Smith Teamaker
Portland boutique tea blender founded by Steven Smith (Stash Tea, Tazo) in 2009. Premium silken pyramid tea bags and Portland tasting rooms with a roastery-cafe aesthetic.
Smith Teamaker was founded in 2009 by Steven Smith — the founder of both Stash Tea (1972) and Tazo Tea (1994, later sold to Starbucks) — as a return to small-batch artisan tea blending after his two larger ventures. Smith died in 2015, but the brand has continued under the original creative direction. The Portland tasting rooms (NW 23rd and SE Division) operate with the cafe aesthetic that Portland specialty coffee culture established, applied to tea.
The distinctive product format is the silken pyramid tea bag containing whole-leaf or near-whole-leaf tea — a meaningful departure from typical paper tea bags filled with dust grade. The price point sits above mass-market premium but below traditional loose-leaf specialty, opening tea-bag convenience to drinkers who would otherwise have to choose between accessibility and quality. The retail aesthetic and product positioning have been widely imitated since.
Focus areas
Tea types carried
- Black
- Green
- White
- Oolong
- Herbal
- Flavored
Retail locations
- Portland OR (NW + SE tasting rooms)