On the other hand, steeping too many leaves could result in a weak tea that tastes more like water than a cup of tea. 54601310. When you are starting out, avoid spending large sums of money on tea. You should notice flavor notes. The Gong Fu Cha method is the perfect method for brewing oolong teas, but it can be used for great results with any type of tea. To brew tea Grandpa style, simply put some loose leaf tea into a mug with a proportion of about 1:40 tea leaves to water (ex. Sun, Apr 30, 2023. One of the most notable differences between chanoyu and gong fu cha is the size of the cups. Also, it improves heat isolation and is also a way to show guests that the teaware is clean. Volume is integral in enjoying a balance of flavors and textures in the mouth. Before making Chinese tea, you should have the following items;@media(min-width:0px){#div-gpt-ad-topictea_com-netboard-2-0-asloaded{max-width:300px!important;max-height:250px!important}}if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'topictea_com-netboard-2','ezslot_28',131,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-topictea_com-netboard-2-0');@media(min-width:0px){#div-gpt-ad-topictea_com-netboard-2-0_1-asloaded{max-width:300px!important;max-height:250px!important}}if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'topictea_com-netboard-2','ezslot_29',131,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-topictea_com-netboard-2-0_1');.netboard-2-multi-131{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:7px!important;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;margin-top:7px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:250px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}, Related Article: A List of Essential Teaware You Need to Brew Loose Leaf Tea. Then, if you are enjoying your tea ritual with other people, pass down theCha He to the next person. The word simply means doing something with great skill and discipline. Related Article: How to Properly Measure Loose Leaf Tea For Brewing. For smaller pots, filling the pot to 1/6 capacity with dry leaves is a general rule of thumb for tightly rolled Oolong Tea. Be the first to know about new tea releases, sales, and events. Chinese teas come in some of the most beautiful packaging you have ever seen, but this is no indication of the quality. Prepare the tea itself. In the vast world of tea,there is rich tapestry of history and traditions connected to the appreciation and enjoyment of tea leaves. Always keep your tea making area and equipment scrupulously clean. 14 Enjoy the aftertaste.Now, after you have drunk the tea, enjoy its subtle aftertaste. Gong Fu Cha is all about doing this in a controlled way to extract maximum flavor consistently from tea leaves severally. Ensure to get all the necessarily teaware and follow the above procedure of making Chinese tea. 3rdbrew should take 6 seconds and 8 seconds for compressed tea. On the downside, they can only be used to brew one type of tea while their glass and porcelain counterparts can be used to brew different varieties of tea since they do not absorb flavors. My experience was mostly successful with what some call ChaoZhou style brewing (which is the original method for GF according to Kyarazen) in which you use a rather high leaf/water ratio, off the boil water and flash steeps (1 - 3 seconds), at least in the first few infusions. By the way, check this out if you're curious how oolong tea is made from harvest to processing. From a stores perspective, their most expensive tea is high grade tea. Read product descriptions and check customer reviews to know a suitable pot for your needs and budget. Explained in a Funny Video:), How To Bring Water To The Right Temperature, The Difference Between Raw And Ripe Pu-erh, The Art and Craft of Chinese Silver Teapot and Silver Teaware. You can also use this rinse to "bathe" your tea pet. Buy the most expensive tea you can afford from the most knowledgeable person you can find, be it from a tea shop or an online store. The taste and quality of your tea is also affected by the quality of the water you have used in your brewing process. Ensure the spout is proportional to the size of the teapot. Burning incense is purely optional. Wipe the dust and make sure it's ready for your mindful tea ceremony. A good place to start is 5 grams of loose leaf tea per 100 milliliters of water. As the economy of China has grown, so has its tea industry. Therefore, the best loose leaf tea leaves for making Gongfu cha tea should look like tea leaves. I felt like a giant. You can start with your basket strainer. Water that is too hot or not hot enough for the tea you are making will break down the leaves too quickly or too slowly and the flavour will be diminished and the brews inconsistent. After the third brew, up to two minutes for each successive brew is usually fine. Related Article: Which Tea Pot is Right For You? Then, pour it out into your tea table after a few seconds. The use of a fairness cup allows all aspects of the tea to be thoroughly mixed before pouring into cups. Tea is best made with a dry pot and this also allows the oils to set in the clay. Step by step instructions Path of Cha 1.94K subscribers Subscribe 123 Share 7.9K views 4 years ago Follow our step by step instructions to learn the basics of the Gong Fu Cha - the Chinese. As you brew Chinese tea, you will adjust and hit it right. A surface to prepare the tea on - this collects or re-directs the water that gets splashed about when making Gong Fu Cha. Teapots come in a variety of sizes but for the most part, the sizes are standardized. 