BPS® Blog

This approach is exactly what sets Smith Tea apart from the competition.  The founder, Steven Smith, has had a long and illustrious career in the tea business.  Beginning in 1972, when he co-founded Stash.  After Stash, Steven would create the pervasive brand Tazo tea which now graces the shelves of just about every grocery or convenience store.  In 2006, he would retire from his position at Tazo, but this retirement would be very short-lived as he was inspired to ‘start his own eponymous line of teas’ after experiencing the artisan food and chocolate culture in Provence, France.  The extreme passion and commitment which was so evident in the dishes and bon-bons which he tasted sparked his interest in sourcing and producing the highest quality of tea possible.  Thus, Steven Smith would return to the United States and settle down in ‘trés chic’ Portland, Oregon to establish his newest tea company, Smith Tea.

When creating a tea blend, Smith Tea begins much like any other tea producer might; sourcing and sampling the finest crops in order to hand-pick only the optimal lots for their teas.  However, Smith Tea takes their teas a step further by crafting blends that not only accentuate the tea’s natural flavor profiles but also creates a vibrant, beautiful looking tea.  They apply the same painstaking evaluation to all of the spices and herbs which they fuse into their teas in order to discover the finest bergamot, peppermint, and luscious Egyptian hibiscus.  In fact, Smith Tea has such a propensity to identify their sources that they pride themselves on being transparent with exactly where the ingredients originate and when they were harvested.  To discover the story of your Smith Tea, simply check the bottom of any box of sachets and enter the batch number into their batch-lookup tool, here!

With a total 13 unique tea blends, you’re sure to find the perfect green, black, or herbal tea for any mood or setting.  You’ll find Smith Tea makes it easy to select what you need with simple color coded boxes indicating the type of tea.  So, if you know an herbal tea perfect for an early evening refreshment is what you desire; you’ll want to look for the sunburst orange packaging!   You may also notice that each offering has a number associated with the flavor.  These numbers all represent a unique experience or attribute related to the tea or ingredients selected to create their balanced blends.   Check the descriptions next to each tea to find out the significance of each number.

A freshly brewed cup of tea is excellent to cozy up with and warm you up on brisk morning or after a long, cold day, but when the heat it’s iced tea we yearn for.  When you visit the Smith Tea page in our catalog, you will see two 48 count offerings in filter bags which yield ¼ gallon of delicious iced tea; Exceptional which is a classic black iced tea option and Fez the perfect green tea to serve iced. However, if your favorite option from Smith Tea isn’t one of these flavors simply follow the directions below to enjoy any offering as a refreshing iced tea!

Select the sachet you desire then steep in 4 oz. hot water / dilute with 4oz. cold water / add ice