Your morning tea can make or break your entire day, so it needs to be good. We developed this Milk Street Exclusive blend with Smith Teamaker in Portland, Oregon, whose founder, Steven Smith, revolutionized American tea-drinking habits. Our food editor, Matt Card, spent hours with the Smith team tasting and slurping his way through countless samples before arriving at what we consider the perfect cup, a British-style morning blend. The hearty, deep-flavored black tea mixes malty Assam, brisk Ceylon, buttery Keemun and smoky Zheng Shan with a subtle touch of sweet vanilla to soften the edges. It’s equally good neat as with milk and sugar. And don’t let the name fool you—it's delicious any time of day.
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We partnered with Portland’s Smith Teamaker, arguably the best blenders in the country. Company founder Steven Smith brought quality tea to Americans when he started Stash Tea in the 1970s and then Tazo Tea, which made chai a household drink. Smith passed away in 2015, and his company has continued crafting some of the best, most original blends available. Matthew Card, our food editor, visited the Smith Teamaker headquarters and spent hours helping shape and blend this line of teas exclusive to Milk Street, working closely with the Smith team to develop teas that match our bold approach to flavor. Smith teas are all prepared in Portland, Oregon, from peerless ingredients sourced around the globe.