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 coffee town sons. In keeping with its hipster better flavor,” the server cred, Tea Chai Té offers kombucha “Isaid as he arranged a flight of four on tap. Mason jar chandeliers, teas 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 teahouses. 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 retail operations. Its local busi- my drink and tucked a similarly nesses have cast a leafy influence peachy kombucha bottle into my on American tea culture, 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, oolong, pu-erh, chai, together enthusiasts and vendors rooibos, yerba mate and herbal. I for workshops, classes, musical ordered a mammoth teapot 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 teahouse 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 bubble tea is a big hit with fu tea ceremony. 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 China 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-steeping the tea to remove neighborhood. High ceilings, ce- tannins, she placed some leaves in ment floors and glass garage my teacup 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 Japanese tea ceremony. 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 bar 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! 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