The Spice & Tea Exchange of San Marco

The Spice & Tea Exchange of San Marco is at 1960 San Marco Boulevard, the main street of the San Marco neighbourhood south of the river, open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm and Sunday from noon to 6pm, with a phone line and e-mail listed on the chain's store page. The shop is a franchise of the national spice-and-tea brand: more than 85 seasonings hand-mixed in store, salts, sugars and teaware, and a tea bar where the loose teas can be ordered hot or iced before buying a bag. Phone orders are collected at the kerb, and online orders over US$ 25 ship free.

The tea catalogue is the brand's, sold in the same sizes everywhere: a 2 oz small bag, a 4 oz bag, square and storage tins and 8 or 16 oz pouches. The 2 oz bag is the entry: Earl Grey, the organic International Breakfast, Lapsang Souchong, Marrakesh Mint and Victorian Chai at US$ 17.99, the organic Darjeeling, Sencha Superior and Iron Goddess of Mercy at US$ 19.99, Jasmine Pearls and the Ruby Oolong at US$ 23.99, an organic black pu-erh at US$ 17.99 and the Rooibos Chai at US$ 15.99. The ceremonial matcha comes in a 20 g travel tin at US$ 21.99, and a Lemon Drop Mate covers the yerba side at US$ 17.99.

Per ounce the bags are dearer than a bulk supplier, and the list leans to flavoured blends, so the plain-leaf shelf is short: one Darjeeling, one sencha, one Tie Guan Yin, one pu-erh. But in Jacksonville it is the only storefront where a sencha, an oolong and a pu-erh can be smelled from the jar and tasted at the bar on the same afternoon, and San Marco Square around it is an easy place to spend the rest of it. The square tins at US$ 11.99 are the cheap way to try a tea before committing to a 2 oz bag.