Smith Teamaker Partners with Scottie Pippen on DIGITS Bourbon Barrel Aged Black Tea
This past summer, NBA Hall of Famer, Scottie Pippen released DIGITS Bourbon in collaboration with famed wine and spirits maker Dave Phinney at Savage & Cooke Distillery. Earlier this month Pippen launched his latest beverage, DIGITS Bourbon Barrel Aged Black Tea with Portland’s Smith Teamaker.
Pippen is best known for his six NBA Championships while playing for the Chicago Bulls, but he did spend four seasons here in Portland with the Trail Blazers towards the end of his career. In 2010, Pippen was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
On his latest endeavor, Pippen returned to Portland to work alongside Smith Teamaker on Blend 33: DIGITS Bourbon Barrel Aged Black Tea. Smith Teamaker was founded by the late legendary teamaker Steve Smith whom was craftsman behind two of the nation’s largest and most well-known tea brands, Stash and Tazo.
DIGITS Bourbon Barrel Aged Black Tea is packaged in a box of 15 sachets with each sachet individually wrapped in red bags representing his years spent as a member of the Bulls. Upon opening a sachet, flavorful aromas of tobacco, spice and dried fruit are quite evident. This is from blending three black teas – Assam, Ceylon and Keemun – that were aged for five months in the former charred oak bourbon whiskey barrels. Then the tea was blended with coconut, cinnamon and vanilla to create a truly complex flavor that’s perfect for enjoying this winter on its own or by adding some DIGITS Bourbon or any other whiskey that’s nearby.
“This collaboration brings together two of my favorite beverages—tea and bourbon,” says NBA Hall of Famer and DIGITS Bourbon entrepreneur Scottie Pippen, in a statement. “The teamakers at Smith were inspired by the flavors of our bourbon when crafting this barrel aged tea blend and the end result is smooth and easy to drink, just like DIGITS,” he adds. “I enjoy a cup in the morning, and like it with a shot of DIGITS bourbon to finish out my evening.”
This partnership was one that became a perfect fit for the two icons as both bourbon and tea have long been enjoyed in tandem. Pippen launched DIGITS bourbon in the summer of 2021 in collaboration with Dave Phinney, a legend of the Napa wine world and proprietor of the award-winning distillery, Savage & Cooke. When DIGITS bourbon was released this summer, 5,000 cases sold in just the first two months. Phinney has a deep connection with tea, having spent some of his childhood in Bristol, England, drinking it since the days of his youth.
“Much like wine, in tea I look for complexity and weight,” says Phinney. “DIGITS Bourbon Barrel Aged Tea is rich and complex, delicious savored hot by the cup, with a shot of bourbon, or mixed into a cocktail,” he adds. “It showcases all that tea can be.” The bartenders at Savage & Cooke have created a special recipe featuring the tea and bourbon, which can be viewed at SmithTea.com.
DIGITS Bourbon Barrel Aged Black Tea retails at $34.99 for a box of 15 sachets. The tea can be purchased at Smith Teamaker locations in Southeast and Northwest Portland or online at SmithTea.com.
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About The Author
DJ
D.J. is a Portland, Oregon based writer that spent his formative years in the Midwest. With over 25 years under his belt of drinking beer at festivals across America and the world, he has developed a strong appreciation and understanding of craft beer and the industry that surrounds it. He can be found in any of the great breweries or beer bars that make Portland the best beer city in the world. His writing can also be found in the archives of Northwest Brewing News and can be followed on Twitter and Instagram at @hopapalooza.