February 16, 2012
Photo@TiffanyTalbott
This is Kimberly: aka: Mrs. Smith – neat-nik, creative and lover of parties. The perfect Green to Steve’s Black, marketing maven and co-founder of Smith Teamaker.
Q: Which famous figures in history would you most like to have tea with?
A: Hands down, that would be author and adventurist, Isak Dineson, who wrote Out of Africa.
Q: Which famous living person would you least like to have tea with?
A: Anyone currently running for the GOP.
Q: What was your happiest time drinking tea?
(more…)
0 comments
February 15, 2012
Image courtesy of Eden Hensley Silverstein
Eden over at Recipes for the Good Life talked about our tea in one of her “What I Crave” posts. She mentions that the No.45 Peppermint was a particular favorite while she was pregnant since it does not have any caffeine (which also makes it a great bedtime tea). Our tea originally came to her as a gift from local wedding jeweler Gem Kitty, who wrapped a pair of our tip-top boxes in a beautiful black ribbon. She now sends her sister-in-law down to the teashop to pick up more for her whenever she runs low, though she could always call us and have it shipped right to her door (though I suspect the sister-in-law comes in for a few boxes for herself as well).
0 comments
January 26, 2012
Photo by David Johnson
Our very own Steve Smith was featured on the cover of this month’s Entrepreneur magazine. The story of Steve’s history in the tea world is recounted in an article entitled “The Brewsmith”. The feature chronicles Steve’s accomplishments in the tea industry, a journey that began nearly 40 years ago in the peppermint fields of Oregon. Editor-in-Chief Amy Cosper compares Steve to Richard Branson or Bill Gates stating “these are the innovators who capture zeitgeist and turn it into an unforgettable experience”.
The article is not just about the man who founded the company; the tea also shares in the spotlight. Author Bruce Schoenfeld compares the Smith teabags to “gorgeous miniature pieces of art”. Our No. 39 Fez makes an appearance on page 33 in its red-carpet ready string-tie box.
The magazine is available at newsstand now, and online here. Alternatively, come on down to the tearoom and read our copy over a cup of one entrepreneur’s dreams.
0 comments
December 26, 2011
![[CREATING]](http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/RV-AF421_CREATI_DV_20111223012203.jpg)
Corey Arnold for The Wall Street JournalSTEVEN SMITH at his tea salon, Steven Smith Teamaker, in Portland, Ore.
Thomas Twining. Thomas Lipton. The Bigelows. And Steven Smith?
Hardly a household name, Mr. Smith is one of the biggest players in modern tea history, holding a key role in what’s been a renaissance in the U.S., with tea sales soaring to about $7 billion this past year from less than $1 billion in 1990. He’s responsible for many of the original blends for two top-shelf brands: Stash, now owned by the Japanese company Yamamotoyama; and Tazo, which Starbucks bought in 1999. His own company, Steven Smith Teamaker, sells small-batch teas in restaurants and stores like Williams-Sonoma, Zabar’s and even Eddie Bauer.
Quality leaves are essential to good tea, but so too are the expertise and imagination of the person creating the blends, said tea-expert James Norwood Pratt, author of the definitive “Tea Dictionary.” “In no generation in the past 5,000 years have we had more than a few people like Steven Smith. He makes astonishingly good blends,” Mr. Pratt said.
(more…)
0 comments
December 26, 2011
Here’s Tiffany: Retail Renegade, Photographer and Tea Maven. Tiffany will graciously serve you a flight of tea or may be found with a cap on packing boxes.
Q: Best cup of tea you’ve ever had?
A: Milk Tea in the mountain tea houses of Nepal, Chai bought on Indian railway platforms, hot Apple Tea in even hotter Eastern Turkey, High Tea in London (served with champagne!), Darjeeling Tea with Steve, Kim and our boys in Darjeeling, and Red Bush Tea in South Africa.
Q: Worst cup of tea?
