Ingredients: The mumbled chantings of a certified tea shaman…
March 28, 2015 1:32 PM Subscribe
Steven Smith, teamaker, passed away last Monday. He was a co-founder of Stash teas, founder of Tazo tea, and most recently, founder of the eponymous Steven Smith lines of teas.
Stash Tea, founded in 1972, makes a wide variety of teas, including the infamous Double Bergamot . In 1993 it was acquired by the 300 year old (!) tea company Yamamotoyama.
Tazo, founded in 1994 as “The Reincarnation of Tea” initially was wrapped in OK Cola-esque arcane labeling and New Age eastern mysticism. The company was purchased by Starbucks in 1999 and packaging has since been thoroughly sanitized.
Previously on Metafilter: Using Tazo Passion Tea and donuts to make a solar cell
Stash Tea, founded in 1972, makes a wide variety of teas, including the infamous Double Bergamot . In 1993 it was acquired by the 300 year old (!) tea company Yamamotoyama.
Tazo, founded in 1994 as “The Reincarnation of Tea” initially was wrapped in OK Cola-esque arcane labeling and New Age eastern mysticism. The company was purchased by Starbucks in 1999 and packaging has since been thoroughly sanitized.
Previously on Metafilter: Using Tazo Passion Tea and donuts to make a solar cell
Starbucks (at least in Canada) has since dropped all their Tazo teas for Teavana teas - all of which are vastly inferior. When they had Tazo, it was one of the best chain shops to get a tea at; now, tea drinkers have no reason to go there. I can only assume it's some passive aggressive assault on tea drinkers.
At least I stocked up on the Tazo tea in its last few weeks - and it's available in grocery stores, though not in the shops.
don't get me started on David's Tea - over-priced, over-stewed swill that most people drink so full of sugar and flavour they may as well be drinking hot kool-aid. Competing with them is probably the reason why SB now has crap tea
posted by jb at 3:49 PM on March 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
At least I stocked up on the Tazo tea in its last few weeks - and it's available in grocery stores, though not in the shops.
don't get me started on David's Tea - over-priced, over-stewed swill that most people drink so full of sugar and flavour they may as well be drinking hot kool-aid. Competing with them is probably the reason why SB now has crap tea
posted by jb at 3:49 PM on March 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
I love Stash, but I always thought that Tazo was the worst tea. It all had added citric acid or something so that every flavor, from Earl Grey to Chamomile, tasted like orange peel. I wish that Starbucks had served Stash instead of Tazo.
posted by hydropsyche at 3:53 PM on March 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by hydropsyche at 3:53 PM on March 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
I had no idea what there was an actual Stephen Smith behind those teas.
(Still bummed that Tazo discontinued their Focus tea a while back, which made me sad as it was the best of the lot. Their Earl Grey tastes mostly of detergent and is not an adequate substitute.)
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posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 3:58 PM on March 28, 2015
(Still bummed that Tazo discontinued their Focus tea a while back, which made me sad as it was the best of the lot. Their Earl Grey tastes mostly of detergent and is not an adequate substitute.)
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posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 3:58 PM on March 28, 2015
> It all had added citric acid or something so that every flavor, from Earl Grey to Chamomile, tasted like orange peel.
In contrast to Celestial Seasonings, for which every flavor tastes primarily of hibiscus. Even the teas that do not have hibiscus as an ingredient.
I had heard that Tazo had been started by the guy who founded Stash, but since I never saw Stash teas until after Tazo was already nigh-ubiquitous, I had always thought Stash was the newer brand. And I had never heard of the Stephen Smith teas at all until this afternoon, when passing through a local shop which had a tasting stand set up in respect to him.
So I can speak well at least of the mint-green tea blend. It is an amazingly well balanced flavor.
posted by ardgedee at 4:06 PM on March 28, 2015 [3 favorites]
In contrast to Celestial Seasonings, for which every flavor tastes primarily of hibiscus. Even the teas that do not have hibiscus as an ingredient.
I had heard that Tazo had been started by the guy who founded Stash, but since I never saw Stash teas until after Tazo was already nigh-ubiquitous, I had always thought Stash was the newer brand. And I had never heard of the Stephen Smith teas at all until this afternoon, when passing through a local shop which had a tasting stand set up in respect to him.
So I can speak well at least of the mint-green tea blend. It is an amazingly well balanced flavor.
posted by ardgedee at 4:06 PM on March 28, 2015 [3 favorites]
That first link is quite an obit - sounds like the writer was a friend of Smith's, or was invited to his home at the end of Smith's life? At any rate, interesting to learn more about him since I'd only known of him in an abstract way before. What a life.
His Steven Smith Teamaker company makes some very good stuff (obviously). For anyone who wants to have a (no-sweeteners) super sweet tea on hand, Bon Bon hits the spot.
posted by LobsterMitten at 4:24 PM on March 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
His Steven Smith Teamaker company makes some very good stuff (obviously). For anyone who wants to have a (no-sweeteners) super sweet tea on hand, Bon Bon hits the spot.
posted by LobsterMitten at 4:24 PM on March 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
While I knew the connection between Yamamotoyama, Stash, and Tazo, it was only a year or so ago I visited the Steven Smith Tea tasting room and learned that he was "that guy" who is the common thread connecting all these different brands of tea. While Steven himself wasn't at the tea room when I visited, some of his family members were, and it was clear that the Steven Smith teas were and are a real passion project for those who work on them- the blends are very considered and well balanced, in my opinion.
