A trip to The Head Nut in Ardmore, Pennsylvania was in order this evening. I had been trying to find some raspberry black tea for several weeks, but hadn’t had any luck. I was thinking of ordering some online, but didn’t want to wait for it to be shipped. Especially around the holidays; with Christmas just a few days away, the postal service is in high demand, and deliveries might be delayed. My husband and I both thought about checking at The Head Nut. We were not disappointed.
The Head Nut is at an intersection in a long, kind of narrow double building. There is ample parking in their lot. It’s not large, but I’ve never had trouble finding a spot. When you walk in, you’ll see some stools and a counter where you can sit and order hot coffee. The path through the first building is lined with shelves of gum, candy, teas, and other interesting products. They carry Asher’s candies, too. The variety is amazing. At the back of that room is a small hallway where you’ll find even more items of interest. I saw honeycombs, raw honey, specialty Hanukkah and Christmas candies and a 2 pound Rice Krispies treat. From previous experiences, I know that there is always something new at The Head Nut. There are often seasonal items, but there are many regular items as well. They have quite an assortment of gift items, too.
The hallway in the back connects to another small hallway in the other half of the store. There you’ll find unique sauces, flavorings, pastas, and some spices, among other things. In the very end of the hallway is a small discount rack that many people might miss, especially since the doorway to the second half of the store is on the way. We’ve ventured to the end before, so we know to go the entire length of the hallway, and then turn around to get to the second part of the store.
That second part is my favorite area, and the main reason I go to the store. I have picked up things from other areas there, but the items on my list are always in that part. That’s where the bulk items are. Right before you get to those, though, you’ll find jellies, bags of colored popcorn, dried fruits, nut butters, and flaked coconut. The bulk area has an impressive variety of staples and goodies. They have chocolates, gummy candies, spices, herbs, grains, nuts, seeds, dried beans, baking ingredients, snacks, and so much more. It’s incredible how much they pack into every available spot. Most of the prices are very reasonable, too.
There’s a back room where they keep all of their coffee beans and loose teas. That’s where we were headed this time. We bought half a pound of loose raspberry black tea leaves for only $6.75. I was surprised at how much that really is! Since an ounce makes about 14 cups of tea, we bought enough to make more than 100 cups of tea.
The Head Nut is our go-to place for spices, couscous, interesting candies, and loose teas. I also like to get their sassafras tea concentrate. I have introduced the Head Nut to several different people who had never been there before, and they all have enjoyed the trip. I’ve never heard of anyone who couldn’t find something there of interest. I think that anyone who goes there for the first time decides to make it a regular place to shop.
I only go to their Ardmore location, but they also have stores in Swarthmore, Wayne, and Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia. The Ardmore location has more evening and weekend hours, and is a place that is familiar to me.
We just wanted to make it a quick trip this evening, and didn’t really need anything other than the tea. I did find some sassafras tea concentrate, sassafras jelly, and dandelion jelly, and got that as well. I couldn’t wait to try the raspberry black tea, so I started a pot of it when we got back home. It smelled heavenly while it was brewing. I poured some in a mug and added just a small amount of sugar. WOW – it was so tasty! It is much better than the tea I usually buy in tea bags. I enjoyed it hot, but also made some iced tea with it, since we like raspberry iced tea. Maybe that half pound of tea won’t last very long after all!