A: Yak tea (also called Tibetean tea) in Nepal. Absolutely vile. Black tea, yak butter and salt – an acquired taste I never acquired. (more…)
0 comments
November 3, 2011
The following post is part of TriplePundit’s coverage of the 2011 Net Impact Conference in Portland, Oregon. To read the rest of our coverage, click here.
By Ingrid Velmonte
I just returned to DC from Portland, OR, where I attended the2011 Net Impact Conference. It was my first visit to the Pacific Northwest, and I was enchanted by the city right away. Everywhere I happened to eat had delicious food, public transportation was easy to use and my hotel had recycling bins in the guest rooms, as well as complimentary Stumptown coffee in the lobby. One of the cool things about the conference was its focus on the host city, from having Congressman Earl Blumenauer welcome everyone on Friday morning to offering tours of local businesses, to design-thinking workshops geared toward addressing Portland-based companies’ and nonprofits’ sustainability challenges.
A very interesting conference panel featured an important industry in the Pacific Northwest region: beverages. “Coffee, Tea, Wine & Beer: Sustainability in the Pacific Northwest Beverage Industry” had key representatives of each drink choice:
0 comments
September 8, 2011
Photo©TiffanyTalbott
Meet Amy: Connecter of all the dots, pillar of strength and organization, future CEO of Smith Teamaker
Q: What was your happiest time drinking tea?
A: With my granny while watching Gone With The Wind. 2 bags of Lipton in a tiny china teacup with 2 teaspoons of sugar and a quarter cup of milk….fond memories with my matrilineal elder…and sore teeth.
Q: Which famous figures in history would you most like to have tea with?
A: Nadia Comaneci so she could show me how she does this amazing move on the uneven parallel bars. Even if it was performed in the year I was born! (more…)
1 comment
September 8, 2011
Photo by Tiffany Talbott
Hello all friends of Smith Teamaker! I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of working part-time at Smith since last Christmas, and just last week I had a work-time revelation. I used to not be a big hibiscus fan. I liked the idea, but the actuality was often too astringent for my tastes. Then I met Big Hibiscus. The deeply crimson flowers themselves are beautiful, both to the eye and the nose, and the blend is at once rich and light, floral and fruity, with the slightest touch of the aromatic. I love it.
We’ve had a lovely spell of much needed 83-91 degree days here in Portland, and this kind-of weather brings margaritas to my mind. So there I was, sitting on the line while we were running BH, and it hit me: these flavors would be GREAT in a margarita! On the way home that night I stopped and picked up a bottle of tequila and some lemons and limes along with my dinner sundries. After a little tinkering, I came up with a recipe I’m pretty excited about, and I thought I’d share it here in hopes that some of you would enjoy it as much as me. The resulting cocktail is unique and delicious, as well as being the most beautiful shade of crimson I’m calling it an Indian Summer in hopes that our beautiful weather will stick around for a while before the rains return. Keep your fingers crossed for us. Best, Elizabeth
Indian Summer
6 tea bags Smith Teamaker Big Hibiscus tea
hot water
5 lemons
5 limes
simple syrup (I’ll explain)*
kosher salt
tequila (I like a silver as opposed to gold tequila for this drink)
triple sec (optional) (more…)
0 comments
August 25, 2011
Photo©TiffanyTalbott
Meet ML: Writer, cyclist, dragon boater and manager of production and packaging
Q: What was your happiest time drinking tea?
A: After a long day’s backpacking, relaxing and watching the sun go down.
Q: Which famous figures in history would you most like to have tea with?
A: . . . maybe a cup of Lord Berg with Mike Tyson. . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5XFH36UdQ4 (more…)
0 comments
August 21, 2011
Photo©TiffanyTalbott
Meet Joe: artist, biker, strong silent type
Q: What was your happiest time drinking tea?
A: After A long day of painting, or before painting to put me in the right mindset.
Q: Which famous figures in history would you most like to have tea with?
A: I would like to talk painting over a cup of tea with John Singer Sargent, or Maybe Paul Cezanne.
Q: Which famous living person would you least like to have tea with?
A: Probably Lady Gaga (more…)
0 comments
Follow Us: