Portland, Ore. (May 25 , 2021) — On Saturday, May 29th at 9am, Smith Teamaker’s new café on Northwest 23rd will open its doors and give away a commemorative tin of tea to the first 100 customers. Prior to that at 8:45am, there will be a ribbon cutting, with remarks from CEO Darren Marshall and Kim DeMent, co-founder and widow of the late founder, Steven Smith. May 29th is celebrated as “Founder’s Day” for the eponymous tea company, which honors tea pioneer and Portland native Steven Smith’s birthday. Opening a shop in Northwest marks a return to the neighborhood where the company began back in 2009.
The new location is the Smith Teamaker’s first foray into featuring a food menu, which was created by Culinary Director Karl Holl to incorporate tea into many of the signature dishes. The plant-based menu has something for everyone: healthful morning options like chia bowls and overnight tea soaked oats, and grain bowls and salads for lunch, as well as hearty dishes like turmeric noodle bowls and an array of pastries infused with tea, created in partnership with Grano bakery. At the new shop, customers will be able to enjoy over 35 flavors of hot or iced brewed teas, as well as tea lattes pulled from their “teaspresso” machine. Tea flights, Gaiwan service, and a selection of specialty tea beverages are also on the menu—including innovative non-alcoholic tea based cocktails, such as the Silver Linings: a refreshing mix of Yunnan Silver Needle tea, clarified grapefruit and housemade habanero syrup. The interior was designed by Andee Hess of Osmose Design.
Smith Teamaker will open at 500 N.W. 23rd Ave. (at Glisan) at 9am on Saturday, May 29th, and be open daily from 9am-5pm, with seating on an outdoor covered patio, as well as inside when county regulations permit. The menu is also available for takeout and delivery via Tock (exploretock.com).
The interior of the new Smith Teamaker location at 500 N.W. 23rd Ave., photo by Andrew Vanasse, courtesy of Smith Teamaker
About Smith Teamaker
In 2021 Smith Teamaker celebrates 11 years of sourcing the world’s finest teas and botanicals to offer a drinking experience like nothing else in the world. The brand is beloved by uncompromising tea drinkers for uncommonly delicious teas and herbal infusions, blended and packed in small batches at its Portland headquarters. Smith was founded by the late legendary teamaker Steve Smith, who was the visionary behind two of the nation’s biggest tea brands, Stash and Tazo. Smith Teamaker’s mission is to elevate the tea experience by crafting products made with transparency, ethical sourcing, exceptional blending, and of the highest quality. Head Teamaker Ravi Kroesen and his tea lab team oversee the consistency of their core line, develop new blends released seasonally throughout the year, and source exceptional single-origin teas for their reserve collection. Smith Teamaker is available online at smithtea.com and in select hotels, restaurants, specialty shops and grocery stores across the nation. Smith’s tasting room, located at the company’s Southeast Portland headquarters, is open daily for socially-distant shopping and exceptional cups of hot or iced tea, with an aromatic view of the production process. Find Smith Tea on Instagram @smithteamaker.