12 Admire the brewed tea.Sometimes we might choose to take some extra moments to admire the color of the brewed liquor and its unique aroma. So 20g/L of boiling temperature water. Fill up the vessel containing the right amount of tea leaves with 100C water, and let it brew for about 10 minutes. Their particular shape also enables you to pick up a hot cup without burning your fingers. Gong Fu Cha is the art, ritual, and practice of brewing tea with skill. This ensures an even brewing temperature inside the teapot. Sun, Jun 18, 2023, The Art and Craft of Chinese Silver Teapot and Silver Teaware The Chinese symbols for gong fu are the same as those representing the martial arts: they represent mastery of time and movement. gongfu cha uses a clay pot over charcoal for boiling water called sha diao but this style of tea "ceremony" is done only in guangdong. Avoid re-boiling water as it loses its taste, and this diminishes the flavor of your tea. This is because gongfu tea was a regional practice, not a national one. Take a big mug and fill the bottom up with tea leaves of choice. Experiment with a few types to identify the type of tea that tastes good for you. This way of brewing is originated from Chaozhou during the Song Dynasty, which is why it's also often referred to as 'Chaozhou Gongfu Cha'. This yields a more concentrated tea, which allows you to enjoy the full potential of your tea leaves. Many new teapots have a similar shine from a wax coating that is applied to protect the clay and make them look nice on the shelf. Therefore, choose one that will not crack or chip easily. 1. Indeed, it came about after years of molding and evolution. To make tea the Gong Fu way, we need a proper tea set. It is probably based on the tea preparation approaches originated in Fujian [3] and the Chaoshan area of eastern Guangdong. Roasted Tsui Yu Oolong Tea. How To Choose A Chinese Teapot by Daniel Lui. First, lets look at the translation of Gong Fu Cha - meaning Tea With Great Skill, and how the modern interpretation of the method can be applied to tasting tea. Here are a few universal agreements on teapot usage; You can get clay teapots of all qualities and types online. For this reason, it is best to have a portable heat source. Some teas might last for about five brews or so, while others can stretch as far as 15+ infusions! When tasting the tea, take small sips. Tasting different teas or same tea from different manufacturers is the best way to know what to stick with. We recommend youtry each of the methods above to see which you like best and adjust the amount of tea and brewing time to suit your taste. A general rule for uncompressed tea is that the second brew is a few seconds less than the first, the third is the same as the first and add a few seconds for each subsequent brew. It originated in the southeastern coastal region of China that includes Fujian and Guangdong provinces, and is now popular across large swaths of Asia, with a smaller but devout following here in the United States. (Chinese Tea Method) Watch on Gong Fu Cha Tools A few pieces of teaware are required for this traditional brewing method. Traditionally a teapot or gaiwan with a volume of 100-150 ml is used for gongfu, though you may also use a tea press or French press if you do not have a teapot or gaiwan. For green, oolong and white teas, use teapots with finer, thinner clay. Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh. How to Choose A Chinese Teapot by Daniel Lui. This results in concentrated flavors and aromatics that evolve over the course of 5-10 infusions. This method allows for complete immersion and control over the little variables in tea preparation.Have you had the opportunity to taste and appreciate tea using this method? For uncompressed loose leaves, the first brew should take 6 seconds while compressed tea should take 10-15 seconds. Ensure that your clay pot and other teaware are completely dry before storing them. Zisha clay has great handling properties and is breathable, which improves the taste of your tea as compared to preparing it in glazed, porcelain, or glass teapots. If you dont know any reputable vendor in your locality, you can check online. To do so, some use their hands, while others might use specially designated tea tongs or a particularly shaped teacup holder. We suggest starting with 1:150. Continue brewing, adding 10-15 seconds more for each subsequent infusion and adjusting per your desired experience. You might wish to consider an inexpensive, Finest quality new high-fired teapots have a clear and distinct ring like a little bell when you lift up the lid about a quarter of an inch and allow it to drop gently on to the teapot (make sure you are holding the teapot on the flat of your hand so it is not damping the teapot in any way). Avoid loose leaf tea with woody fragments or stalks as it will be less flavorful. Chart - Number of Chinese Tea-Scoops To Use Based on Size of Tea Leaves and Size of Teapot, 1 Chinese tea scoop = 1 Western tablespoon. The gong fu method, as it is commonly referred to, calls for a high ratio of tea leaves to hot water and multiple short infusions. When it comes to Gongfu Cha, there is a big difference between good tea and great-tasting tea. If bitter use less leaf 5 Reply Share Report Save Follow So lets make some tea. For detailed information about choosing clay teapots