![I
n Portland, Smith Teamaker is a name eponymous
with the tea industry. Steven Smith, the companys
founder and tea visionary (who also launched Tazo and
Stash teas) passed of complications from liver cancer this
March. In his honor, Smith Teamaker is pushing forward to
build a flavor lab and expand its impressive tea program. The goal
is to pull back the curtain and let the community in on the complex
process, from sourcing ingredients to the finished product in the
cup. In preparation, creative director and head teamaker Tony
Tellin explains how to make tea taste like ice cream and why
they're not interested in what the competitions making.
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED
IN THE INDUSTRY? || It's a
funny story of being in the right
place. I grew up in Iowa, but after
vacationing in Portland, I sold
everything I owned and moved
there. Right after, I was biking down
to a temp agency and bumped into
Tazo tea. The workers were sitting
out on the dock on a beautiful day
having lunch. I chatted with them
and they said they were expanding
and needed help. I started the next
day in the warehouse.
Within a few months, I moved
into blending. Steve [Smith] would
write a recipe and I'd blend it out
for him to taste. That moved into
putting up blends for myself to
taste and then, eventually, into
making the decisions.
After about four years, my role
swiveled into sourcing and buying,
which required a lot of education.
I spent two weeks in Colombo,
two in Jakarta, two in Calcutta.
Then, I visited China, Japan,
Northern Africa... We spend a lot
of time trying to become experts
on every region.
WHEN YOU CREATE A NEW
FLAVOR, DO YOU SET AN END
GOAL AND FIND THE TEAS YOU
NEED TO MAKE IT, OR ARE YOU
INSPIRED TO MAKE A FLAVOR
BASED ON WHAT YOU TASTE?
|| Sometimes we'll find teas in
our inventory to support new
flavors or we will go out and find
something we know exists but
don't have. For the first Maker's
Series with Tyler Malek from Salt
& Straw [a Portland ice cream
shop], the inspiration was to make
a cup of tea taste like ice cream.
We built the flavor around a milk
oolong, with Marcona almonds for
B Y J U L I A W AY N E
that fatty liquor; white jasmine for
floral, vanilla-like notes; a bit of sea
salt. It sold out immediately.
HOW HAVE THINGS CHANGED
SINCE STEVE SMITH PASSED
AWAY? || It sounds weird, but
not much has changed. He was,
of course, part of the process.
I've been working with him for
18 years, and his cohorts here
have been with him at Stash
or Tazo forever, some in the
industry since the 1970s. We have
a very engaged, self-managing
leadership team.
We do what we like and not
necessarily what others are doing.
We look at distillers and brewers
and candy makers and chefs to
see what they're doing. It generally
feels less reactionary that way.
WHAT FLAVORS ARE YOU DOING
IN KEGS? || The Strawberry
Honeybrush Sparkling Iced Tea
is something we're really proud
of. Stumptown and Rogue have
been having fun with those.
We're working on a few new
collaborations so expect to see
more of us around Portland in the
near future.
Q&A with
Tony Tellin
FLAVOR CREATOR AT
SMITH TEAMAKER
TWOCENTS
S I P N O R T H W E S T. C O M8 8](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/500b30a4-5025-47f6-a7aa-cce246843f4f-160225005341/85/sipNW_su2015_twocents-1-320.jpg)
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- 1. I n Portland, Smith Teamaker is a name eponymous with the tea industry. Steven Smith, the companys founder and tea visionary (who also launched Tazo and Stash teas) passed of complications from liver cancer this March. In his honor, Smith Teamaker is pushing forward to build a flavor lab and expand its impressive tea program. The goal is to pull back the curtain and let the community in on the complex process, from sourcing ingredients to the finished product in the cup. In preparation, creative director and head teamaker Tony Tellin explains how to make tea taste like ice cream and why they're not interested in what the competitions making. HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN THE INDUSTRY? || It's a funny story of being in the right place. I grew up in Iowa, but after vacationing in Portland, I sold everything I owned and moved there. Right after, I was biking down to a temp agency and bumped into Tazo tea. The workers were sitting out on the dock on a beautiful day having lunch. I chatted with them and they said they were expanding and needed help. I started the next day in the warehouse. Within a few months, I moved into blending. Steve [Smith] would write a recipe and I'd blend it out for him to taste. That moved into putting up blends for myself to taste and then, eventually, into making the decisions. After about four years, my role swiveled into sourcing and buying, which required a lot of education. I spent two weeks in Colombo, two in Jakarta, two in Calcutta. Then, I visited China, Japan, Northern Africa... We spend a lot of time trying to become experts on every region. WHEN YOU CREATE A NEW FLAVOR, DO YOU SET AN END GOAL AND FIND THE TEAS YOU NEED TO MAKE IT, OR ARE YOU INSPIRED TO MAKE A FLAVOR BASED ON WHAT YOU TASTE? || Sometimes we'll find teas in our inventory to support new flavors or we will go out and find something we know exists but don't have. For the first Maker's Series with Tyler Malek from Salt & Straw [a Portland ice cream shop], the inspiration was to make a cup of tea taste like ice cream. We built the flavor around a milk oolong, with Marcona almonds for B Y J U L I A W AY N E that fatty liquor; white jasmine for floral, vanilla-like notes; a bit of sea salt. It sold out immediately. HOW HAVE THINGS CHANGED SINCE STEVE SMITH PASSED AWAY? || It sounds weird, but not much has changed. He was, of course, part of the process. I've been working with him for 18 years, and his cohorts here have been with him at Stash or Tazo forever, some in the industry since the 1970s. We have a very engaged, self-managing leadership team. We do what we like and not necessarily what others are doing. We look at distillers and brewers and candy makers and chefs to see what they're doing. It generally feels less reactionary that way. WHAT FLAVORS ARE YOU DOING IN KEGS? || The Strawberry Honeybrush Sparkling Iced Tea is something we're really proud of. Stumptown and Rogue have been having fun with those. We're working on a few new collaborations so expect to see more of us around Portland in the near future. Q&A with Tony Tellin FLAVOR CREATOR AT SMITH TEAMAKER TWOCENTS S I P N O R T H W E S T. C O M8 8