Gongfu Tea
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Gongfu tea is a communal tea experience
Gongfu tea is really about a shared tea drinking experience, where small pots of tea are brewed and the drinkers sip rounds of tiny cups of fresh tea. This differs from the European tradition of tea where a large pot of one tea flavor is brewed. You are supposed to enjoy the community and conversation as much as the beverage and it's quite likely that different types of tea will be explored in the one sitting..
This lens has info on Yixing teapots, how to "birth" your teapot, what brewing temperatures are best for various types of tea and much more!
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Yixing Tea Pots
the traditional clay Chinese tea pot
This clay makes for a lovely natural teapot and heats evenly.
About Yixing Teapots
Birthing and Caring for your Yixing Teapot
The purple clay that Yixing (ee-shing) teapots are made from is called "zisha" and is what makes them special. Because it is a porous material, it will absorb flavors and over time this enriches the brewing of your tea and the overall drinking flavor.NEVER WASH A YIXING TEAPOT WITH SOAP. The teapot will pick up the soap and it will spoil the taste of the teapot. You only ever rinse a yixing teapot with hot water, swish it out and let it air dry.
The practice of "birthing a teapot" is one that conditions and prepares a new clay pot for brewing. It both washes the surface of the pot and does a first infusion of tea oils and flavorings.
Get a stainless steel pot that is large enough to hold your tea pot and the lid that goes with it. Put the Yixing pot and lid into the pot (leave the lid off the teapot). In a second pot, bring enough spring water to a boil as will cover the teapot.
Put a small amount of the type of tea you will be brewing in this teapot into the cook pot, scattered around the teapot and lid. Then pour the boiling water over the teapot and lid until they are fully submerged.
Leave the teapot and lid to steep with the tea overnight in the cook pot. In the morning , take out your teapot and lid and let them air dry. Your new teapot has now been birthed and is ready to use!
Buy Asian Tea posters and prints at Art.com
Some Tea Suggestions
delicious tea treats and accessories
For the best quality and flavor, always buy organic teas.
Brewing Tea Gongfu Style
- How to properly choose a Yixing Teapot.
- Courtesy of Imperial Tea Court, American's first traditional Chinese teahouse.
- Teaware for Kungfu (gongfu) Tea
- Teaware for Kungfu (gongfu) Tea
Yixing Teapots (yeeshing)These handmade teapots are superior to all other types for brewing tea. - gong-fu style tea, from farleaves.com
- Gongfu Tea is about making tea with yixing pots, a pitcher and several little cups in the Chinese fashion
- Gongfu Tea Ceremony - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- The Gong Fu, kungfu Tea Ceremony ( %u529F%u592B%u8336 ) is a way of preparing tea skillfully. Although particular Gong Fu tea ceremonies differ by region (China, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong), they all allow any kind of tea to be used as the basis of the ceremony.
- Gongfu Tea Brewing Method from Harry Nat and Bernies
- Gongfu Tea Brewing became popular during China's Ming Dynasty about the year 1500. The difference between using the regular brewing method and the Gongfu tea method is in the amount of tealeaves used and the steeping duration of the tea.
- Floating Clouds, Gliding Eagle
- Tea Ceremony, tea culture.
- Tea Masters
- My Tea Blog: Discovering Oolong, Pu Er and the Art of Gong Fu Cha with Taiwan's Tea Masters. Des maitres de thé m'enseignent la pratique du kung fu cha et les secrets du baozhong, du bi lo chun, du tie kuan yin, des vieux thés...
Teapots with Infusers
With gongfu tea, you want a tiny teapot, as you repeatedly brew small pots of tea instead of one big one. By using a teapot with an infuser, you can brew tiny amounts of fresh tea repeatedly.
Brewing Without Over-Brewing
Here's how you do it.
Getting the right tool for the tea job can often be the trick to solving an otherwise tricky situation. Take brewing for example. You want to be able to brew repeatedly but not over-brew your tea (which often makes it taste bitter). But how to brew the tea but not have the tea leaves sitting in water?
Simple, with an infuser teapot. Your put your tea in the top section, add the proper temperature water, let it brew for for the necessary time (anywhere from 15 to 60 seconds) then you push the button and the brewed tea drains down into the pouring section of the pot. You lift out the infuser, serve the tea and then refill the top section for the next round.
One of these and your delicate green teas will NEVER EVER be over-brewed again!
Chinese Tea Sets, Tea Boats and Accessories
The one item used in gongfu tea that seems very hard to find is the "tea boat." This special wooden tray is the surface on which the tea is poured and served. It catches any overflow and drips and makes for both easy tea service and a nice presentation.
I managed to find a lovely little bamboo tea boat for one after a long web search, and it now sits in the corner of my desk, holding my morning pot of tea and my cup.
I managed to find a lovely little bamboo tea boat for one after a long web search, and it now sits in the corner of my desk, holding my morning pot of tea and my cup.
- Chinese Tea Sets from OrientTouch.com
- Tea Sets, Utensils and Tea Boats.
- Tea Accessories
- Tea Accessories, Infusers, Teapots, Tea Boats, Strainers and more.
- Bamboo Tea Boats
- Traditional Chinese 'trays' for daily use or for serving guests. Simple elegance with a purpose.
- Yixing Teapot Workshop with Dave Straney
- Creative Clay Pottery & Studios is conveniently located near the intersections of I-95, I-395 and the Washington Beltway in Northern Virginia.
