The Spice & Tea Exchange

We were staying in Treasure Island for a few days, and decided to hit the shops on John’s Pass. We went into the spice and tea exchange, and I purchased a garlic/​onion spice packet for $ 4.49. I thought it was a little pricey, but I figured it would be worth the $. I used the whole packet on 8 chicken legs. I let the spices marinate for a couple of hours, and the I put them on the grill. First off it was barely enough to cover 8 pieces of chicken, and the chicken wasn’t even all that flavorful. I would expect after spending $ 4.49 on spices for 1 dinner it would really be good. I was very disappointed, and would not recommend this place. Extremely over priced. The spices I put on my chicken blows those spices out of the water, so I guess I’ll stick to that. The guy behind the counter was nice though.

While the shop was small I still found it to have some very interesting things. I am from LA and go to a market there, but they had things things I had never seen before and some amazing varieties and different blends of sea salts. I love to cook and use Himalayan sea salt in everything, they had a variety of Hawaiian black, different spiced.,.it was a cooking paradise. The tea selection was small, but the salts and spice collection more than made up for it.

Lisa, the owner, is so sweet, we are back for our second visit!

I think that I have found a hidden treasure! This place makes a majority of their own spices and teas… not to mention they have a variety of sugars and salts to use when cooking as well. This was my second visit and I purchased a variety of decafe teas. The people that work there are very knowledgeable and can help you find anything you need. If you are heading over to john’s pass please stop by, I am sure you will find something that you could use in the kitchen.

This place is really cool– HOWEVER, as soon as we walked in with our 5 year old (who is really well behaved) we were asked if we had been there before and to make sure little hands didn’t touch or open anything. I understand this guy doesn’t want his store messed up, but I guess we took that as him telling us how to parent before we even stepped in the door. I was planning on buying something for my mother cause she is into this stuff. Instead he paid his full attention to some woman from Orlando (I heard him ask her a dozen questions) and ignored us. Don’t put your shop dead center of a touristy area if you don’t want tourists coming in. Will find spices and teas elsewhere

Get Florida Sunshine! I put it on everything :) Tailgaters too! The staff is passionate and really helpful too!

What a cool shop for spices and teas! If you’re strolling John’s Pass Village, you must stop by and check this place out.
They create their own blends of spices and teas and they have an overwhelming display for such a small little shop. The staff is incredibly friendly and helpful. It may not be for everyone, but they can get a little enthusiastic about their craft and they’ll be happy to talk your ear off. This chatty service can also slow things up at their single register, so be prepared to wait a bit if you’re buying.
They have a huge selection and they also get a little creative with their blends. Feel free open and sniff jars before deciding whether to buy.
Be sure to check our their Florida Sunshine salt. It’s a unique seasoning that goes on just about everything. You can buy it with a grinder or you can buy refill packs. It makes a great gift too.

Ok, you want to make a dish but don’t know what spices to use? Go here, they will help you. Just the smell alone in this place made us come back while we lived here. I get Christmas gifts for everyone whenever I go here. You can also get stuff online if you don’t live in the area. All the employees are super friendly and helpful.

This franchise is a great find for foodies who like to experiment with the finer palate pleasers. Set up like an old-​time apothecary, it sells bulk spices & teas by the ounce (generally $ 4 to $ 5). Many varieties of salts, paprikas, rubs, ethnic items like garam marsala. Prices are high, but items are novel and fresh. I took one star for service, they seem able to only handle one customer (slowly) at a time, including for questions. Patience is not my virtue. Great website.

I loved this store. Visited when we were on vacation in Treasure Island, FL and bought as much stuff as I could haul back in my suitcase, and you can order online for very reasonable pricing in my opinion. Everything is fresh, not sitting in tins on the shelf for ages and worth every penny.
My husband and I have even tossed around buying a franchise for ourselves.

This is what every gourmet chef in the area has been waiting for… a fresh spice store. It’s what all the foodies have been hearing on the Food Network and the internet: that fresh herbs & spices are the best, that grocery store bottles are probably stale, or that this special Indian recipe calls for garam masala that you can’t find unless you travel across town to that little store that may or may not have what you are looking for. Want to create that 14 course dinner from Aurial but don’t know how to set up that salt tasting course with the Mediteranean Riviera sea salt to compare with the Indian Ocean smoked salt? They got it, 7 kinds of salt. Has your chicken paprikash always felt a little duller than that one you had in that great Moroccan restaurant? They have smoke, non-​smoked, sweet, hot, and any combination of the above paprika. I’ve been looking for Ceylon and Saigon cinnamon to compare to the everyday Cassia cinnamon but couldn’t find it without ordering a pound on the internet. They have it!!! I have been on a rampage finding recipes that call for exotic spices just so that I can go back.
Granted, the location for us City Folk in Downtown St. Pete or Tampa is not ideal. The beach is hard to get to, but it is totally worth the trip. Also, I am not sure how you can survive on the mere spice trade, though I wish them well. I would like to see some more of the near-​impossible ingredients we foodies pursue so eagerly. Fresh truffles or 50yr aged basalmic anyone?