Smith Teamaker opens flagship store in Japan
Smith Teamaker’s tasting room at Shibuya Scramble Square on opening day, photo by Seiji Nanbu
Doors are now open to Smith Teamaker’s first location in one of the most vibrant cities in the world: Tokyo. Located at Shibuya Scramble Square, the new tasting room is a calm respite from the city around it. The flagship store retails Smith Teamaker’s full range of more than 30 sustainably sourced premium tea blends, and includes a Tasting Room which crafts the teas into innovative beverages, tea flights and food pairings.
“We could not be more thrilled to launch a permanent flagship store in one of the most vibrant cities in the world,” says Darren Marshall, CEO of Smith Teamaker. “The reception to our brand in Japan over the years has been incredible, and we are proud to partner with Toyo Beverage as our exclusive distributor in Japan as we bring the full Smith experience to residents and visitors in Tokyo.”
The Portland, Oregon-based company, founded in 2009 by legendary tea entrepreneur Steven Smith, has spent the past several years building momentum in Japan in partnership with Toyo Beverage, through partnerships with Blue Bottle Coffee, Godiva Chocolate, W Hotels and various Michelin-starred restaurants. After being available in Japan for over 10 years, Smith Teamaker began operating pop-up stores with Toyo Beverage in the prestigious Shibuya Scramble Square in 2022, attracting thousands of visitors with its unique blends of black, green, herbal and wellness teas. It quickly became clear that Tokyo was ready for a permanent Smith Teamaker Tasting Room that would serve customers premium quality teas within an experiential space to savour a quiet moment in the bustle of city life.
“I’m proud to bring the legacy of Steven Smith to the Japanese consumer,” says Douglas Schafer, CEO of Toyo Beverage. “Our team is excited to bring the history and unparalleled quality of Smith Teamaker via this first Tokyo Tasting Room to the exacting Japanese consumer, and uphold the vision of Steven Smith to provide exceptional tea experiences.”
The Tasting Room Experience
From day one, Smith Teamaker has emulated a customer experience more like what one might be accustomed to in a winery: an invitation to slow down, savour, and consider the flavours and aromas in their cup, as well as their provenance. The new Tokyo tasting room does just this, presenting the company’s “garden to cup” ethos as a complete sensory experience: the retail shop has the loose leaf tea displayed under hand blown cloches so customers can experience the complex aromas of the tea as they learn about its origins. The knowledgeable staff is on hand to guide customers and plans to host tea workshops in the future. All of Smith Teamaker’s 30+ tea blends are available to taste in the tasting room, and, taken a step further, are used to craft innovative tea lattes, signature tea flights and food pairings. Of note, the golden light and black lavender lattes are crafted using a “tea-spresso” approach, an innovation developed by Smith Teamaker which uses an espresso machine to extract highly concentrated steepings of herbal infusions and black tea as it would coffee. Finally, tea brewing equipment, glassware, and the teas themselves are available for purchase to recreate the full Smith Teamaker experience at home.
Hand Crafted Details
Smith Teamaker is celebrated for its industry-leading commitment to craft, quality and creativity. The brand often finds inspiration for their collections not from the tea industry, but rather from fellow creators in culinary, beverage, and the arts. This care for craft and uncommon sources of inspiration is evident in the new Tokyo store through not only the beverage offerings but the intricate design details as well. Anchoring the nearly 2,000 square foot retail and tasting room spaces are two custom chochin lanterns, handcrafted by Kojima Shoten in Kyoto, which has been making chochin lanterns by hand for over 200 years. The paper used for the lanterns was made by Nao Tesuki Washi Company using Smith Tea as a natural dye, and pressed tea leaves into the washi paper itself. Additionally, the brand partnered with Big Sand Woodworking to handcraft the boards for its tea flights and displays, and a local designer to craft the sensory cloches.
Exclusive Products
In celebration of the Tokyo flagship opening, Smith Teamaker debuted the first tea in its new “City Series,” teas inspired by iconic cities across the world. Titled “Tokyo Twilight,” the blend is a love letter to the liveliness of its namesake city, featuring an uncommon combination of sencha green tea, green rooibos, cracked juniper, tulsi, lavender and lemon peel. Tokyo Twilight is now available at Smith Teamaker’s Tokyo and Portland tasting rooms, as well as online at SmithTea.com.
Smith Teamaker’s new Tokyo store is located on the 4th floor of Shibuya Scramble Square (Shibuya 2-24-12, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo) and is open daily from 10 am to 9 pm.
