Kaiten_Kenbu

I’ve got nothing to say about his tea beside the obvious : it’s quite good :-)

This review is actually to describe the awesome moment I had in Singapore when buying it. I entered this shop and started to browse through the items. The owner came and we started to talk about chinese tea and how he actually have been in my country.
Then he said : “A friend of mine is coming to have tea with me, sit down with us”. He took some nice old Pu-Erh and here we were there drinking tea like old friends. We didn’t know each other, actually his friend only speak chinese and I don’t speak a word of chinese but there’s something I understand quite well : after the first cup, he tapped on the table with his two fingers and here we all agreed, despite the distance, the different cultures, age and language enjoying the same tea.

The same thing happened to me multiple times in other countries. So thanks to all the people willing to share their time, tea and experiences.
I hope the people reading this will all live through similar experiences because this is what tea is all about : sharing.

A good black tea, although I’m not that much into black ones.
I like to brew it strong like coffee. It has a cocoa/chocolate aftertaste. I’ve liked it better with a cooled down water.
5g, zhong 12cl : 45",1’00,2’00,3’00,5’00.

Good oriental beauty with strong spicy taste.
The taste lacks a bit of complexity but for this price it’s a good bargain.
I’ve tried brewing it in a teapot and a zhong :
5g, 12cl, 35",30",1’00, 2’00, 3’00.
I’ve liked it better with a water that has cooled down a little.

A good white tea with a nutty taste. Most of the time brewed in a zhong: 45",1’00,1’30,2’30’,4’00

10 brews in a small teapot: 25",30",40",50",…. Taste of cooked fruits and aftertaste of fruit (apricot or something like that).

Very good, although there a bit too much ginseng to my taste.
The lycoris is present in all brewing (often you can feel it only until the 3rd/4th one).
Brewed in a gaiwan 13cl: 10’’ rinse, 35’’, 30’’, 40’’,50’’, 1’15
The after taste is strong and stay a long time in the mouth and throat, very nice sensation. The tea has the taste of … ginseng :) And a sweet taste of lycoris.
I noticed something incredible: after sipping a cup, I drank some clear water and the sweet taste of the tea came back strongly in my throat !

Awesome !
6g/14cl teapot: 35’’,30’’,45’’,60’’,1’30,2’30,3’30,5’ and more !
During the first infusion the taste was grainy and a little bit fruity. Then it switched to something more flowery and sweet, then it tastes between a dan cong and an oriental beauty. The leaves were endless.
A tea to enjoy calmly and with a lot of time ahead.

Nice fruity taste during the first infusions then a more grainy/malty when reaching the 4th and 6th infusions. Strong after taste.
Brewed in a 13cl teapot, quick rinse 10’’, then 35’’, 30’’, 40’’, 50’’, 60’’, 1’30. Doesn’t last very long though.

Brewed in a 15cl teapot:
30’’ rinse then 15’’-20’’-25’’-30’’-35’’-40’’-45’’-60’’-1’30
Incredible ! A strong taste of old wood and a faint sweety/fruity after taste.
One of the best pu erh I ever had.

I’ve bought this one in China, in Suzhou :)
It was cheap and in small packs so I thought it’ll be bad at first … wrong.

First, I’ve tried in a big zhong (40 cl) and it wasn’t that impressive.
I’ve tried in a small one (20 cl) : 30’’, 30’’, 45’’, 1’00, 1’30’’, 2’30’’, it was really good, flowery and creamy, like I’d expect from a good Tie Guan Yin

I’ve tried multiple thing with this one, on the bag it’s written 5 × 5 secs, it was a little light to my taste though.
I’ve tried something like : 2 rinces, 15’’, 15’’, 30’’, 45’’, 1’, 1’30’’, 2’00.
This pu erh is ok, no off taste, but no depth, as it can be find in an older pu erh. Ok for an everyday tea.

