Gongfu cha is also known as Gongfu tea.
What is Gongfu tea?
The so-called Gongfu tea is not the name of a kind of tea or tea, but a tea brewing technique. It is called Gongfu cha because this way of brewing tea is very particular. Gongfu cha is a traditional tea drinking custom of the Han people in the southern Fujian region and the Chaoshan region of Guangdong. It is the first custom of hospitality. Its brewing method attaches importance to tea leaves, utensils, water, and fire. Its techniques are delicate and thoughtful, orderly, and unhurried. It is a tea ceremony that is both scientific and aesthetic.
Gongfu tea pays attention to the process of making tea and drinking it, paying attention to details and pursuing perfection, which embodies the profound tea culture. The following are the main features of Gongfu cha:
1. Tea set selection
The teaware used in Gongfu tea includes gaiwan, teapots (such as Chaozhou red clay teapots), teacups (small and thin, which are good for gathering fragrance and dissipating heat), tea boats, tea spoons, tea needles, tea towels, etc.
Chinese Chaozhou red clay zhuni teapot
2. Selection of tea:
Gongfu tea is famous for its strong aroma and high concentration, and oolong tea is the best, especially Chaozhou Phoenix Dancong or Tieguanyin. Dancong tea is famous for its "beautiful shape, green color, rich aroma and sweet taste". When brewing, you can smell its fragrance from a few steps away, and the aftertaste of drinking it is endless.
3. Water quality requirements:
We believe that "water is the mother of tea" and usually prefer mountain spring water and mineral water, as the tea tastes the most mellow.
When you have no choice about water quality, you might as well try our Chaozhou kettle called "Sha Diao (砂铫) " to boil water to make tea. The Chaozhou kettle has many pores and rich ingredients. It can absorb calcium and magnesium and other compounds, purify the water quality, and create space for the volatilization of tea leaves. That is to say, the boiled water after Chaozhou clay sculpture will be softer and sweeter.
Chaozhou Kettle and charcoal stove set
4. How to boil water:
The word "Gong Fu" must be found in the three elements of Water, Fire and Flushing. Only with active water and active fire can you make good tea. That is to say, use pure and highly active water and boil it with appropriate fuel. Naturally, bamboo charcoal and olive pits are the best, followed by others, to ensure that the boiling state of the water is just right.
5. Brewing technique:
The brewing technique is "pour high and pour low". When filling water, you can use the "Phoenix Three Nods" method, that is, boil the kettle up and down, and pour water into the teapot three times to stimulate the aroma of the tea. When pouring tea, slowly pour it into the cup at a low position to keep the concentration of the tea soup even.
6. Brewing steps
There is a rigorous process for brewing Gongfu cha, including setting the tea table, preheating the teapot, scalding the cup, rinsing the tea, brewing the tea, pouring the pot, scraping the foam, and pouring the tea.
7. Drinking etiquette
When tasting tea, taste it three times to appreciate the aroma, mellowness, rhyme, and smoothness of the tea.
To sum up, Gongfu cha is not only a tea-making technique, but also an art of life, which contains profound cultural connotations and emotional sustenance of interpersonal communication.
