“One of Francie’s favorite stores was the one which sold nothing but tea, coffee, and spices. It was an exciting place of rows of lacquered bins and strange, romantic, exotics odors.
There were a dozen scarlet coffee bins with adventurous words written across the front in black China ink: Brazil! Argentine! Turkish! Java! Mixed Blend!
The tea was in smaller bins: beautiful bins with sloping covers. They read: Oolong! Formosa! Orange Pekoe! Black China! Flowering Almond! Jasmine! Irish Tea!
The spices were in miniature bins behind the counter. Their names marches in a row across the shelves: cinnamon– cloves– ginger– all-spice– ball nutmeg–curry– peppercorns– sage– thyme– marjoram.”
Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn