sign in sign up
<<
Home , Kombucha, Teahouse

F6 EZ EE THE WASHINGTON POST . SUNDAY, AUGUST 26, 2018

t sounds weird — and it ia” watchers; the series featured it sounds weird — but if in its second through fourth sea- you slurp it, you’ll get Teatime in a town sons. In keeping with its hipster better flavor,” the server cred, Chai Té offers “Isaid as he arranged a flight of four on tap. Mason jar chandeliers, before me. I glanced around mismatched rustic wood tables the busy tasting room of Steven In Oregon, Portland has plenty of room for hot-beverage competition and a cozy outdoor seating area Smith Teamaker. Everyone else reinforce the aesthetic. was delicately sipping their brews, BY ERIN E. WILLIAMS I was overwhelmed by the so I slurped surreptitiously. menu’s 120 scratch-made tea I was in Oregon, at the end of a blends, including fair trade and whistle-stop tour of some of Port- organic (75) options, so the wom- land’s best-known . Al- an behind the counter recom- though Stumptown seems to re- mended a light-tasting white volve around coffee, it is also a city peach tea. I settled into a table of tea — from quiet cafes to larger next to a miniature library, sipped operations. Its local busi- my and tucked a similarly nesses have cast a leafy influence peachy kombucha bottle into my on American , ushering bag for later. in a new era of specialized quaff- The next morning, I was ready ing. My informal tally counts for two final heavy hitters. First roughly two dozen teahouses, plus up: the light-filled flagship loca- several tea supply shops and tion of Townshend’s Tea Company breweries. on gallery-lined Alberta Street. The city even celebrates its tea Local photographers’ art hung on community with Tea Fest PDX, the walls, and the menu offered a which was held this year on July stunning variety of tea: white, 21. The day-long festival brings green, black, , pu-erh, chai, together enthusiasts and vendors rooibos, yerba and herbal. I for workshops, classes, musical ordered a mammoth of performances, yoga and more. minty organic Highland Chai, On a stereotypically drizzly sweet with coconut milk. I also Portland morning, I dodged the refilled my 32-ounce mini-growl- drops to reach the Tao of Tea, a er with an oaky kombucha from two-story in downtown’s the tap — Townshend’s distributes Lan Su Chinese Garden. The com- its organic, raw (and wind-pow- pany has two local teahouses, a ered) bottled kombucha through- retail store and a microbrewery out the United States and Canada that bottles teas for national dis- — and purchased three ounces of tribution. One of the first U.S. tea vanilla rooibos loose-leaf for companies to join the fair trade home. movement, it also takes pride in A cluster of tables, a comfort- using organic teas and traditional able couch and an outdoor garden tea-making methods. accommodate an equal mix of out- The teahouse was serene, with of-towners and regulars who have only a few other customers. I made Townshend’s their work- chose a table near windows over- space. Many customers come looking the garden’s courtyard from nearby Concordia Univer- and lake. In front of me, a server sity. demonstrated a traditional gong- “Our is a big hit with fu . I had selected a students,” the barista explained. fermented pu-erh (or Pu’er) vari- Townshend’s was tweaking its ety — named for the city in bubble tea ingredients to make — which she had recommended as them healthier, he added, and in- being “particularly forgiving,” a vited me to a tasting at the Mon- nod to my beginner status. tavilla location. “How many years do you think “Especially here in Portland, have people been drinking tea?” people care about what they eat. she asked. I guessed 2,000, but We want them to have options,” he was off by millennia. “Five thou- said. sand,” she said. Near the river, Steven Smith She arranged a few accoutre- Teamaker’s sprawling Southeast ments — teapot, tiny cups and Tasting Room is housed in a bamboo tools — on a tray while 13,000-square-foot warehouse explaining the process. After space in the Central Eastside flash- the tea to remove neighborhood. High ceilings, ce- tannins, she placed some leaves in ment floors and glass garage my to steep. Then I was on doors frame the communal wood- my own. en tables and provide an indus- Although my hands lacked her trial ambiance that reflects the steadiness, three minutes later I neighborhood. was sipping the strong, earthy The server brought me a flight pu-erh and nibbling my accompa- of four teas, arranged from green nying snacks: spicy steamed tofu to black to herbal — and made that and candied mango slices topped slurping recommendation. I with coconut flakes and goji ber- sniffed the dry leaves and read the ries. I poured cup after steaming informational cards that accom- cup while watching passersby en- panied each variety. The flight joy the rainy garden. represented a fraction of the Jasmine Pearl’s airy flagship menu’s 50-plus varieties from In- teahouse sits across the Wil- dia, Africa, China, Sri Lanka and lamette River in Portland’s North- other locales. east neighborhood. The company Behind the counter, another supplies teas, including 50-plus room houses production, blend- organic varieties, to more than ing and packing. A recipe-testing 500 retailers nationwide. The tea- lab also adjoins the tearoom. Dur- house’s long stone counter and ing my visit, several executives attractive tables arrayed with tea were sampling new summer teas merchandise awaited the half- on tap. dozen or so customers browsing Steven Smith was a Portland during my visit. native who co-founded two of tea’s Dozens of loose-leaf teas are biggest names, Stash and Tazo. In available for easy sniffing, and its 2009, Smith and his wife, Kim menu includes tea lattes and spar- DeMent, launched Steven Smith kling teas. A sign lists classes and Teamaker in Northwest Portland. events, such as an introduction to Smith died in 2015, but his tea-leaf reading and a demonstra- entrepreneurship and palate tion of a . helped usher in a new era of spe- I was jittery from the pu-erh, so cialty tea appreciation in the Unit- I chose a non-caffeinated Earl ed States. That influence is just Grey rooibos, the citrusy berga- one of the ways that Portland’s tea mot tempered with steamed al- culture continues to reinvigorate mond milk. I also bought a vegan and transform the way that we caramel brownie — to go. experience brews from pu-erh to Further south, customers enter PHOTOS BY ERIN E. WILLIAMS kombucha — in Stumptown and the Sellwood location of Tea Chai CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: In Portland, Ore., the two-story Tao of Tea can be found downtown in the Lan Su Chinese Garden. beyond. Té through a deceptively diminu- Jasmine Pearl’s flagship teahouse, across the Willamette River in Portland’s Northeast neighborhood, has more than 50 organic [email protected] tive train caboose, which opens up varieties. At Steven Smith Teamaker’s sprawling Southeast Tasting Room in the Central Eastside neighborhood, visitors who sit at into a lofty, spacious teahouse. the coffee get a peek into its tea-production facility and lab. Each cup in a flight of tea there comes with an explanatory card. Williams is a writer based in Nevada. The caboose, dating to 1920, Her website is erinewilliams.com. might look familiar to “Portland-

