In a world where coffee has become much more than just a morning ritual, local specialty coffee roasting company Snake River Roasting Co. stands out as a pillar of excellence. Their unwavering commitment to quality has made them a beloved fixture in the Jackson Hole community and beyond.
A Commitment to Quality
At Snake River Roasting Co., quality is not just a buzzword. From sourcing the finest beans, to meticulously crafting each roast, every step is executed with precision and care. How do they maintain such a level of precision? General Manager Cait Rifkin explains: “Snake River Roasting Co. is a specialty coffee roasting company, which means that we source our coffee directly through specialty coffee importers. I work very closely with these importers throughout the year. It’s a careful curation each year that leads to deep relationships with our importers and farmers. Since coffee is a crop that changes from year to year, we sometimes have to taste dozens of coffees to find the perfect fit for SRRC.”
This level of oversight doesn’t end after importing the beans, Rifkin tells us. “After we find the coffee, we then ‘dial in the profile,’ meaning we adapt our roasting recipes to bring out the best flavors for that year’s crop. We currently work with seven different origins, repeating this process for each.” Then, every week, the Snake River Roasting Co. team tastes their coffees, tweaking the profiles to maintain a consistent flavor for their recipes throughout the year. Plus, Rifkin adds, “We also roast all our coffee to order to ensure that our customers always receive fresh, beautiful coffee with every order.”
The Roasting Process
The magic happens in the roasting room, where a combination of art and science is employed to achieve the perfect roast profile for each batch of beans. “The roasting process significantly influences the final result,” Rifkin explains. “Different techniques can bring out various flavors, depending on the desired outcome. For example, with our Ethiopia, we use techniques that help bring out the delicate fruity flavors, while for our Honduras, we aim for caramel and full body without it tasting ‘roasty.’ The primary elements that we manipulate while roasting are time, air flow, and temperature.”
Using two 12-kilogram Diedrich Roasters, Snake River Roasting Co. can roast about twenty-two pounds of coffee beans at a time. “Generally speaking, these are relatively small roasters for the amount of coffee we roast each week,” Rifkin notes, “This size helps us maintain consistency and ensures that each batch is fresh for our customers, as we only roast what is needed. Our roasters are attached to a water filtration system that cleans the air after roasting before it leaves the building.”
Attention to Detail
What truly sets Snake River Roasting Co. apart is their relentless attention to detail. Every batch of beans undergoes rigorous quality control measures to ensure freshness and achieve desired flavors. “The first checkpoint is that the coffee is specialty grade. Specialty grade coffee is held to a higher quality standard than commodity coffees. This ensures cup quality and brings out beautiful flavor profiles,” Rifkin describes. “We then consider which flavors or ingredients are needed to produce our classic blends. For instance, our Brazilian coffee offers flavors of chocolate chip cookies, caramel and boasts a full body. We use Brazil in blends when we are looking to add sweetness, depth and chocolate notes. We also work with our importers to support farmers and initiatives that are both socially and environmentally responsible. We are proud to source from a variety of farms that are either female farm owners, part of Café Femenino, Rainforest Alliance certified, and/or carbon negative.” As you can see, throughout every Snake River Roasting Co.—from farm selection to the final packaging stage, no detail is overlooked.
The Flavor Experience
Bag after bag of Snake River Roasting Co. beans offer coffee consumers a consistent flavor and quality. To maintain this consistency, Rifkin says, “We are constantly tasting our coffee to ensure consistency from batch to batch. We also find that the more consistent we are with weighing our coffee, timing our roasts and maintaining our machines, the more success we have with consistency.”
Whether you prefer a bold espresso or a smooth, medium roast, Snake River Roasting Co. offers a variety of blends to suit every palate. “I think this also comes back to being playful and committed to roasting the best coffee we can,” Rifkin adds. “I’m proud of how curious the SRRC team is and the drive to continue to improve our product for our customers. Consistent coffee really comes down to a lot of team dedication.” As a result, each cup of Snake River Roasting Co. coffee is a testament to the craftsmanship and passion that goes into every bag of beans.