Right now I'm drinking a nice cup of 39, Fez. I think my favorite is probably Brahmin.
posted by Secretariat at 4:39 PM on March 28, 2015
Right now I'm drinking a nice cup of 39, Fez. I think my favorite is probably Brahmin.
posted by Secretariat at 4:39 PM on March 28, 2015
The Oregon NPR station OPB re-ran a 2011 interview with Smith on their show "Think Out Loud" on Tuesday. Here's the piece (Soundcloud link, 12 minutes).
posted by Auden at 5:29 PM on March 28, 2015
posted by Auden at 5:29 PM on March 28, 2015
Q: Why do anarchists drink Tazo?
A: Because proper tea is theft.
posted by Joe in Australia at 5:46 PM on March 28, 2015 [6 favorites]
A: Because proper tea is theft.
posted by Joe in Australia at 5:46 PM on March 28, 2015 [6 favorites]
I'm sad. Brilliant teamakers are a rarity.
I'm surprised that Tazo and Stash are from the same person as I tend to have a much better tea experience with Stash than Tazo. Not sure why though.
posted by AlexiaSky at 6:57 PM on March 28, 2015
I'm surprised that Tazo and Stash are from the same person as I tend to have a much better tea experience with Stash than Tazo. Not sure why though.
posted by AlexiaSky at 6:57 PM on March 28, 2015
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posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:01 PM on March 28, 2015
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:01 PM on March 28, 2015
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posted by Smart Dalek at 7:34 PM on March 28, 2015
posted by Smart Dalek at 7:34 PM on March 28, 2015
Stash's Chai Spice Black Tea is my go-to for tea.
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posted by Pope Guilty at 8:22 PM on March 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
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posted by Pope Guilty at 8:22 PM on March 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
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I prefer both Stash and Tazo tea to any of mass market brands you can buy in the supermarket I'm looking at you Lipton.
posted by arcticseal at 8:41 PM on March 28, 2015
I prefer both Stash and Tazo tea to any of mass market brands you can buy in the supermarket I'm looking at you Lipton.
posted by arcticseal at 8:41 PM on March 28, 2015
My standard breakfast tea is still Peet's, but Stash and Tazo are my go-tos whenever I need to pick something up in a grocery or coffee shop. So
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posted by tavella at 8:45 PM on March 28, 2015
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posted by tavella at 8:45 PM on March 28, 2015
Stash makes up the majority of my tea, er, stash. Just had a cup of warm milk with a couple of bags of their decaf chai steeped in it. Delicious stuff. He made a good difference in the world.
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posted by angeline at 10:27 PM on March 28, 2015
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posted by angeline at 10:27 PM on March 28, 2015
He was an energetic guy and well known in Portland. I very much enjoyed a tea and cheese pairing workshop I attended which was hosted by him (in conjunction with another local "Steve," Steve Jones - cheesemonger and proprietor of The Cheese Bar). Smith seemed very eager to share his knowledge of tea and his unique voice and talents will be near-impossible to replace. On the rare occasion that I splurged for his eponymous brand, I found the tea delightful.
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posted by amanda at 12:14 AM on March 29, 2015
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posted by amanda at 12:14 AM on March 29, 2015
Cancer is caused by a lot of things, but I find it notable that a man who tasted thousands of teas would die so relatively young of cancer, when so many people want to think that tea is health-improving and life-preserving. Studies do show that tea itself can have these effects, but the truth is, there are a lot of pesticides in tea, including brands he helped establish. See chart here.
I wish more people paid attention to this. It's a shame that he died so relatively young, and I hope part of his legacy is to draw more attention to the dangers of pesticides in tea.
posted by limeonaire at 9:09 AM on March 29, 2015
I wish more people paid attention to this. It's a shame that he died so relatively young, and I hope part of his legacy is to draw more attention to the dangers of pesticides in tea.
posted by limeonaire at 9:09 AM on March 29, 2015
I don't have a background that makes me qualified to judge the veracity of tea studies, and my gut instinct is that we aren't paying enough attention to the health effects of pesticides in general, but I am skeptical of that particular chart that's been passed around. Here are a couple of additional bits of info (also from possibly biased sources) that discuss the not-neutral nature of the "independent lab" that performed the testing.
posted by Secretariat at 11:14 AM on March 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Secretariat at 11:14 AM on March 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
I happened to be in Portland this week (such a fantastic city; I was sad not to be able to meet PDX Mefites) and ate at Veritable Quandry one misty and grey afternoon. As one does in Portland on a cold day, I ordered hot tea. The server started crying. Turns out VQ serves Steven Smith teas, and she'd been a friend of his, and he'd only just died a few hours before.
No. 96 (Jasmine Silver Tip) is fantastic, Calm is the one tea I know of that actually does just that, and Steven Smith seems to have been that extraordinary human being who was both a great businessperson and a good human being.
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posted by librarylis at 5:53 PM on March 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
No. 96 (Jasmine Silver Tip) is fantastic, Calm is the one tea I know of that actually does just that, and Steven Smith seems to have been that extraordinary human being who was both a great businessperson and a good human being.
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posted by librarylis at 5:53 PM on March 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
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