Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/853465
44 STiR coffee and tea / Issue 4, 2017 (August / September) Bo Nelson at Thou Mayest Coffee Khanh Trang at Greater Goods Jonathan Riethmaier at Mammoth Espresso "I think that whole 'local' thing is important, but more than that, we really care about the excellence of consistent service and product. I see so many trying to take the path of least resistance and, in the end, the consumer loses," says Nelson. "I think hard work and committed relationships beats out 'local' any day. Also, let's be honest, there is nothing remotely 'local' about coffee and tea." Greater Goods turns to TeaSource in Minneapolis for most of their loose leaf tea. "TeaSource has been great to work with for an all around selection of teas," says Khanh. "They helped by providing us with the never ending samples of teas until we got what we needed for our shop, always available to answer any questions we might have about any of their offerings." Riethmaier says of Mammoth's tea partners, "There are many companies that can sell you tea, but what I found compelling about the suppliers we work with is their willingness to provide us with information that helps us sell tea in store. What is the history behind a particular tea? Why is this process notable? How did it get this name? These are questions we ask in order to tell a complete story to our customers and en- gage them beyond tasting notes." The more information you can learn about your teas, the more naturally creativity flows. Tea lattes beyond the standard London Fog are popping up with greater fre- quency. Just a short list of some tasty highlights from around the US: • Greater Goods turned their rose dark tea (similar type to pu'er) into a deeply perfumed latte. • Attendees at this year's SCA conference in Seattle who took their afternoon break around the corner at Anchorhead may have caught a stunningly delicious tea beverage from their menu: pistacho matcha latte, with homemade pistachio infused milk. • Cold brewed sparkling tea on tap is served at Intelligentsia in Chicago. • Go Get Em Tiger in LA's Larchmont neighborhood serves a hopped up and carbonated Yunnan black tea. • Earlier this year, Rishi Tea released a limited line of craft brews in 5-gallon recy- clable kegs. • Spirit Tea develops recipes for serving sparkling teas on tap with some of their wholesale accounts. • Chicago's The Coffee Studio has a menu of housemade tea cocktails to compli- ment their loose leaf tea program from Kilogram. Such bold beverage statements in the marketplace are finally, truly, freeing up cof- feeshop owners to think about tea in a way that goes against old school assumptions of yesteryear. Mammoth Espresso bar