If using a tea with smaller broken bits, a fine mesh strainer can help keep them out of the server and drinking cups. max-width: 900px; We have done as many as 20 infusions and as few as 4 or 5. 11. First, you will experience dozens of new flavors even in the teas you thought you already know very well. While this method developed in Chaozhou, China is a huge country. Notice the second pitcher in the brewing arrangement above. Chinese Brewing Methods: How People Are Making Their Teas In China. Savor the aroma of the tea in your cup, sip it slowly. 1. Essentially, two things have to be taken into consideration: chemistry and temperature. 9. Choose the size thats most suitable for your teapot, tea type and how strong you want to brew the tea. Eyeball the amount of tea leaves to use, or weigh your leaves for a precise ratio. AtPath Of Cha,we see tea as something much more than just a drink. Oolong class. If you only have a large teapot, use the quantities of water as if a small teapot and tea shown on the charts. In this technique, the tea leaves are dropped first into the teapot before the hot water is poured. The experience is all what you make of it. Appreciate how it has opened up and how its appearance has changed from when you first put it into your brewing vessel. Tea Tools (optional) in the tool set, there are tea shuffle, funnel, tongs, digger, tea needle. You can use a regular teaspoon, but it may spoil a whole experience. By the end of the 14th century, the more naturalistic "loose leaf" form had become a popular household product and by the Ming era, loose tea was put to imperial use. Its good at preventing any broken leaves from entering your cup. Go! 14. After a minute or so , first few cups of tea are ready. It is believed that the gongfu tea preparation approach began only in around the 18th century. Science and Civilization of China, V.6, P.V, od Science pp 561 Cambridge University Press, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gongfu_tea_ceremony&oldid=1156951184, Articles containing Chinese-language text, Articles containing traditional Chinese-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, 100C (212F) (boiling) for compressed teas, such as. Tea and Gong Fu Cha can be a great facilitator of communication. A good size for a gaiwan for solo gong fu brewing is about 100-150ml, but smaller and bigger ones are available too. About 50 seconds is allowed for the first brew, and 10-15 seconds are added for each successive brew. Clean the teaware and utensils. Teacups (must) that is, if you dont want to drink direct from the teapot. Along with a gaiwan we also use a glass or glazed porcelain pitcher called a cha hei, and a metal strainer called a lou dou. Use tea shuffle to add tea to the teapot. Cleaning How To Clean Your Gongfu Tea Set: Putting It To Sleep High temperature is what it takes to extract flavor from Oolong. Gong fu chais the traditional Chinese tea ceremony. China has a long-term tea-making tradition called the gongfu tea ceremony () or also called kungfu tea ceremony (), which can be literally translated into making tea with great skill. By contrast, natural whole leaf teas will intensify in flavor. Source of hot water (must) Sorry, please dont try to look it up in the PIC above because its not there. Faircup (optional) transitional container when teacups are full but tea in teapot has to be emptied to avoid overbrewing. Teaware The method you choose to brew the tea, will determine the teaware required. If you enjoyed this post and would like to hear more about the specialty tea industry here in Taiwan,follow us onYouTube,Facebook, andInstagramand please subscribe to our newsletter. Porcelain Gaiwan - another widely used brewing vessel is a Gaiwan. Crown Center2450 Grand Blvd, Suite 106Kansas City, MO 64108, Monday Saturday: 10:00 am 6:00 pmSunday : 12:00 pm 5:00 pm, Moon Cakes (moon cakes & tea are To Goonly at the tea shop)Have a Tea Party, About UsTea Beginner's GuideFAQsWholesaleShipping & Returns. If your teapot is all nice and cured, begin by rinsing and warming the teaware with boiled water, and discarding the rinse water. For these reasons, most tea masters will use a good clean local source of spring water. 2 tricks are used: General Gwan Patrols City pour tea in a circular motion into all the teacups at the same time. It is certainly interesting to do if you have the time. We use a scale when we are first getting to know a new tea just to keep things uniform for tasting sessions.It is recommended that you really observe your dry leaf and enjoy how it looks and smells before the brewing process. Darker teas are best brewed with hotter water. (usually, tea from round 2 has the best flavor). flex-flow: row wrap; 5. [6] All teas, loose tea, coarse tea, and powdered tea have long coexisted with the "imperially appointed compressed form". Dont leave half a cup of tea on the tray and chat; ii) empty the cup before receiving the next cup. . Easy? The Chinese Green tea( l ch) is very delicate, and a proper gongfu cha with green tea would demand