Gongfu tea brewing - should you switch to it?
- Harvey Cocks
- Feb 17, 2020
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 1, 2020
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</script>Today I am going to talk a bit about a type of method of brewing tea called "gong fu" brewing, it is also referred to as "kung fu" brewing. I will be talking about what it is, further diving into the benefits of making tea this way and at how you can brew in gong fu style!
It's gonna be an interesting one, so sit back, get a cup of tea and relax as we dive into gong fu brewing!
Disclaimer:
Links at the end of this post are affiliate links, this means that if you make a purchase through any of the links shown within this blog post, I will earn a commission for each sale. My honesty to my audience is a priority and thus why this disclaimer is in place.
So, what actually is gong fu brewing then?
Gongfu brewing is a type and way of brewing tea. It is commonly used amongst Asian countries like China and Japan where tea, of course, is more popular in and this is where the brewing method began in, however people from all over the world use this method of brewing.
All it essentially is, is using smaller teaware and having a higher tea leaf to water ratio and brewing the tea in a matter of seconds depending on the type of tea and the size of your teaware. You then instead of chucking the leaves away, reuse the leaves for multiple times and slowly extend the amount of time left for it to brew.
Not only is it a different way of brewing tea physically as in controlling the measures of time, temperature and ratios of tea to water, but also by making the tea in your teaware and then pouring the tea into a "fairness cup" or a "gong dao bei" and then serving the tea up in your cup from there. All a fairness cup or a gong dao bei really is, is just a pitcher that holds the tea together for you to serve to yourself or multiple people in a ceremony. The reason why you pour your tea into a gong dao bei rather than straight into your cup is because when pouring your tea out, by serving it to multiple cups, the tea left inside with the leaves will be a different concentration for one cup compared to the next, so by containing in a gong dao bei, you get to control the concentration of the tea, and its fair for everyone to get the same concentration as well. Hence the name suggests "fairness cup".
Okay, sounds interesting, so why should i switch on over to it then and what are the benefits of it?
If you are making tea as of right now by using premium tea bags, or using loose leaf in a strainer and waiting for a few minutes, then you are actually not getting the most amount of flavour and goodness that the tea brings with it! By making tea in a gong fu style, you are maximising the flavour/taste, the strength and also the health properties and benefits that come with the tea when you drink it.
Gongfu brewing as well not only physically makes a difference when making tea, but also mentally. By having a dedicated tea tray, little tea pets and the entire set of a teapot/gaiwan, a gong dao bei and some cups all contributes to your wellbeing and mental health as in a way it distracts you from the busy world of doing everything and by simply taking simple steps and doing little things such as counting how long to brew the tea for, pouring it out into the gong dao bei and then the cup all is just a fun little package of making tea.
Now let's talk about how you can brew in gong fu style!
All you really need is a teaware that is in the capacity of 300ml or less roughly, a gong dao bei (tiny pitcher that is the same size capacity of your teaware) and some teacups! You can buy tea sets online, but below will be a few links (affiliate links) for you to look at to get yourself set up!
Overall, I would totally recommend switching to gongfu brewing as it's the best way of brewing and making tea correctly in the official style!
So now you know a little bit more about gong fu brewing! So go out there and buy yourself some new teaware, treat yourself and in return you are making the tea gods happy!
Below are some affiliate links and also a handy dandy guide for brewing all kinds of different teas in gong fu style and instructions from Mei Leaf!
Affiliate Links:
Gaiwan tea set from Amazon -
General teaware from Art Of Tea - https://shareasale.com/r.cfmb=209704&u=2383822&m=23080&urllink=&afftrack=
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