First Tastes: Tea and Dumplings at Cloud Pine Tea + Culture

Cloud Pine Tea + Culture in Milwaukie, Ore.

A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to see an old friend when he traveled to Oregon to visit his daughter, and we had lunch together at Cloud Pine Tea + Culture, a newish (est. 2021) teahouse-restaurant located in downtown Milwaukie. A mix of seriously good tea, delicious dumplings, and great conversation was a nice break from everything. I’m already looking forward to returning.

A little background: my friend Eiji and I connected back in the 1990s while attending a Baroque music festival in the SF Bay Area. We were placed in a chamber music group together to work on Montéclair’s “Europe,” a 17th century French cantata about Jupiter’s obsession with beautiful Europa, the daughter of Agenor, Phoenician king of Tyre (Jupiter eventually turns himself into a bull and takes Europa on his back to Crete where she becomes queen). Eiji was on recorder and I on harpsichord, with a viola da gamba player and singer joining us. It was great fun—challenging music that offered a lot to work on and learn from—and we’ve stayed in touch over the years.

Cloud Pine’s proprietor is Emily Lau, a local singer, artist, teacher, and overall creative dynamo in the greater Portland area, and a friend of Eiji’s. I know how busy Emily is with various projects, so I was really impressed with how she has brought to life this little teahouse. She considers it to be a kind of art project, and that makes sense—there’s a lot of art in the space.

Some of the beautiful ceramics at Cloud Pine are for sale. Photo credit: Cloud Pine Tea + Culture

Tea and Food

I started with the caffeine-free Asian Pear, Ginger, and Apricot Kernel drink, a tisane described as “nourishing and mildly sweet.” It came hot, but you can get it chilled. It was so tasty—fruity, warm, and a little nutty, I really enjoyed its gentle flavor. Emily says it was a drink she loved when she was younger.

The little pitcher and very practical functional strainer that came with it were fun to use. The double-walled glass tea cup was a nice touch and made it easy to handle the warm cup of tea.

We ordered some food, too—dumplings and some mapo tofu.

A small plate of mapo tofu at Cloud Pine in Milwaukie, Ore.

The mapo tofu was described as spicy but I found it was savory and full of flavor but not spicy enough to be distracting (if anything, I would have enjoyed more numbing spice). It is prepared the way Emily has made it in her own kitchen. I liked it quite a bit.

We also ordered three kinds of dumplings: the classic pork and vegetables dumplings, giant chicken and shrimp siu mai, and Emerald Delight dumplings (the only vegan option). I liked them all but the pork and vegetables dumpling was my favorite. The pork was juicy with plenty of umami and the goji-osmanthus vinaigrette added an additional appealing flavor and some acid.

Pork and vegetable dumplings at Cloud Pine in Milwaukie, Ore.

Giant chicken and shrimp siu mai at Cloud Pine in Milwaukie, Ore.

One thing you can run into with dumplings is a tough dumpling skin. That was not the case here and it was incredibly satisfying to eat dumplings with such supple yet durable, fresh wrappers. It added an extra level of sophistication to each of the dumplings we enjoyed.

The menu also includes sweet things like egg tarts and taro buns but we did not try them. Next time for sure. A tea ceremony also sounds like a way to take a break from the world and focus on something beautiful and interesting. And trying out one of the fine Chinese teas sounds like a way to expand one’s overall knowledge of and experience with tea. Emily goes to China each year to source these teas and shares them in the tea house.

Bulk Tea and Takeout

And, you can also purchase bulk tea to take home; see their selections, here.

Bulk tea options at Cloud Pine in Milwaukie, OR.

Recently they put together a takeout menu, which you can view here. Choose from a dumpling and dessert set, a noodle and dessert set, and a “Veggie Lover” set for those abstaining from meat.

One of Emily’s goals with the tea house is to provide high-quality Chinese tea and dim sum foods to her guests, and I would say that she has succeeded in that department. I’m glad I had a chance to eat there and look forward to stopping in again. BTW, they will be open this Friday after Thanksgiving, as well as Saturday, and Sunday. Perhaps drop in (hours) and celebrate the early days of the holiday season with tea and dumplings.

Cloud Pine Tea + Culture
10835 SE Main Street, Milwaukie, OR
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