extra care for some aspects. How to Make Gongfu Tea - Easy Guide for Brewing Gongfu Tea - The Tea Spot The flavor should last through at least three infusions, depending on the tea. is the traditional Chinese tea ceremony. Yixing is terrific, dont get us wrong (we have quite a collection and they all get used), but because of the porosity of the clay, it is recommended that you use only one type of tea per pot so as to not confuse the flavors. Warming The Tea Leaves 4. As mentioned before, leaf quality can be checked by tasting many infusions. If you have sipped everything the leaves have to offer, but you dont wish to throw them in the trash, there are a variety of zero-waist ideas. Pu-erh tea can be brewed in your favorite teacup if you are using our non-GMO pyramidal tea bags. Yet high content mineral water also needs to be avoided. Most Taiwanese Oolongs can be brewed at least five times, and often more. However, tender tea classes like green tea should NOT be brewed with Kung Fu Cha. The Chinese Method of Tea-Making: Your Guide to Gongfu Cha, Ancient Chinese Science of Tea Blending and Wellness, Ancient Chinese Science & Art of Brewing Tea, Certified Tea Courses-Chinese Tea Ceremony & History, 6 Different Chinese Tea Types and Their Benefits, Basic Chinese Food Ingredients You Should Know To Start Chinese Cooking. However, Gong fu cha is extremely easy to master. In this guide, we will discuss all you need to know about the Chinese method of tea-making for different types of Chinese teas. How Many People Can Participate In Gong Fu Cha? Procedure Step 1 - warm the teapot and sterilize your teaware. While there are specific steps generally taken during a traditional Chinese tea ceremony, they are by no means the only right way of brewing tea. } It warms the brewing vessel, rinses any dust or impurities from the leaf and primes the leaf to ready it for the brewing. The rinsing is useful for several reasons. Bring the water to the correct temperature for the selected tea. You may wash the tea leaves first. In our store we tend to use a glazed porcelain gaiwan (pictured above) due to the incredible versatility it has in brewing different types of tea, how easy it is to use, and how easy it is to clean. .column { Gong fu means a skill or an effort, so gong fu cha or gongfu tea can simplybe translated into preparing tea with skill. Kung Fu Chais the Chinese tea brewing process that has a little bit of ALL these meanings you will find out why when you go through the whole process yourself. Tea Strainer (optional) screens out small pieces of tea leaves. . For brewing a variety of teas or checking the quality of our leaves, we prefer to use a glazed porcelain gaiwan. They will not be as important if you are just starting out. You'll learn how to rinse your tea leaves, and perform short flavorful infusions using the traditional Chinese tea ceremony tools found in gongfu ceremony sets: ceramic teapot, serving pitcher and gongfu cups, plus a selection of deliciousoolongor puerh tea. He has collected, organized, and determined the. Using a small brewing vessel, tea is steeped in concentrated quantities. . If you have already did, never mind. Here are the essentials: You will need a kettle to boil water. Small digital scale may be very useful, but if you don't have one, you can guess. Pour more hot water over the leaf and cover the pot or gaiwan. Those small teapots are made from a special purple clay (zisha) from Yixing. We are! Quality tea can be brewed 6-10 times, depending on the leaf. Gong-Fu Cha - The Chinese Tea Shop Follow our step by step instructions to learn the basics of the Gong Fu Cha - the Chinese way of brewing tea through multiple infusions. Suspend the gong from a stand if desired. It is the most suitable for brewing the highest-grade green tea leaves that are very tender and delicate. After all the fun, you are left with a pot of tea leaves.2. A tea tray with some sort of drainage or reservoirremoves this water from the brewing area. For example, if you are using a typical 110ml gaiwan, you can add 5g of white tea, Tilt the gaiwan and slowly rotate it two times for infusion, Fill the gaiwan with more water until it is almost full, Infuse the white tea for around 5 to 6minutes. The version of gong fu cha that we know today derives from a specific regional style. Thus, gong fu cha is only the process of putting in the effort to get the best flavor from the tea. .columns .column { Gong fu translates as right effort. 4) Pass the gaiwan to your guests so that they may smell the primed leaf. In general, if the tea leaves are flatter and tend to float, use this technique: You can drink until one-third of the tea is left before refilling, and you can refill for a total of three times. Alternatively, if you are using stronger tea leaves that are not as delicate, you can use the bottom-drop method: Oolong tea( W Lng Ch)is another popular Chinese tea variant that is semi-fermented and tastes slightly heavier and richer in flavor than the green tea. This method also maximizes the quantity of brewed tea from each serving of leaves. 