Yesterday, my husband has some business matters that had to be handled in Charleston, so we spent a day in the beautiful city. We walked in the open air market for a little while, before we realized that it was really too cold for that kind of activity. :) We were going to get lunch and on the way I spotted a tea shop across the street and wanted to go in.
The name of the shop is The Spice and Tea Exchange and when we walked in we were met with the most delicious scents swirling together to create an intoxicating aroma. The walls are lines with clear glass jars that hold spices ranging from cinnamon sticks and bay leaves to exotic little numbers I had never even heard of! The owner Stacy was very friendly and she and her employee (who's name I forgot to get!!!!) helped us by providing information about each spice, and explained that they compound the spices into their own rubs and seasoning blends right there in the store.
In addition to spices and spice mixtures, they also have flavored sugars, flavored salts and loose leaf teas. We found sugar that was flavored with lime, lemon, blueberry, and many other flavors but decided that the lime sugar was the best. Once we got home we were devastated to realize that in our excitement we neglected to get any of the sugar! We played around with some salts, and decided to purchase some hickory flavored sea salt. I plan to use this when I cook Boston butt in my crockpot, hoping it will give a smoked flavor without actually smoking it.
Our last stop was the wall lined with teas. We sniffed and thought and enjoyed all of the offerings before deciding to purchase an ounce of three different teas.
Our first choice was the Lemon Twist tea, which is a blend of lemon verbena, hibiscus, and other delicious herbs. We also got some Green Tropical tea, which is flavored with pineapple and other tropical fruits. Lastly we chose the California Fields Tea, which is a blend of green and black tea, cactus flowers, sunflowers and other tasty bits.
I cannot wait to go back and try more of Stacey's delicious blends and creations. Visit Charleston and go into her shop or for some online Southern charm visit the website here and shop with her. I promise you will not be disappointed!
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