Brewed in a small teapot : 35’’, 30’’, 45’’, 1’00, 1’30, 2’00.
Strong oolong with a flowery taste. a slight citrus after-taste, very nice.

Very good rooibos with a strong coconut taste and a slight rhubard. The vanilla taste of the rooibos is present and is added nicely to the rest.

Good rooibos, the taste of fruit is a bit light.

Brewed in a big teapot, I tried multiple brewing time. Ok tea, but still, the bad black tea basis from Le Palais Des Thes is there

I’ve bought this tea for taking it everyday at work. On the bag it’s written “cinnamon and liquorice notes”, well – at first I couldn’t find them, but 5 minutes after drinking a cup, I could feel the liquorice taste in my mouth.
It’s a medium tea: there is a very light floral taste and something that reminds me of cereal, surprising. Nothing like the usual Tie Guan Yin, not bad, but not crazy either – a good tea for its price.
The thing that surprised me the most me with this tea is how hard it’s to brew : impossible to get something in a big teapot … I’ve tried a long steep, a short one, more leaves … nothing : a light faint taste of cereal, nothing more.
And in Gong Fu Cha, it works ! Surprisingly, the steep are quite long : 40’’ – 45’’ – 1’10 – 2’00 – 2’30.

At first, I didn’t know how to prepare this one, since, at first I thought it was a green tea. Actually, it’s a red one (well black using the western terminology :).
I’ve tried in a gaiwan like a classic red tea : 1’00 – 2’00 – 3’00 (boiling water) and it was very good, with fruity, bit smoky taste which stay in the mouth after drinking.

Brewed in a big teapot, in a gaiwan, changed the steeping time … but still remains too light and with an off-taste. Reminds me of what I can find in a tea bag.

Brewed in gong fu cha with a small teapot : 20’’ – 25’’ – 40’’ – 60’’ – 1’30 – 2’30’
Last infusion was very light.
Nice Phoenix Dan Cong with a strong fruity after taste, not very strong though, compared to some other Phoenix I’ve tried. Easy to brew, I’ve tried with more leaves and increasing the steeping time and it was still quite good.

I’ve tried this jasmine tea in gong fu cha and a big teapot.
The smell is very good, smell like a very good jasmine tea. Once brewed, the taste is light, better than a basic jasmine tea but not remarkable.

Brewed in a small teapot : 15’’ – 30’’ – 45’’ – 60’’ – 1’30 – 2’00 – 3’00
The first infusion was too light.
Very nice Tie Guan Yin with a milky texture and a flowery taste.
I’ve tried this one at Thes de Chine directly the first time, and I cannot reach the same (very good) taste … yet :)

I’ve also tried this tea in Prague.
Small glass teapot (I’d say 25cl) : 30’’ – 45’’ – 60’’ – 1’30 – 2’00 – 3’00.
Nice Tie Guan Yin with a nice and light flowery taste. The taste is a little light compared to some Tie Guan Yin but the after taste was stronger. Reminds me of a Si Ji Chun.

I was in Prague last week and found a little tearoom at random, serving tea in … gong fu cha ! They speak english, and were very nice. The tea was brewed in glass teapot and the price for a tea in gong fu cha is unbeatable !
They’ve got a lot of different teas (japanese, taiwanese, chinese, etc) and I bought a bit of this one, since it was very good.
I’ve tried it this morning in a little teapot : 15’’ – 25’’ – 45’’ – 60’’ – 1’30 – 2’30.
Very good indeed, a light taste of fruit and a very strong after taste which stays in the mouth for a long time. Compared to the others Mi Lan Xiang I’ve tried in some tea houses, this one is really easy to brew successfuly, since a difference of 5 seconds doesn’t turn this tea into an undrinkable liquor.
Excellent.

I drank it at Thes de Chine directly, in the tea tasting room. 2 infusions in a medium-sized teapot (40/50 cl I’d say). The first was a bit light to my taste, the second was very good.
A nice tea with a nutty/ripe fruit taste. A little citrus after taste.