Chinese Garden. (Customers must If you go pay $10 for admission to the Vacation Rentals, Inns, WHERE TO DRINK garden.) Menus feature more than Steven Smith Teamaker 100 teas from $3.50. 1626 NW Thurman St.; Jasmine Pearl Lodges & Villas 110 SE Washington St. 724 NE 22nd Ave. 971-254-3935 18-0394-02 503-236-3539 NORTH CAROLINA smithtea.com thejasminepearl.com The original Smith Tasting Room is The menu includes sparkling teas, Inns,Lodges located in Northwest Portland. The tea lattes and brewed teas. The & Villas 13,000-square-foot Southeast shop also carries a wide variety of Tasting Room also houses tea merchandise and offers runs in production and a tea lab. Both classes. Teas from $2.75. locations offer more than 50 teas, Award-Winning Tea Chai Té Travel Section including seasonal and nitro choices on tap, as well as classes Three Portland locations Recipient of Gold Medal in 2012 Named TOP large-circulation Travel and workshops. Teas from $3. 503-432-8747 (Sellwood location) Section by Society of American Travel The Tao of Tea teachaite.com Writers Foundation 3430 SE Belmont St.; The Sellwood location is a caboose Among the accoutrements — teapot, tiny cups and bamboo tools — a server begins the gong fu ceremony at Tao of Tea. * LIMITED TIME OFFER * 239 NW Everett St. featured in “Portlandia.” The menu Double Ad Size @ No Extra Cost 503-736-0119 includes more than 100 Run 5 Sundays for handcrafted teas, boba and location) tap, as well as classes. Teas from WEST VIRGINIA as little as $363! taooftea.com kombucha on tap. Teas from townshendstea.com $2.50. Reach more than 1.5 million metro The original teahouse — and $2.50. market adults every Sunday! Portland’s oldest — adjoins a retail Townshend’s Tea Company A Portland-based chain (with ESCAPE TO store in Southeast Portland. The additional locations in Oregon, INFORMATION To advertise, call Mon-Fri: Four Portland locations THE WOODS! Tower of Cosmic Reflections Montana and Utah) featuring travelportland.com 202-334-6200 503-445-6699 (Alberta Street WV getaways, only 90 miles from DC. 36 teahouse is located in the Lan Su dozens of teas and kombucha on E.W. holes of Golf, Spa, Swimming, Tennis, more. [email protected] 800-248-2222 or www.TheWoods.com