Smith Teamaker

In the more recently years, I discovered that I like teas. Before, I wasn’t a fan of hot drinks and would opt for a cold version. However, it is so comforting on a cold day or when you are sick and like beer or wine… they all have their own distinguishable flavours and taste. I love gifting local products and I started buying my friends Smith Teas. People would tell me that they love how delicious it is or that it’s similar to drinking lose leaf tea but in a convenience of a bag. I was really excited to hear that Smith Teamaker opened a tasting room on the East side.
Last Thursday, I met up with a friend there and we were finally able to experience it. The space is beautiful! The atmosphere is bright, clean, modern yet warm. When I walked in, I was greeted and given a menu. I sat on one of the comfortable chair that surrounded the fireplace while waiting for my friend to come and one of the staff asked if I had any questions. I decided on the tea tasting flight for $ 10, which he informed me that was ambitious because it’s four 8 oz. cups of tea. It worked out well because I shared with my friend. The Matcha is the only one that wasn’t included in the tasting options. We each decided on two teas, I was interested in the Masala Chai (black) and Honeybrush (herbal) while she chose the Bai Mu Dan (white) and Jasmine Silver Tip (green). That gave us a pretty good variety. Ten minutes after ordering… we were brought a platter of the teas, with a description cards for watch, smelling jars, tasting spoons, water to cleanse in between, and almond cookies for something sweet to offset the teas. Oh, cream and sugar for the Masala Chai. Love the presentation!
It was a fun way to spend a Thursday afternoon on my day off, catching up with a friend and tasting teas. Our favourite turned out to be the Bai Mu Dan, it had such a clean and subtle flavour to it. We both concluded that the Masala Chai was pretty standard and less preferred of the four we tried. I think the Honeybrush and Jasmine Silver Tip were wonderful as well. You could get teas for around $ 15/​canister, I ended up grabbing a box of assorted teas as a gift for a friend and Bai Mu Dan for myself. Service is great and very informative! I am scared that people will find out about this spot.

I hesitate to write this review because this place has become my little hideaway for great tea and meetings. I come in and set up my laptop (free wifi) and get work done while soaking up the peaceful environment around me (you can usually find me planted in front of the warm fireplace). My favorite drink here is one that isn’t «officially» on the menu but Donovan (one of the fabulous tasting room servers) makes it for me every time: red cappuccino (otherwise known as rooibos espresso). I fell in love with this drink in Cape Town years ago and have been longing for it since. Rooibos, steamed milk and honey (or sugar)…delish! And there’s also a matcha latte he made for us (that is on the menu) that is a close second.

Our last stop in Portland, we were pleased with the superb, friendly, and attentive staff at Steven Smith Teamaker! Arriving an hour after opening, the tea shop was empty of patrons but production room full of teamakers packaging the teas.
Greeted by two teamakers (didn’t catch their names, unfortunately), we were given a sample of two teas on tap: masala chai and strawberry honeybush. The masala chai had a nitro-​based effervescence that was smooth and velvety. This full-​bodied tea was aromatic, spicy, and delicious, and a splash of half and half added some creaminess. The strawberry honeybush was light, sweet, and fragrant of strawberries. I’m not a fan of carbonated drinks, but the CO2 from this tea had a nice and mild effervescence with a cool and crisp lingering mouthfeel. The latter was my favorite of the two on tap, so I bought a growlette (about 1 L) to take back home.
But the main reason for our visit was the tea flight: 4 teas for $ 10. The flight is set up in a way where you sample teas from lightest to heaviest. You slurp a spoonful, rinse the spoon briefly with water, and move on to the next tea. Dried tea leaves are also provided for you to smell the floral, fruity, spicy, and/​or aromatic notes in each.
Smith also sells boxes of bagged teas, or you can make your own mix and match collection of six individual packets for $ 5.99 (great for yourself or for gifting).
This tea room is naturally brightly-​lit with simple, lovely décor. The fireplace and cozy sofa chairs make this place extra homey. All around great service and very knowledgeable teamakers here with great recommendations!

The tea is great, the atmosphere is great, the décor is great and the servers are fantastic. Need I say more?

Lovely space with fireplace and simple visual approach. Cozy seating available for some delicious teas. Did a tea tasting with friends and loved the options. Seating is first come, firat served, so be prwpared to wait. However, wait was short and people cycled through comfortably. They do not serve food, so come fed or stop at some local restaurants before or after. Many within walking distance. Perfect, in our case, for a post lunch visit. Staff were very helpful and knowledgeable. Lovely experience and I suggest it to everyone!

The story of the late Steven Smith is legendary:
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Before he passed away, he planned this beautiful tasting room with a large glass window looking into the tea packing room. This is it.
The staff is very knowledgeable about teas, the best in a front of house position in Portland. Of course, they know everything about each of the Smith teas. But they are also knowledgeable about tea worldwide, its character and history.
Many of the Smith teas are blends. Each ingredient is chosen for a reason, and they can describe how it contributes to the flavor profile.
They have displays of the teas in their loose form which they can explain and smelling jars for each tea. And they have the teas for sale in boxes and bags, loose and in teabags.
There is no food, except some small crackers served with some of the teas.
To taste, they have all of their teas to be brewed in pots, some latte-​chai preparations with milk, and matcha drinks. The finely-​finished concrete bar has a screen and drain for gong fu tea servings to come. There is a generosity with water, quickly discarded, to warm the cups and rinse the leaves in gong fu. Traditionally the waste water is drained into a tea board. The grate serves the same purpose.
The space is comfortable and strikes a perfect balance between modern and traditional. There is a fireplace with four comfy chairs, a large padded tall back bench with a table in front of it by the roll up doors, which will be a great spot in perfect weather, a long table with about 20 seats, and the bar with stools, facing the packing room.
The preparation is precise, with timers and even felt insulating coasters to insulate the tea pots from being cooled by the concrete counter.
There is a tea laboratory room which may be open for special events, follow them on social media to learn about that.
The SE industrial area has a fierce parking situation weekdays, despite being mostly limited to 2 hours without a permit.
The Smith Tea Tasting Room continues the tradition of the Thurman Street Smith Tea Tasting Room, which remains open. The new room is the realization of the founder’s dream. It creates a beautiful atmosphere to experience tea and has space for tea events.