(Photo above: (L-R) Owner Garth Tosello and daughter, Chelsea | photos by Jeff Spry)
Tea lovers rejoice! Suttle Tea, an inviting new tea café dedicated to the steeped glories of the tea leaf has opened in downtown Sisters, creating a comfortable alternative to the uninspiring glut of generic coffee houses in Central Oregon.
Owners Garth and Kit Tosello decided to create a relaxing spot to celebrate tea composed inside a historic home built in the early 20th century and the response has been enthusiastic.
“We opened in November and the business had a much faster start than expected for us,“ said Garth. “We feel like we’ve really been embraced by our locals and the reaction has been incredibly positive. They love the environment and they love the tea.”
At any given hour, Suttle Tea is brimming with school kids doing homework, good friends playing board games, informal business meetings, visitors discovering a cup of artisanal tea in a quiet corner and media professionals tapping away at their laptops amid the fragrant smell of warm cooking crepes.
“One of the driving motivators is the discovery process of tea and we get to share and help customers find new ways to drink and enjoy it. About a year ago I walked into a tea house and thought this was a great concept. It was more about creating a community space and that tea could provide a vehicle for a really great spot. Kit came up with the business name so she deserves the credit for capturing exactly who were are.”
Following the initial inspiration, Garth, Kit and their daughter Chelsea let the idea marinated for a few months and then wrote themselves a proper business plan and dove right on in.
“We started writing our mission statement and wanted to make sure it would be financially supported,” he explained. “A lot of times mission statements are emotional and close to the heart, but they have to be supported with strong financials.
“Then it was me driving around town and I saw the location on Cascade that previously had been the site of a spa, a realty office and a charter school. I was intrigued by the outside and the next step was looking around inside and immediately thought it had a lot going for it with tremendous potential.”
In addition to the tantalizing selection of black, green, white, maté, herbal and rooibus teas, Suttle Tea is also equipped with an old-fashioned Crampouz crepe griddle. This impressive kitchen appliance creates amazing whole wheat crepes filled with vanilla yogurt, honey, peanut butter, bananas or fresh organic fruits like raspberries, strawberries and peaches.
“Right way we knew we wanted to do crepes. We thought of serving something besides scones, bagels and cookies, which we do also have. Something fresh and unique that matched the teas in the health category and crepes were a good fit. They’re a quick-serve, easy-to-make item, it’s perfect. Crepes on Sundays are a family tradition, so that’s where it began.”
To fortify their new endeavor, the Tosellos turned to Amy Seidenverg of Metolius Tea in Bend and shared their vision with her about doing a tea café, picking her brain for new products and developments in the ongoing tea renaissance.
“To my surprise I found out that tea is right in the middle of an incredible revolution, sort of like the same way coffee was in the ‘90s,” said Garth. “Those two things, having an interesting community place matched with an exciting product that is now reinventing itself, was an exciting combination.”
Suttle Tea sells tea by the steaming cup or by the ounce, captured in beautiful glass jars that can be mixed and matched.
“We wanted to stay with the idea of tea as a healthy, fresh product so that’s why we chose a tea maker who sources a lot of direct trade items, instead of warehousing stuff. Amy makes sure she hand-selects all the herbs and spices she adds. Even things like our bubble tea, which is notoriously an unhealthy beverage, use real cold-brewed tea and our sweeteners are made with organic simple syrups.”
Garth believes the family’s involvement from the inception adds value and brings them closer. Implementing a smart business plan at the perfect location has resulted in it blossoming into just the kind of place they wanted it to be.
“The thing that interested me the most about Suttle Tea is that it reminded me of my house, that old-fashioned, cozy feeling,” said Chelsea. “That’s how I like to describe it.”
Suttle Tea is open Mon.-Sat. 8am-9pm, Sun. 11am-5pm, 450 East Cascade Ave. in Sisters, 541-549-8077
