When my friend Pavel moved from the SF Bay area to the Seattle area he was unable to find Republic of Tea’s Cardamon Cinnamon in local stores. I kept an eye out whenever I saw Republic of Tea displays and happened across it at Whole Foods in Seattle (this was before the Bellevue store opened) but they only had it loose, not in bags. He decided this was acceptable, but since then has been trying various methods of infusing loose tea in his mug at work. For reasons best left to psychoanalysts specializing in some odd cross-section of typical female behavior and Chinese culture, I felt responsible for achieving closure on his tea enjoyment. Thus when I came across the Teastick (and found out they take Paypal) I had to get it for him. Here’s his Teastick review. And here’s a photo I took of all the packaging it arrived in. (As for me, I just dump loose tea in the bottom of a teapot or mug. That way I can read my fortune.)