The Spice & Tea Exchange, a franchise with headquarters in Palm Harbor, Fla., has opened at 2061 N. Main, in Coeur d’Alene’s Riverstone neighborhood. Occupying 1,260 square feet, the shop includes a tea bar, serving hot and cold teas.

Wife and husband Judy and Bill McAfee and their daughter and son-in-law, Annie and JT Wensman, co-own the shop, which opened earlier this month. 

Patterned after an 18th century trading post, The Spice & Tea Exchange is rustic with Northwest elements. A salt wall to the left of the store entrance is stalked with mineral and sea salts. A tea wall holds more than 45 varieties from all over the world, Judy McAfee says. 

Judy encourages customers to open up the jars of tea and smell them.

“Their nose is going to be a lot smarter than their eyes,” Judy says. 

The tea shop also carries infused sugars. The bourbon black walnut sugar enhances desserts, she says.

The store also has a panoply of herbs, spices, and peppers to choose from. Judy recommends buying a small amount of herbs and spices at a time, such as a half-ounce, and then replenishing them in order to keep fresh.

The highlight of the shop, Judy says, is the custom spice and herb blends made in-store, including rubs and blends for steaks, poultry, pork, fish, and shellfish.