Shop Ripon, Wisconsin - Watson Street Tea & Treats

Welcome back, readers!

Today's topic is to tell you about a shop in downtown Ripon, Wisconsin, USA where I live.

Watson Street Tea & Treats is a cozy little shop owned and operated by Kim and Ken Bahr. Kim and Ken just celebrated their second anniversary for the tea shop to be open, so I am writing this as a sort of celebratory piece.

What is Watson Street Tea & Treats? Let me tell you... Watson Street Tea & Treats is a shop with a lot of variety. When you walk in to the shop at 208 Watson Street, Ripon, Wisconsin, you first feel contentment as you smell many delicious things.

One thing to note is that Kim and Ken do all their own cooking, so the treats are always fresh and delicious. Depending on the time of day, you might end up smelling different things--for instance, the yummy, fresh, hot popcorn, or the warm scent of fresh caramelized cashews, pecans, or almonds. Of course, that is dependent on whether or not the smell of tea cookies or various flavored popcorns don't get at your scent machine first!

Kim makes fudge in different flavors, some with nuts and others without. And that is not to forget the fact that the handmade truffles can make even the most stoic of personalities crack a smile. The handmade caramels and caramel cashew bars are also great snacks.

The only downside here is that because all the food is made fresh on-site, I can only give you an idea of what is available, or can be available. Some days, one thing or another might be out-of-stock. That's a very small downside in comparison to being able to know where your food is being made, and who is making it. Still, don't let that tiny thing stop you from going. There are always snacks available, even if flavors and quantity might differ daily, weekly, or seasonally.

If you need a large quantity of something for a party or event, Kim takes orders ahead of time and can ensure the snacks you want are available for you. It just takes a call, which is easily done.

Other than snack foods (which obviously have my heart - I'm a snack fan!) the tea shop is not called the "tea shop" for nothing. Watson Street Tea & Treats carries more than 100 varieties of tea. Many of these, if not all of them, can be made into iced tea. They carry the following types of tea: Black, Green, White, Dark, Oolong, Pu'ehr, and Herbals. There is truly a tea for everyone, no matter how much you think you are a coffee drinker. So I do highly recommend you come in and ask them to help you find a tea that suits you.

They typically keep between one and three teas iced for you to order an iced tea to-go quickly, but if you have time to wait, they can make any flavor of tea as an iced. You should keep in mind it takes between five and fifteen minutes to make an iced tea that is not already the flavor of the day, but it isn't a problem at all. All flavors are readily available as a hot to-go cup much faster than it takes for a coffee shop to make you a cup of coffee.

In addition to providing you with quality grade bulk tea, Watson Street Tea & Treats also has an assortment of good quality spices on hand for sale. Whether you are looking for good sea salt, or a good rub or seasoning for your choice of meat, I recommend checking out their selection. Both the tea and the spices are available in "sample sniffing cans/jars" so you can smell them - obviously. It makes a difference to be able to smell a spice or a tea first to see if you might like it.

My favorite spice is the Kortinje Cinnamon they carry because it blends great with sugar to put on rice, oats, and bread! I also like to make cinnamon-sugar chicken breast strips with it. Small, fingersize pieces of chicken breast meat coated with the cinnamon-sugar blend, and cooked until finished... it is great hot, but also great after the left-overs have been refrigerated.

What else does the tea shop carry? I guess I'll just have to post again about it later... I don't want to overwhelm you with the shop's awesomeness! But feel free to check them out in downtown Ripon, or on their website. Their website doesn't have as much as their physical location has available, but don't hesitate to keep checking back, or contact them directly.

Contact them at the following methods: 

Watson Street Tea & Treats

208 Watson Street

Ripon, Wisconsin, 54971
920-748-2085

Hours 

** Subject to change on a seasonal basis **
(Summer):
Sunday: CLOSED
Mon thru Fri: 11 am - 5:30 pm
Sat: 10 am - 5 pm