You probably landed here because you wonder what Gong Fu Cha brewing style is or you're want to start your journey on high quality tea miracle discovery.
I can assure you that once you try this way there is no going back to the old way of drinking tea.
In this article we will cover:
- What is gong Fu Cha
- How is it different from western brewing
- Why going gong Fu is beneficial
- What do you need to brew
Gong Fu Cha Explained
Gong Fu Cha is a Chinese traditional way to brew tea, and literally translates to making tea with skill. Gong Fu - Skill or effort and Cha - Tea. It's simply preparing the best tasting brew to your ability, but it can be as simple or as complex as you like.
Many people equate it or compare it to the Japanese tea ceremony but it is not a ceremony in a sense. A good comparison would be between the wine used in a mass a a wine sommelier being really knowledgeable about wine.
There is nothing spiritual in it to begin with it can be if you want to, that's the beauty of tea and life itself you can make it what ever you want it to be.
It is really good in my opinion for mindfulness and grounding and being present in the moment with the tea.
Along with the whole concept of Cha Dao or the way of tea and Cha Qi or the vital force of the tea this are the areas where Taoism meets the tea in the most beautiful fashion but that's the topic for a whole other discussion.
Back to Gong Fu, it is all about tasting the tea compared to just drinking it. It uses higher water to leaf ration and shorter and multiple steeping instead of one long steep as in usual western tea bag brewing.
Also great thing about Gong Fu is that it involves all of your senses so it includes smelling dry, wet leafs, empty cups, looking at the leaves and their quality looking at the colour of the liquors and finally tasting the tea.
Here is how it is achieved:
You use a Gaiwan (which literally translates to lidded bowl ) or a clay teapot to steep the leaves. If you would then transfer the steeped liquor to Gong Dao Bei (Justice or fairness cup) which is used to even out the brew so each of the cups has the same strength when you serve it.
Important parameters are: amount of leaf to water, water temperature and steeping time. All of them are interconnected and can be manipulated by the brewer to achieve the best tasting tea.
Tea Tray can be used to collect water as the bowls need "waking up" before usage and tea usually needs rinse this can be then emptied into the tea tray or on variety of tea pets.
Because the steeps are short and small in quantity and more flavourful it naturally forces you to be more present with the tea and its taste. Tea can be can be also naturally calming amino acid L-theanine with its unique combination with caffeine it naturally promotes relaxed alertness and mindfulness.
The other advantage of smaller steeps and tiny cups is that every tea is a journey and every steep is different to taste and strength can fluctuate and indeed your first second or third steep can be different and going from stronger to eventually weaker as your steeps go on. It is a whole cycle of life in a cup of tea, truly amazing experience.
How is Gong Fu Cha different from western brewing
The main difference is in leaf to water ratio, the steeping time and amount of infusions you can get out of your brews. Whereas in western brewing you use less leaf and brew for longer.
The comparison is as follows:
Per 100ml of water for ollong as a rough guideline example:
leaf to water ratio | infusion times | average infusions.
Gong Fu:
6g of leaf, | 20 seconds +5 sec | 9 good infusions
Western Brewing:
1g of leafs, steep for 120 seconds | 30 sec per infusion, 2-3 good infusions
Both ways got their time and space, Gong Fu brewing got a lot of advantages already mentioned above but there is nothing wrong with making a good cup of quality tea if you're not in the mood to be present with the tea and just want a nice cuppa.
What you need for Gong Fu Cha
The things mentioned below are not a necessity and you can definitely brew tea without any of these if you get creative all you realistically need is a strainer or a way to separate the leaf out of the cup to your desired steep time.
The list is also not not exhaustive by any means.
Gaiwan
If there is one thing out of this list I would recommend getting it would be the Gaiwan. It makes it really easy to control your steep time and to smell the dry and wet leaves and gives you that hands on approach to appreciate your leaves.
Cups
The tiny cups used in Gong Fu, small size controls the temperature better and allow you to focus on the taste in small amount as a journey through infusions rather then one big cup.
Gong Dao Bei
You normally use Gong Dao Bei or fainer cup / justice cup or pitcher If you're brewing in bigger gaiwan. This is used to pour the tea into to even out the brew. If you would to pour the tea straight to cups some of the people you would serve would end you with different strength tea hence the name.
Tea Tray
This is also optional as dry brewing is also a thing but again nice addition to have with all the pouring around and getting rid of the tea rinse it is nice to have this freedom of the tray of catching all the tea slips without making a mess also a vibe.
Tea Scoop
Can be used to display the tea before drinking so you can show off the dry leaf before brewing and to nicely transfer the leaves to your gaiwan or teapot after warming them up.
Tea Tongs
Used to moving transferring and showing of the leaves. Occasionally used to handle the tea cups.
Towel
Again a fancy towel with all the pouring and spilling makes all the difference. Sometimes cups, gaiwans, etc a wee wipe so it does not drip all over the place.
Tea Pet
A vibe, you can pour tea rinse on them and they will keep you company when you brew tea.
Get Gong Fu brewing today
Hopefully you find it as easy and natural as I did. Now find your self some quality leaves and get brewing the Gong Fu way. Let tea guide you on this lifetime journey to discovery. Quality tea can change your life, help you ground, relax and be more mindful.