A few weeks ago, I visited the Steven Smith Teamakers tasting room in NW Portland to take a look at the way they're brewing up creativity through collaborations and special batch tea. I had a great time chatting with Head Teamaker Tony Tellin and fell in love with their iced tea on tap.

"Dried white jasmine blossoms from China are strewn across the table at Steven Smith Teamaker’s tasting room in the Northwest Industrial District of Portland, Oregon. Head teamaker Tony Tellin selects a single blossom, holds it in his hand and then slowly begins to pick it apart. He removes the calyx––which I later learn is the outer bud of a flower––and carefully detaches a few petals. He had been looking for a soft floral scent to highlight the vanilla flavor of a new tea when he turned to jasmine. The whole blossom is gritty and coarse, he explains. But he discovered that he only needed the outer petals of each blossom to create the desired effect." Read the article and see the photo story on Life & Thyme.