read our complete guide: How To Choose A Chinese Teapot by Daniel Lui. The tea is allowed to infuse for a short period of time (~ 5 seconds) before pouring out the water into your fairness pitcher and cups, warming them. Laid out in front of me on a grooved wooden table were unglazed clay teapots no bigger than my fist, a couple of 3-inch-tall pitchers, and a dozen porcelain cups that I wagered could hold a tablespoon of liquid at best. Putting loose leaf tea leaves into a clay or "yixing" teapot. Pass around the teacups to each guest. Unlike the Japanese tea ceremony(chanoyu), there is no one person to whom we can attribute its creation. Empty the teapot of the warming water, place the measured amount of tea (per the guidelines above) in the teapot and fill with the proper temperature water, allowing the water to overflow the top of the teapot until the bubbles disappear and the water runs clear. Quality tea can be brewed 5-8 times, depending on the leaf. This way, theserver will know not to pour you any more tea. This means water that just reached a slow boil. Gong Fu tea is the Chinese tea ceremony, the Chinese way of drinking tea. Historically, certain types of OoLong-tea are reg~dedas top quality and appropriate for "Gong-Fu Cha": such 88, in the FuJian ar~a: WuYi- Van Cha, WuYi-Rou Gui, WuYi Shui Xian, AnXi Tie GuanYing, Huang Jing G~i, Mao Xie, etc. Gongfu Cha, also known as Kung Fu Tea, originated in the Chaoshan region of Guangdong province and is one of the Chinese tea practices that started developing during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Utilizing gong fu brewing allows you to enjoy several infusions. The following guide shows you the sizes of tea leaves of the most popular types of tea. However, for most teas, you will generally need about 4-5 grams of tea per 120ml. This is the first question that most beginners ask and gives the most difficulty. To ensure the high standards,we source only from those producers who have a proven reputation for growing top quality teas using organic and traditional methods. Western-style tea brewing, which uses fewer leaves, is like a quartet, while the gong fu method is an entire string section. Here is a handy way to refer to them: Chart - Teapot Sizes for Number of People Served, Volume of Teapot (ml / fl oz) (approximate). Oftentimes, the teapot will be practically filled to the brim with tea leaves, although this will depend on the type of tea we're brewing. So many factors will impact the final taste of the tea, and it's always an interesting phenomenon to witness. Most Taiwanese Oolongs can be brewed at least five times, and often more. Many tea enthusiasts choose to dedicate a special tea space in their homes. Gong Fu Cha develops the taste of tea quickly with fast brew times so the hole of the spout needs to be as large as possible to not constrict the flow of tea being poured, which would make the brew times longer. This unusually shaped traditional wooden spoon is found in Chinese tea shops and there are two sizes; small and large. Any longer might create mold which could get into the clay and ruin the teapot. Related Article: Why the Chinese Rinse Their Tea? From here,take theCha Heand inhale the aroma of the leaves, taking time to admire their shape and color. But remember, you are in the antique game now so buyer beware! As you become more familiar with the tea, exploretheimpact of using a higher or lowerleaf-to-water ratio. The rinse will rid the tea leaves of dust and moisten and awaken them for further infusions. . Technical specifications : - Capacity of the smelling and testing cups : 3 cl (1 oz) - Capacity of the reserve pot : 20 cl (6.7 oz) - Capacity of the teapot : 18 cl (6.1 oz) Instruction manual available at the back to help. Be warned- once you go down that route, there is no turning back. Furthermore, you can share some personal stories and associations. 13 Taste the tea.Finally, now you can sip the tea and admire its unique taste. When steeped, high-quality tea should have aromatic and unique scents. Indeed, the smell of tea gradually transforms throughout the tea ceremony. Pu-erh tea and black teas should be brewed in low-fired teapots. More often than not you get what you pay for. Now we are lucky enough to try the fruits of their labor! A basic gong fu cha setup includes: 1. Of course, these guidelines will not work for everyone since people have different tastes and preferences and tea leaves are different. Refill as needed. The Art of Silver Teapot Making They simply have, like any other retail store, products that range in price from low to high. Lets take a look at the variables that impact the experience we get when brewing tea. The Gongfu tea ceremony actually makes the preparation and presentation of tea an art form. We do all this to achieve the ideal cup of tea. After the time lapses, pour your tea into a pitcher and place the lid on the pitcher. You also have the option to brew the tea leaves in a larger quantity with hot water, then put the brewed tea in the fridge or on ice (for a picnic) to prep for serving iced tea. Indeed, sitting down to enjoy a tea ceremony of many hours while being fully present and mindful was not something that any daily worker could afford. Tea made through this method brew quickly to create a strong beverage, although this comes at the expense of the subtle flavors and aromas of the tea. In the late 1990s there were relatively few tea manufacturers. Good water makes your tea taste better.