15. padding: 15px; If you are pouring tea directly from your brewing vessel into small cups, tea strength and flavor will be different in every cup. Tea from round 2 is distributed. 17. Small (personal preference is below 6 oz) and deep teapot is preferable for best result. Modern interpretations of gong fu cha simplify the setup. The weight most commonly used for a 100 ml gaiwan or yixing pot is 7 grams. Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. teas, new products and seasonal offerings! Check out our guide on how to properlycure a Gong Fu teapot to get you set up for proper brewing. The rinse round just to rinse tea, no drinking from this round. Items needed: Yixing tea pot or gaiwan (may be porcelain or yixing) - A gaiwan is the most versatile tool to use. Mr. Place the tea leaves into a teapot. Using tongs to handle the serving cups adds a nice flair and also keeps everything sanitary. This is a nice little trick to begin the olfactory part of the session, as the warmed pot will cause the tea leaf to release some of its aroma. Sun, May 14, 2023, Cha Xi: the evolution of beauty in tea space Using tongs to handle and rinse the warmed cups will keep fingers cool and cups clean. What classes of tea are appropriate for Kung Fu Tea? Use the water to wash the teacups too. Subscribe now andget $5 off your first order! They are accompanied by loud, rapid sizzling sounds. So the tea is poured into the faircup to stop the tea from being overbrewed. Gong fu tea brewing step by step Prepare all tools and teaware in front of you. We have compiled some great free resources, about Chinese culture, for your research. https://pathofcha.com . But that is in fact not a good move. It looks similar to a big tea cup with a lid. The tea leaves are also more delicate, and so the middle-drop technique is preferred. Gong Fu Cha Making Sure Your Tea Doesn't Lose Flavor - Path of Cha This "tea boat" will hold the brewing vessel and catch any spills that might occur. Breathe in gently through the nose, out through the mouth. The drinker should i) finish the tea in one go. To control the strength of the brew, the tea is decanted from the brewing vessel after a set amount of time. A pair of hands (must), and perhaps your mouth too. The gongfu tea practice or kung fu tea (Chinese: or ), is a type of Chinese tea ceremony,[1][2] involving the preparation of tea. Ready to make a delicious cup of tea? We just want to share how both tea pros and tea lovers in general brew Oolong Teahere in Taiwan. } Step 1: Measure Empty the teapot of the warming water, place the measured amount of tea (per the. Preparing The Tea and Teaware. If you're starting out with a spanking new clay (yixing) Gong Fu teapot, be sure you've properlyseasonedit before using it. You wont get into much trouble though if you brew without the tool set. Step Three - First Brew. Let the tea rest to allow infusion. Step Two - Rinse The Tea Leaves. Offer to exchange teacups with other participants. Now that you know how to properly brew a nice cup of tea Gong Fu style, check out our article on how to properly store your loose leaf tea! Some people put the teapot in a hot water bath. So, the tea leaves are added in themiddleof the process. We offer this in hope that it will enhance the quality of brewed tea for tea lovers around the world. Give thanks. Joseph Needham. Besides, having a special spoon for tea will reduce the risk of any dirt or moisture coming into your tea. The Chinese tea ceremony is very practical and the objective of the tea-making ceremony is to consistently make the tea taste as good as possible. Gong Fu Style Brewing Shang Tea Gongfucha originates in China and Taiwan, but a casual rendition (simply referred to as "gongfu") is more popular with . 54601310, Gong Fu Brewing Guide for the Best Taiwanese Oolong Tea. Hot water is essential to brew any tea. Pour heated water over the tea leaves. Once you have the right. Privacy Policy. Kung Fu Cha uses Yixing teapots that retain a high temperature during brewing. Brewing the tea in small amounts for short intervals allows the leaves to be brewed in succession, capturing the subtle essences of flavor and aroma as they are released from the tea leaves. Try another 15 second infusion then a 20 second, 25 second, 30 second, 40 second, 45 second, a minute and so on it will depend on the tea as far as how many infusions you will get before you feel the leaf is exhausted. Share. Check out our blog post for more information. Cheers! 