than an empty storefront. And you probably won’t find chain-haters picking this place as a target because they’re not going to threaten any local businesses. Welcome to Ashveille, Spice and Tea Exchange.

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Asheville Dweller August 21, 2009

This chain will match up well with Doc Chey’s, Mellow Mushroom and the other chains in downtown.

Ok where are you Chain haters?? Bring on you Hypocrisy or is this going to be a tragically hip place??

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Leigh August 21, 2009

A quick browse of their website tells me a few things:

~ They are definitely tourist-centric, operating mostly in Florida (Winter Park…*shudder*), with franchises in Charleston and Green Bay (?)…

~ In general, their prices are on par with Penzey’s and a little higher than World Spice.

For residents, it might be a good place to get some of the more unusual/region-specific spices (grains of paradise/Vietnamese cinnamon/Mexican oregano) without having to resort to online ordering, but it will still be less expensive to stick to Earth Fare/Greenlife bulk bins for the majority of spice-buying.

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Fact Checker August 21, 2009

Is the owner, Robert Long, the lawyer?

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