Snooty Fox Satisfies a Different Niche

Tea Shop Offers 100 Flavors

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Duluth has no shortage of coffee shops, but what about a place to get a good cup of tea?

Seeing the need for a market for tea drinkers, a local college graduate opened her own business in the east hillside called the Snooty Fox.

“We’ve got something in every category of tea – black tea, green tea, white, oolong, rooibos, herbals, it’s all about variety,” said Elizabeth Spehar, the shop’s owner.

You may not even be aware there are so many kinds of tea, but that’s part of the experience at the Snooty Fox.

“A lot of people are like, ‘Hey, I don’t know a lot about tea,'” said Spehar.

But that’s okay with Spehar, who wants to share her love for tea with the rest of Duluth.

In a town full of coffee shops and breweries, Spehar said her shop fills the niche for a different beverage.

“I’ve gotten the comment that it’s relaxing, peaceful, very cozy, and inviting. There are a lot of tea drinkers out there who don’t have a place to come talk about it and be nerdy about tea,” she said.

But with 100 teas to choose from, there is something for everyone – even a fizzy tea drink, known as kombucha.

“Kombucha is fermented tea. Ours starts as organic green tea and organic cane sugar – it’s a solution. Then we add a culture, which metabolizes the caffeine and the sugar and produces probiotics, amino acids, and enzymes,” said Spehar.

The sweet kombucha is kept in kegs, like beer, and is served on tap.

“I put a lot of thought into the space itself, yeah, so I want people to get the most out of it,” said Spehar.

The Snooty Fox is located at 1831 E 8th St. in Duluth.