Nikaido

This is essentially my ideal Cream of Earl Grey. It’s London Fog-ready and invokes the Spirit of Scone.

I’ll definitely pick up more of this the next time I visit Steveston. I’m always in need a solid Double Cream of Earl Grey in my life (and a lavender one too).

Following in the tradition of Nikaido’s other “well I have to, it’s got such a nice name” teas, it also helps that this honestly smells vibrant, fruity, fresh and delicious. This was actually the first tea I tried out of the bunch—as soon as I smelled it, I knew it’d make a nice iced tea, so I brewed it hot and poured it over ice the moment I’d gotten home that day.

I usually have a contentious relationship with flavoured greens… They seem to have trouble holding flavours as well as black teas, and don’t often live up to the smell. But I was glad I was right on this one—it made an excellent iced tea when I sipped it way back.

Hot, it’s still smooth and fruity. It has a lasting berry/generic curranty kind of taste, maybe the slightest bit of pineapple. The oolong in this blend I think helps round it out a bit more so that any straight vegetal notes of the green tea don’t overwhelm the fruit flavours that were added. As it cools, I get a silkyness on the tongue that feels like vanilla.

I think I definitely prefer this one iced, though it’s been a bit since I’ve had it that way. Vanilla tends to get lost in iced teas for me, but I remember it being wonderfully light, fruity and fresh.

Turns out, I might not like quince. Or at least quince flavouring.

This’ another uniquely named tea, and another uniquely “BC-inspired” tea. Driftwood was meant to imagine the BC coastline, whereas this blend is named after the old tram system in Steveston, that you can still ride as a tourist. I love the old trams and wish they were still largely in service in Vancouver, so this was definitely on The List.

I was pretty sure I had a tea with quince in it before, but couldn’t remember how that tea tasted. Unfortunately the weird, slightly bitter soapy flavour immediately brought back early tea memories. This’ my second cup, and it HAS grown on me a bit, but something about it is… Bleh, and it numbs my tongue a little.

I don’t really get any vanilla or bergamot, just this lingering soapy taste that sticks to my tongue. I’ve never had an actual quince, but I’d like to, to compare. Google describes raw quince as bitter and unpalatable, and over-ripe and cooked quince as pear-like and vanilla-like.

I’ll finish off the 80 ish grams I have left, and hope it grows on me more. As it cools, I get a little more ‘prickly pear’ and vanilla, but I could be reaching.

I like unique tea-blend names. The blend itself doesn’t have to be too wild—it can even be a purchased blend that I’m already familiar with that’s just been renamed, but I’ll pick it up if thought went into naming it.

I finally trekked down to Nikaido in Richmond, something I’ve wanted to do for years but hadn’t gotten around to because it was just under two hours by bus.

I prepped before-hand with the lists of teas I was going to get (social anxiety saved by an online catalogue). But I wasn’t sure what else to expect. I knew they sold stationary, and that was about it. But I ended up coming home with a bunch of items with old mineral lithograph prints, including a poster I plan to frame. It was a fun little trip, and I played tourist a bit wandering around Steveston. Checked out some antique shops, walked along the water, and talked myself out of a tram ride.

In terms of this tea, it’s pretty straightforward—a Keemun congou, mixed with large white buds. Yin Zhen style. The white tea immediately evokes the imagery of bleached white driftwood. Add to that the sweet, nutty, woodsy and very faintly smoky Keemun, and I think it’s a very clever, apt name.

There isn’t enough white tea to really impact the flavour (maybe just a touch of sweet hay), just enough to add visual interest, so the tea is a pretty standard Keemun. It’s still enough for me to buy into the branding. The imagery of BC’s coastline, the creativity of using white tea buds. Doesn’t hurt that I’m very partial to Keemun.

Sipping it this morning at work as my first cup. Mellow, faintly nutty, a bit of hay, pleasantly woodsy, and the barest hint of smoke.

“Honey and herbs” describes this tea perfectly. Oh my goodness. This is the first time I have tried a honey flavoured tea that actually tastes like honey. Sometimes I find “honey” teas tend to just taste… sweet. You don’t get to taste the actual honey. In Rainy Day there is a tiny bit of sweetness, but it is off set by the herbs (such as wild strawberry leaves), and the flavour of the honey really shines without the tea being too sugary tasting (“sugary” being something that I really dislike in teas – I’m a straight tea drinker and don’t like too much sweetness). The dry leaf scent is really lovely, too — herbal and nectarous. It really does conjure up images of cosy summer rain! I imagine this tea would feel heaven sent if you’re feeling under the weather.

