Gong Fu Cha

Chinese tea preparation: Gong Fu Cha 功夫茶

In the Chinese tradition, Gong Fu does not only mean martial arts, but any activity that leads to mastery with time and effort. In our sense, this means a sophisticated way of preparing tea.

Tea originally comes from China, so it is fair to say that the tea culture there is the oldest. Gongfucha is an important part of it and is often referred to as the Chinese tea ceremony in Western sources. In Europe, the term ceremony is often associated with being very complicated and impossible for laypeople to perform. However, gong fu cha is quite simply the Chinese way of preparing tea. The terms ‘Gong Fu Cha’ 功夫茶 or ‘Cha Dao’ 茶道 mean ‘art of tea’ and ‘way of tea’, both of which refer to the preparation method itself, but are also used when the tea preparation is performed as a ceremony.

In addition, in terms of spiritual practice, a Dao is always a path of inner perfection through an ‘outer’ perfection, be it movement in martial arts or posture in Zen, the sound of the flute in Shakuhachi, etc. The idea behind tea preparation is as follows:

A good quality tea contains many different flavors, all of which you try to enjoy. This cannot be achieved with the European preparation method, i.e. steeping 12g of tea per litre in hot water for a few minutes; every cup from a large pot is the same tea.

In China, mainly Oolong and Pu Er, but also black tea, are prepared using this method. Green, yellow and white tea can also be drunk in Gong Fu Cha, but this requires a little more attention to infusion times. The slightly modified method is better (see below: Gong Fu Cha for green teas).

In Chaozhou in south-east China, where Gongfucha probably originated, tea drinking is still very commonplace today, and Gongfucha can be seen everywhere, on the street, in the shops, etc. See Chaozhou Style Gong Fu Cha - A short introduction.

The following teaware is required for the Chinese tea ceremony: A small teapot with a capacity of 1-2 dl; in China, either small clay teapots or gaiwan (盖碗, ‘covered cup’) made of porcelain are used. A vessel of the same size is used to pour the tea into; in China, vessels made of clay, porcelain or glass are used. The teacups and smelling cups used are very small, with a maximum content of one sip. These are also made of clay or porcelain. The crockery should be placed on a so-called tea tray (or tea boat) so that the spilt liquid is collected. Tea utensils are also often used, i.e. a strainer, scoop, funnel, tweezer, tea pin and needle. The tweezer is used to hold the teacups, while the tea pin and needle are used, for example, when the spout of the pot is blocked. The main purpose of the utensils is to avoid touching the tea leaves or the tea liquid by hand.

The ‘path of the tea’ flows from the pot into the infusion vessel, from there into the smelling cups and finally into the drinking cups. After being poured into the drinking cups, the aroma of the tea remains in the smelling cups, which can be smelled. However, these are often left out completely and the tea aroma is enjoyed from the lid of the pot or from the empty drinking cups. Firstly, all the crockery is preheated, i.e. a ‘path of tea’ is made exclusively with hot water. Then the tea leaves (usually 6g, a little less or more for very small or very large pots) are scooped into the pot through the funnel. This is followed by the tea washing infusion, i.e. the tea is washed and, more importantly, the tea leaves are already slightly opened, which allows more flavors to escape from the leaves during the following infusions; at the same time, the crockery get used to the tea. Now comes the first infusion. During this and the following infusions, the tea is poured off again very quickly. Only when the intensity of the flavors decreases is the tea allowed to infuse a little longer. This procedure, infusion after infusion, can be repeated until the leaves no longer release any flavor.

The various infusions give the tea the opportunity to reveal its full complexity to the connoisseur. Each infusion reveals a new side, sip after sip a discovery. Anyone who prepares a nice tea in Gong Fu Cha and approaches the tea attentively will be richly rewarded.

Gong Fu Cha for green teas

For white, yellow and green teas from Taiwan, China and Korea, a slightly modified method of Gong Fu Cha is considered ideal:

You need a container with a capacity of 2-3 dl, ideally a tall glass, as this allows you to see the tea leaves. After the preheating process, 4g of tea is poured into the container. The washing infusion is normally omitted here, but can still be done. The tea is then poured with 80 degree water and left to steep for 2.5 to 5 minutes, the same length of time as for European preparation according to the instructions on the package. This is followed by a second and third infusion with the same steeping time. Alternatively, you can leave a small amount of water barely covering the leaves after each infusion. This will make the second infusion more intense but stronger and should infuse for a slightly shorter time than the first. Prepared in this way, white, yellow and green teas are very intense and aromatic, but not too strong and offer an incomparable flavor.