Good hot tea in the U.S. isn't quite as hard to come by as it used to be. Starbucks and many of the other establishments for coffee-addicts serve a few flavors of tea in water so hot there must be a secret added ingredient. I find the few times I've had tea from Starbucks I was in danger of burning myself several minutes after the bag had brewed and been removed. Must be something in those cups--they feel skinny, but boy are they heat-savers. Also, for a quick hot cup of Liptons if nothing else is available, most Seven-Eleven convenience stores have those coffee making things with a red lever for HOT water and it really is hot. Alas, the tea usually is Lipton, so you might want to carry a few of your own bags with you. And they often won't charge you as much for the cup and water if you point this out. They understand about people's addiction to caffeine in the morning.

No, Market Spice Tea isn't just a single tea from China, it's a company (used to be called Specialty Spice, down in Pike Street Market in Seattle) that has taken on the name of its most famous blend. Market Spice Tea is a wonderful cinnamon and orange spice tea. It goes either way--with just sugar, the cinnamon is strongest, with milk, the orange is enhanced. They still don't appear to have a website of their own but they do a lot of mail order. I found a place with a selection of Market Spice Teas available here. MST sells loose and bagged teas, but they also sell a lot of wonderful spices in a variety of forms. It's worth a trip to Pike Street Market to visit this place.

SRS (homesick again. . . )