- YiXing teapots from YiXing, China. On-line teapots shopping. Great for gifts and decoration.
- YiXing teapots from YiXing, China. On-line teapots shopping. Great for gifts and decoration.
- Yixing Purple Clay Teapots, Terebess Asia Online (TAO)
- The History and the Origin of the Yixing Purple Tea Pot
Choosing A Yixing Teapot
As you can see, there are many shape and style variations to this lovely little teapots. If you are going to be brewing many types of tea, you will want more than one. Having one for black teas, one for white teas and one for green teas is often how most people start their collections.
Buy Asian Tea posters and prints at Art.com
Buy Asian Tea posters and prints at Art.com
Brewing Temperatures For Different Teas
Most people just boil water when they make their tea, but it turns out that many varieties of tea brew more flavorfully when the temperature hasn't quite reached a full boil yet. Try these suggestions with your teas and see how the tastes become fuller and less bitter.
Some people use special water boiler/wamers to do this, as these can specifically regulate the temperature, but the old folk method was to watch the boiling water for the various stages.
180°-190° "Crab Eye Water"- The steam is very soft and gentle, and the water is forming small bubbles.
190°-200° "Fish Eye Water"- The water at this stage will "hiss" audibly, the steam will be very hot and rising actively as will the small bubbles.
212° "Old Man Water" - This is a full rolling boil.
Some people use special water boiler/wamers to do this, as these can specifically regulate the temperature, but the old folk method was to watch the boiling water for the various stages.
180°-190° "Crab Eye Water"- The steam is very soft and gentle, and the water is forming small bubbles.
190°-200° "Fish Eye Water"- The water at this stage will "hiss" audibly, the steam will be very hot and rising actively as will the small bubbles.
212° "Old Man Water" - This is a full rolling boil.
- White tea - 180°F
- Green tea -> 180°F - 190°F
- Oolong tea -> 190°F - 200°F
- Black tea -> 190°F - 200°F
- Pu'Ehr tea -> 200°F - 212°F
- Herbal tea -> 212°F
Types of Tea
- Adagio Teas - Best Rating List
- Adagio Teas info list with ratings and descriptions of many, many kinds of tea
- Sichuan Gongfu Tea - TeaSpring.com
- Sichuan Gongfu tea is produced from very fine Hao Ya tea leaves.
- Gong Fu Tea
- The Gong Fu Tea online teahouse is your source for everything essential to the sublime art of tea.
- BlissSville Home Page
- Join us in BlissSville for exquisite Asian whole leaf teas, beautiful teaware & aromatherapy.
- Tea Junkie by Jenny Abney
- I grew up on Lipton iced tea with lots of sugar, aka. "sweet tea" if you are from the South. After a three week visit to China, I have become a tea junkie. There's green teas, white teas, oolong teas, herbal infusions, and so much more. I am constantly on the lookout for great teas.
- Tea House by Pat, the Tea Lady
- I love to visit Tea Houses. I'll write about the Tea Houses I have visited, the ones I want to visit and share my photos. I hope you'll tell me about your experiences.
- Shan Shui Teas
- For centuries, tea has been appreciated in China, Taiwan, and Korea, and Japan for its health benefits and the pleasure of its preparation. Today, the relaxation and satisfaction derived from brewing and drinking your own cup of oolong, green, or aged tea provides the perfect respite from the demands of our busy lives.
- Green Tea Benefits Health - Discover Japanese Tea
- Your Source For High Quality Japanese Green Tea and Matcha Since 1998
- Pu-erh, A Westerner's Quest
- This Web Site chronicles a Westerner's quest to discover, and publish, the truth about Puerh. I attempt to dispel the myths, and educate the English speaking public, about this wonderful and mysterious variety of tea through hundreds of links about Puerh.
Sit Down and Watch Some Tea
Here are some short videos that show various Chinese tea serving techniques.
Tea Lover's Corner
Please take a moment and tell us about your favorite tea and whether you enjoy it by yourself or communally, gongfu style!
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Michey Feb 20, 2012 @ 10:34 am | delete
- Tea ceremony is a Japanese tradition, I love it!
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tasos30fullou
Jan 17, 2012 @ 6:30 pm | delete
- Nice Lense
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leeleon
Jan 13, 2012 @ 7:33 am | delete
- nice tea
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jimmyworldstar
Dec 18, 2011 @ 6:07 pm | delete
- This is a good way to sample different teas. It has that communal experience of bringing people together by trying different types of teas and flavors.
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ratetea
Sep 30, 2011 @ 12:02 pm | delete
- I think gongfu-style brewing is a wonderful way to appreciate tea on a deeper level. Often, I find that aspects of a specific tea, especially oolongs, come out more with this type of brewing than in Western-style brewing. How did you get into this? I rarely meet Westerners who are well-versed in gong fu brewing.
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A Gongfu Tea Set
Green Leaf Gaiwan Set (Comprised of 3-piece Gaiwan, Fairness Pitcher and 6 Tea Cups)
Amazon Price: $40.00 (as of 05/31/2012)
Tea History
The World in Your Teacup: Celebrating Tea Traditions, Near and Far
Amazon Price: $6.86 (as of 05/31/2012)
Learn some of the variation of how tea is served and enjoyed throughout the world with this great book!
