Kathi Zollman first proposed the idea while tasting coffee with Ruth Ann Petroff and Hannah Daniel of Snake River Roasting Co. this past fall. Why not expand Snake River Roasting Co.’s product line to include organic teas?
Zollman has been a fixture in the coffee world for years now. She is best known for her extensive contribution to the science of coffee roasting, her published works in Roast magazine, and her many contributions to the Specialty Coffee Associations education curriculum.
“We were talking about how we could expand and grow as a company, and it just clicked,” Daniel said. “If people aren’t coffee drinkers, they typically drink tea. It’s a good new variation, and we aim to bring more of the same locality of our coffee brand to tea in Jackson.”
A month later, Zollman brought the Snake River Roasting Co. team samples, and they were sold. The company decided to help develop and distribute the organic line of Teton Teas with four different varieties; Teton Breakfast (English breakfast), Earl Grey, Sencha (green tea variety), and Ginger Lemon Grass (herbal).
While Teton Teas offers more variety, Snake River Roasters wants to stick with the 100 percent USDA organically certified teas. So what makes them special?
All four varietals are packaged in pyramid sachets that give the tea more room to move and bloom compared to flat bags. This helps with the extraction of the tea.
While the teas are local and 100 percent organic, what Daniel says really makes their tea so great is that Zollman handpicks all of the ingredients.
“They really just all taste amazing,” Daniel said. “She has an incredible understanding of identifying and balancing flavors.”
The program is new and developing, but keep your eyes out for their product to pop up around cafes and restaurants in the valley in the coming months. For right now, you can head over to Jackson Whole Grocer to try their tea, or order it directly from beans@snakeriverroastingco.com or (307) 734-9446.
