Tao of Tea
Portland-based direct-trade tea importer with multiple tea houses across the city. Founded in 1997 by Veerinder Chawla. Significant pu-erh and Yunnan focus.
Tao of Tea is the Portland answer to what serious specialty tea retail looks like. Veerinder Chawla founded the company in 1997 with direct-trade producer relationships across Asia and a vision for tea retail spaces that functioned as third places. The Tao of Tea tea houses (Belmont, Hawthorne, Chinatown) have served as Portland gathering spots for nearly three decades, with deep menus emphasizing Yunnan pu-erh, single-origin Chinese teas, and Japanese matcha.
The brand's wholesale and online catalog reaches well beyond Portland. The Yunnan pu-erh selection is one of the best in American specialty tea, with regular pressings and aged inventory dating back over a decade. The editorial voice across the catalog is unusually direct about what's special vs. what's ordinary — a trait shared with the better Portland coffee operations and uncommon in American tea brands generally.
Focus areas
Tea types carried
- Green
- White
- Oolong
- Black
- Pu-erh
- Herbal
Retail locations
- Portland OR (multiple locations)