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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.