In the Heathman Hotel's lobby lounge, tea hostesses in lace aprons serve finger sandwiches, scones, pastries, and of course excellent tea. On chilly afternoons, a fire crackles in the fireplace. Tea at The Heathman Hotel, 1001 SW Broadway at Salmon Street (tel. 503/241-4100), is a welcome respite from shopping or business meetings. Since it's mainly a winter holiday tradition here, tea isn't served during the summer season.

For a very different sort of tea experience, drop by the * Tao of Tea, 3430 SE Belmont St. (tel. 503/736-0198), an exotic-looking place filled with bamboo and old tea-shipping crates that have been turned into tables. All kinds of exotic teas are available here by the cup, pot, or pound.

Tea gets a contemporary spin at the Pearl District's The Tea Zone, 510 NW 11th Ave. (tel. 503/221-2130). Here you can get rare teas by the cup or by the ounce in the form of bulk, dry tea. One of the oddest offerings here is known as bubble tea, a milky iced tea with tapioca or coconut balls at the bottom of the glass. Sounds strange, but it's actually pretty good. Cookies, pastries, and smoothies are also available.