The tasting room offers up to 30 seats with space for 20 more, with bar stools, table seating, lounge chairs, and a large straight-backed couch. This place was built for R&R. Photo: Emma Mannheimer
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“The tasting room was Smith’s brainchild,” says Steven Smith director of marketing Amy Yukas. “His desire was to always return to this area after having Tazo located here. He really loved the vibe and the neighborhood in general.” Photo: Emma Mannheimer
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“The tasting room was Smith’s brainchild,” says Steven Smith director of marketing Amy Yukas. “His desire was to always return to this area after having Tazo located here. He really loved the vibe and the neighborhood in general.” Photo: Emma Mannheimer
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In the tasting room, teas are prepared in the style of a traditional Chinese gong fu ceremony. Eight to ten cups of Oolong are poured over the tray, each with just a 30 second steeping time to reach the pinnacle of flavor and delicacy. “It allows some of the tea to be had and some to be poured out,” says Smith Tea tasting room manger Sara Kaufman. “Traditionally, the tea would be poured out as an offering to a tea pet” (a good luck charm in the world of serious Chinese tea drinking). Photo: Emma Mannheimer
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In the tasting room, teas are prepared in the style of a traditional Chinese gong fu ceremony. Eight to ten cups of Oolong are poured over the tray, each with just a 30 second steeping time to reach the pinnacle of flavor and delicacy. “It allows some of the tea to be had and some to be poured out,” says Smith Tea tasting room manger Sara Kaufman. “Traditionally, the tea would be poured out as an offering to a tea pet” (a good luck charm in the world of serious Chinese tea drinking). Photo: Emma Mannheimer
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A collection of leaves, flowers and barks on display prior to mixing. Photo: Emma Mannheimer
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A collection of leaves, flowers and barks on display prior to mixing. Photo: Emma Mannheimer
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“At the Northwest location, production was bursting at the seams,” says Yukas. “This space is nearly four to five times the size.” Tours aren’t necessary here; a large window allows visitors to survey the assembly line process from start to finish. Photo: Emma Mannheimer
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The Northwest tasting menu will carry over to the new location, bringing with it tea lattes and tea flights offered at $10 for four cups. “Part of Smith’s objective is to really education about tea, just like you would with wine or beer,” says Yukas.
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The Northwest tasting menu will carry over to the new location, bringing with it tea lattes and tea flights offered at $10 for four cups. “Part of Smith’s objective is to really education about tea, just like you would with wine or beer,” says Yukas.
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“At the Northwest location, production was bursting at the seams,” says Yukas. “This space is nearly four to five times the size.” Tours aren’t necessary here; a large window allows visitors to survey the assembly line process from start to finish. Photo: Emma Mannheimer
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The tasting room offers up to 30 seats with space for 20 more, with bar stools, table seating, lounge chairs, and a large straight-backed couch. This place was built for R&R. Photo: Emma Mannheimer
The new Smith Teamaker tasting room in Portland’s industrial Eastside is truly an ode to the legacy of its founder, Steven Smith, who passed away in the spring of 2015. The 13,000-square-foot facility is a classroom for tea-drinkers ready to take the next step, with palate-expanding tea flights, traditional Chinese tea ceremonies, and a glimpse at the behind-the-scenes process of professional blending.
While the original tasting room in Northwest is still in action, the new location, set across the street from the brand new House Spirits distillery and the Olympic Mills building, offers expanded seating for up to thirty patrons seeking expertly blended brews.
Education takes priority here: plush leather chairs and all the required reading (tea encyclopedias, for example) are stacked around a smoldering fireplace as soft light filters in through two huge garage doors. Visitors quickly learn the meaning of words like “dandy” (not what you think) and “fussbudget”—a cranky, obsessive head tea maker. If you’re looking for a hands-on lesson, the “tea-ristas” will deconstruct Smith’s notable blends, letting you ruminate over each individual ingredient.
In addition to Smith’s tea lattes, kegged sparkling teas, and tea flights, the new location offers an interactive tea experience with its gong fu tea grate, allowing for participation in a traditional Chinese brewing ceremony. Smith Teamaker opens to the public on December 2.
Steven Smith Teamaker 110 SE Washington St. 503-719-8752 Mon-Fri: 9 am to 5 pm Sat: 11 am to 5 pm
