“I am the happy mad scientist with coffee and tea. I love experimenting with different processes, beans, and funky natural flavours,” says Patti Snell, owner of Coffee & Tea Junkie in Waterdown.
Although they’ve been living in Dallas since 1994, Patti grew up in Carlisle, and her husband is from Waterdown. She has been a food and beverage entrepreneur since the age of 14, when she sold baking at the Millgrove Market, and the couple owned Harper's Country Kitchen located in the Hawksview Plaza before moving stateside.
In 2006, while in the process of opening Patti's Place Tea Room & Bakery in Plano, Texas, Patti discovered she couldn't drink caffeine anymore.
“That's the joke — that I own a coffee and tea company, but I don't drink caffeine,” she said. “Decaf coffee at the time was absolutely terrible, so I decided to buy a small roaster and learn how to make the freshest, best coffee for me and the restaurant.”
The idea for barrel-aged beans came to Patti in the middle of the night. Essentially, she ages organic fair trade coffee beans in oak barrels seasoned with her favourite distilled spirit, creating coffees with hints of whisky and wood. The aging process creates a unique flavour profile without alcohol or added flavours, just coffee.
“I have a Scotch, Bourbon, spiced rum, and rye barrel. Glorious! Although other coffee roasters now do this, I may have done it first,” says Patti. “We have more than 40 flavours of coffee, like Nutty Butterscotch Toffee, Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie and Vanilla Caramel Kahlua. I even have a coffee flavour that tastes just like Tiger Tail Ice Cream. My favourite coffee is Pancakes and Maple Syrup.”
There are six flavours for autumn, including Pumpkin Spice S'Mores and Nuts for Fall, and holiday flavours like White Chocolate Gingerbread and Sipping Whisky by the Fire. Other seasonal offerings include Advent Calendars, which allow customers to try 25 different coffees or teas.
Coffee & Tea Junkie coffees are organic, with no sugar, no calories, no alcohol, and no allergens. All flavoured and unflavoured coffees are available in Swiss Water Processed Decaf.
Coffees are sold by the bag or in K Cups, and they also manufacture DIY cold-brew kits and pouches.
“We offer more than 100 blends of loose-leaf teas and enjoy creating more all the time. Our iced tea blends are a beautiful red colour, fruity, and taste sweet with no sugar and no calories. My favourite is Peachberry Palooza,” says Patti.
As the Canadian business grew, she needed space, initially for warehousing and then manufacturing, to serve online and wholesale customers from numerous small shops across Canada. Locating the business in Waterdown made the most sense since it would be close to friends and family.
Patti hopes to expand the Coffee & Tea Junkie brands to Canadian grocery stores and is currently working on transitioning to compostable packaging with English and French labeling.
The 291 Parkside Drive location is open on Saturdays for people who want to stop in and have a cup of coffee or tea and buy some to take home. Patti’s friend Beth, whom she’s known since kindergarten, helps manage the store. They plan to have roasting classes, high tea, and other
coffee and tea-related events on a monthly basis. The basement level has been renovated, and there are two spaces for rent for office space, a dance or yoga studio, or private events.
Coffee & Tea Junkie offers specials to regular customers, and they can sign up for weekly emails to stay up-to-date on all the fun stuff happening at the store.