1. Typically the goal of brewing using this method is to taste each layer of the tea through multiple steepings. Cups usually range from 30ml to about 70ml, but there are smaller and bigger ones too. Enjoy this. This is optional and you can replace it with any platter or a sheet. These have the best heat handling properties for tea-making, as well as for developing the flavour. margin: 0; Since gong fu teapots and gaiwan are relatively small, the amount of people participating is limited. While the slow drinkers are enjoying their tea, round 2 brewing starts. Hold the pencil in your hand and strike the center of the gong with the cork end. Alternatively, a smaller teapot is a great option too. The wait for round 2 is over, but we have some slow drinkers on board. This is a necessary step to wake the unique aroma of the oolong tea. If this natural spring water is not available, bottled spring water will suffice. Sep 16, 2021 558 Dislike Share Path of Cha 1.37K subscribers The 84-year-old Chen Xiangbai is a leading figure in Chaozhou Gong Fu Cha. We wish to emphasize just that. It has three parts, a bowl, a lid, and a saucer, which represent Heaven (the lid), Earth (the saucer), and a person in the middle (the bowl). When visiting a traditional Chinese tea house or buying Chinese teas, we will usually be offered teas prepared in this manner. Add around 1 to 2 grams of white tea for 50 ml of water. 6. The Chinese term "Gong Fu Cha" () refers to the traditional method of brewing Oolong Tea in a small teapot or a lidded bowl called a "gaiwan". For smaller pots, filling the pot to 1/5 capacity with dry leaves is a general rule of thumb for tightly rolled Oolong Tea. With the water at the temperature at which you will brew the tea (195 degrees for oolong, full boil for puer), pour it over the tea leaves and let it sit for 10-15 seconds. Step 2 - Rinse the tea leaves. However, if you plan to always brew your tea this way, it pays to invest in additional utensils. With practice, a precise pour can circulate the leaves and improve the brew. But the most rigorous version is the original method from Chaozhou. Another valuable item is a strainer. The brewer fills a small pot 80% full of leaves, with whole leaves surrounding crushed bits. Explained in a Funny Video:), How To Bring Water To The Right Temperature, The Difference Between Raw And Ripe Pu-erh, Tea Experience: The Benefits of Silver Teapot, The Art and Craft of Chinese Silver Teapot and Silver Teaware. This will help to spread flavor to every part of your palate. 12. Brewing using the Gong Fu Cha technique requires a small teapot of some kind, most often a Gaiwan (guy wan) or Yixing (ee shing) teapot. It also gives you another opportunity to smell of the warm, steaming leaf. Its not poisonous. Its not intended to replace medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. A basic gong fu cha setup includes: The size of the brewing vessel is often the most jarring detail for those unfamiliar with gong fu cha. 8) Here you have the option of taking your spent leaf and boiling it in water for 3 or 4 minutes to extract the last bit of flavor from your leaf. 3) You are now ready to rinse your tea. Hmm, feels like heaven. Complete Guide to Brewing Loose Leaf Oolong Tea (UPDATED) In this way, tea drinkers can verify and appreciate the quality of the tea. The related teaware that is the tea pot and later the gaiwan lidded cup were evolved. Fill till it spills a little. Just make sure whatever you use can give you boiling water. They are always unglazed and usually quitepricey. Play with it. The best teas taste good no matter how theyre brewed. If not using saucers, use one hand on the bottom of the cup and your thumb and forefinger of the other hand on the sides of the cup . This is useful if you are drinking your tea at home and you might still have some brews left on the leaves. Tea Experience: The Benefits of Silver Teapot The size encourages tea drinkers to focus on the depth and complexity of flavor in each sip. Add around 1 to 2 grams of white tea for 50 ml of water. Tea Teaware Tea History As many of you have likely noticed, in our store we brew our tea in a very traditional Chinese style of brewing called "Gong Fu Cha", which can be literally translated to "highly skilled tea". Strainer -Most Chinese teas use whole leaves. There is nothing wrong with storing used tea leaves in the fridge for future rounds of gong fu cha, or even using them to make some cold-brewed tea. However, Gong fu cha is extremely easy to master. Gong Fu Brewing: Tea and Mindfulness | Firebelly Tea How to brew tea Gong Fu style. Step by step instructions Press the space key then arrow keys to make a selection. 2021 All Rights Reserved. The reserve pot allows for holding the successive infusions. To do this, take a small sip and slurp, drawing air through the tea in your mouth. Rinse & First Infusion 5. The aroma will change as the leaf cools. Over the time it will accumulate an inside coating. Special thanks to Kelly for lending me her hands in the following demo. Leaves that are not tightly rolled should be measured differently. 