And just to note, Nikaido is one of my favourite gems in Steveston Village. So many unique local teas, and fairly priced.

This is by leaps and bounds the best green tea (or tea for that matter!) that I have ever had. Fukamushi deep-steamed sencha is absent of bitterness, and this tea has a deep taste of sencha (and the aroma of a good matcha) . Not to mention, what makes it most unique, is that it has a very notable body and “creaminess” to it that you would not find in a green tea. It is incredibly satisfying. Wow. I’ve still yet to find a tea to surpass this. I would recommend it to any avid fans of Japanese sencha.

Great tea, the passion fruit and mango are delicate and subtle. The green tea base is relatively strong particularly if you steep it for longer, but if you steep it for too long the base might overpower the taste of the fruit. Though if you prefer a stronger green tea then that won’t be a problem. Great quality tea that I would highly recommend to anyone!

Three simple components to this tea: rooibos, coconut and almond and they are perfection. The balance of each is just right! Although the package says there are rose blossoms, they are purely decorative because there aren’t enough in the loose-leaf tea to add any flavour.

The loose tea smells very sweet, almost syrupy but don’t let that put you off. Once brewed this tea is nutty, smooth and delicious. The colour is a vibrant brick red and the brew is actually a bit cloudy, which I attribute to the coconut and almond oils.

Be sure to give your pot and strainer a good wash with soap afterwards! I left this tea in a vacuum flask once and the oils went rancid – it was not a fun task to clean afterwards.

I believe 80g is the smallest bag that Nikaido sells.

Merry Christmas everyone! It is fun to read all the tasting notes – my goodness, I didn’t realize there were so many Christmas teas! I have started the day with “marzipan” from Nikaido. This is a black tea and so I added a little bit of frothed light cream and a couple of rock sugars – probably wouldnt have needed the sugar as it is sweet already.

It tastes like marzipan! – sweet, creamy and a little bit spicy. It helps that I am having it with Christmas stollen, which I love, with a marzipan center! Enjoying it in the giant davids tea red sweater mug – lovely tea to start Christmas Day.

This tea is, as far as I know, only available from the Nikaido gift shop, which is in the Steveston area of Richmond, a suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is fantastic, and one of my farourites.

I really enjoy the creamy finish to this lovely full bodied black tea.

Truth be told, the only reason this doesn’t have a review from me yet is because I’ve been trying to figure out whether I can find anything bad to say about it. I don’t think I can. It’s sweet, fragrant, and delicious— currant and caramel go so well together, and the hint of bergamot adds a delicate, flowery note. (Delicate is key— the black tea base is a background sort of flavour, which brings out the sweetness and nuance of the other flavours. I find myself not wanting to waste it on mornings where I can’t really sit down to enjoy it.) All in all, it really does feel like a Paris kind of tea. One of my favourites for sure! <3

mm aromatic and creamy rooibos thats sweet from the chocolate and strawberry notes with a hint of that amazing rhubarb tartness.

As a child, some European neighbors would give me bars of marzipan dipped in chocolate, which I loved. As an adult I became a tea lover. This tea combines both in delicious almond goodness. Mmm

This was always one of my favourite teas while living in Japan. This particular blend has a fairly strong green tea blend, that I feel overwhelms the flavour of the rice. While still enjoyable, I prefer a genmaicha where the flavours are more balanced.

This is a fabulous Earl Grey, tempered by the roundness of the creamy flavours. It is almost like a wave – first you’re hit by the irish cream scent, then the taste of the earl grey tea itself, and a creamy light finish. My only issue is that on a lot of brews, the Earl Grey is almost a little too bitter. This tea is almost always better on second brewing.

This is a delicious rooibos with just a subtle hint of vanilla flavor, but an excellent scent. Great tea to have curled up in a blanket on the couch on a cold evening.

Very mild orange notes, with hints of Christmas spices. This is one of Nikaido’s teas where they chose to include almonds in the mix. It works in some, but the oily flavours it adds are a bit of a distraction in this case, especially with the rest of the flavours being so mild. I think it depends a lot on whether you get more orange rind in your brew.

This is a delightful rooibos tea, with strong citrus flavours, and just enough sweetness. I especially enjoy this at work in the afternoons – the citrus is a light pick-me-up without any caffeine hit.

Chai and rooibos make a great match. Sweet and tasty.