3. Now its time to prepare the components of gong fu cha with a few simple steps. If you liked this article,join our newsletterby using the forms on this website so we can stay in touch. Most gong fu cha tea sets are made for 2-4 people, although some are made for 6. It is recommended that you do two rinses for ripe style puer tea, rather than one. Last but not least, remember that the most important rule is if you like the taste, its probably a good technique. But while the process can look complex, it is not truly a formalized ceremony. Determine the amount of tea leaves, water temperature, and brewing time your tea needs. Tea cups (traditionally three cups are used in most instances), matching size. Drinking tea gong fu style allows for the tea leaves to open up gradually, layer by layer. Enjoy the tea. Promotions, new products and sales. Scale- A gram scale is the only way to precisely measure the quantity of leaves used, as teas can vary wildly in volume. When brewing a bing or "cake", a tea pick is useful for separating the desired amount of leaves. If water is poured above the leaves, it might break the tender tea leaves, destroying the value. Gong Futea brewing involves brewing small amounts of concentrated tea for short intervals that are repeated several times. Leaveyour impressions or questions in the comment section below! For gong fu brewing at home, you dont need many utensils. Since gong fu brewing is a lot about flavor, the best flavor will always come from the highest quality unbroken tea leaves. When the water is boiling, neither the formation of air bubbles nor sizzling sounds occurs. In this guide, we will discuss the Chinese method of tea-making. If you pour it into cha hai first and then into cups, all cups will contain liquor of the same strength and flavor. History Attention to tea-making quality has been a classic Chinese tradition. When brewing Gong Fu style with teapots or gaiwans up to 200ml, we recommend a basic proportion of 1:15, leaves to water for unroasted Oolong Tea types. When you look at the proper setting for a gong fu brewing, you may see a lot of items. A tea mug or teapot with a strainer may be used or our convenient Tea Infuser is nice for loose leaf tea. If using cha tou (tea nugget), please use three 10-15 second rinses.Warm your sharing pitcher by pouring the rinse water into it and then into the serving cups to warm them as well. 2. Directly to your inbox. Specially shaped to fit Chinese teapots and pitchers with a very fine mesh. Tea rinse round starts -add hot water and fill teapot until it overflows a little. Tilt the gaiwan and slowly rotate it two times for infusion. All Rights Reserved. Check out our easy step-by-step guide to brewing gongfu tea. Let us match you with our premium loose leaf teas. When you brew using this method, you get to taste each individual layer of the tea, each of which will have a different, unique flavor profile. Make it a habit to pour used water over the teapot, and run hot water over the teapot after washing to keep the temperature of the teapot as high as possible. Okay, now for the fun part. The tea tray, which also functions to collect the water that is splashed. Many tea enthusiasts choose to dedicate a special tea space in their homes. There are other utensils that you could use, such as aroma cup and tongs. Place the dry tea leaves into the warmed teapot or gaiwan. justify-content: center; If the leaves tend to float, however, use bottom-drop or middle-drop techniques. Yixing teapot (must) Yixing teapot is slow in losing heat. The method described below is most often used for oolong and pu'er teas, but we also adapt its use to whites, greens, yellows and blacks, as well. This original version of the method developed to extract good flavor from low grade teas. Chopped or flavored leaves will lose flavor over the course of several infusions. The leaves we brewed in the photos above are Shan Lin Xi High Mountain Oolong Tea. Oral history from the 1940s still referred to Gongfu Cha as Chaoshan Gongfu Cha. Our best advice to you when brewing your favorite tea according to gong fu cha's ways is to stay present and stay in the moment. Gong fu cha requires that the water be kept hot to brew many infusions. Shang Tea. And keep in mind that Kung Fu Cha offers an advantage over other brewing higher water temperature. In Chinese,Chameans tea. Chinese tea tongs. For brewing a variety of teas or checking the quality of our leaves, we prefer to use a glazed porcelain gaiwan. . The aroma will often be completely different from the aroma of the tea itself. For portability, the tool kit can even include only a brewing vessel and cup. &:nth-last-child(2) { But this doesnt limit the amount of tea consumed. Then refill the pot for the first brew. The top-drop technique adds the tea leaves after the hot water has been poured. Gong fu brewing requires more tea leaves and less water that always result in a more intense flavor. Browse our collection of basic gong fu cha teaware to start brewing better tea today >>. flex-basis: 100%; width: 100%; Aerate the tea as if tasting wine to pick up the fullest flavor. Chinese tea tray is another indispensable item as it will come in handy for brewing other teas too. Add heated water to the brewing vessel, and then pour the rinse water into the server. They will get weaker after the first brew. For the sake of having all the gadgets stay in the PIC, one thing is done wrong here.

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