The Chinese Tea Ceremony (Kung-Fu Tea)

"Gong Fu", or commonly referred to as Kung-Fu, actually means "work or skill" and doesn't have any direct relationship with Chinese martial arts. Gong Fu is a term used to describe any skill or task that requires time, dedication, and effort; whether it is a warrior with his combative skills or the Fujian practice of drinking tea...

To make "Gong Fu Cha", or Kung Fu Tea, you will need the following items:

The best Quality Tea (preferably Oolong tea) and water (preferably mineral water) obtainable.
Tea Kettle - For boiling water, try to avoid the kettles that whistle or makes a lot of noise.
Teapot - it is very important that it is made from the special colored clay of Yixing from Jiangsu, China.
Four to five tiny Teacups made from earthenware or porcelain, usually the inside is coated with a white glaze.
Tea Boat - a small bowl or deep saucer with a rim about half the height of the teapot.
Tea Plate - varieties include those made from earthenware, wood, or even metal. Basically, a perforated tray with a drainage device or storage tank under it for disposed water.
Cup plate(s) - a large flat earthenware or porcelain plate or smaller plates with a rim to hold the tiny tea cups.
Wood (or plastic but preferably not metal) Tea Instruments - consisting of small tongs, a scoop or spoon, a pair of chopsticks, and sometimes a "pot-pick" used to remove clogged leaves from smaller teapots.
Tea cloth - a soft, non-shedding cotton or silk cloth to wipe away any spillage and/or the utensils.

Please feel free to visit our Three Treasures Tea Mart to purchase the items listed above!

"The Sixteen Motions of Fujian Kung-Fu Tea"

There are sixteen motions or steps to make Fujian Kung-Fu Tea.

Enter the Tea Realm - To make Kung-Fu Tea is a serious art and a state of mind. One must reach a certain peace of mind away from the normal troubles of work or personal life. You may choose to play some traditional Chinese music or decorate the room to fit the occasion, whatever establishes that environment you need for you and your guests to reach that inner peace.
Layout and Presentation of Tea Instruments - A tea ceremony is like a religious ritual and the instruments used are likewise, sacred. The layout of every tool is essential, there are no excessive steps, every movement has its practical value and meaning... during the ceremony, one should not need to reach or locate a tool. Experts may even say that you should be able to conduct the ceremony with your eyes closed, that is how precise everything should be!
"The Bubbling of A Fountain" - The sound of the water bubbling in the tea kettle like that of a spring or fountain in the mountains or the countryside. Once again, entering the realm of tea, bringing one closer to that inner peace, and signifying the beginning of the ceremony. Silence is Golden, all talking and explanations should have been done before the boiling of the water.
"Bathing The Teapot and Cups" - Pouring the boiling water into the teapot until it overflows into the tea boat submersing the teapot. This warms the teapot from both inside and out. Then using the tongs, you pickup each tiny teacup and wash them inside the tea boat, then placing them onto the cup plate(s). Pour out the water from the teapot and tea boat into the tea plate.
"Guan Yin Enters The Palace" - Using the spoon or scoop, you place the tea leaves into the teapot. The amount varies depending on taste, naturally the stronger you want the tea, the more leaves. For Oolong tea, you normally fill about half of the teapot with leaves.
"Rushing Water From Above" - Lifting the tea kettle high above the teapot, you pour the boiling water from the kettle. You should see the leaves inside spinning as a result of your pouring, this washes the leaves and aerates the tea. You pour until you overflow the teapot but without losing the too much of the leaves from within.
"The Coming Wind Brushing Away" - Using the lid of your teapot, you brush away the foam from the tea while pushing back in any tea leaves that may have flowed out from the pouring process. You don't pick up the leaves with your hands! The Chinese believe that the oils from your hand will contaminate the leaves.
"Fragrance emitting from Teapot" - The first infusion of tea is never kept, you pour out the tea, paying attention to the rich aroma when you pour it.
"Three Dragons Guarding Pedestal" - One common practice is to use this first infusion to wash the teacups further both warming the cups again and giving the cups a lingering aroma before the actual drinking of the tea. "Three dragons" represents the gathering of the tiny tea cups, in this case, three of them and placing them close together. The "pedestal" mentioned here, is the teapot.
"Drifting Clouds and Running Water" - "Drifting Clouds" describes the steam coming out of the kettle and "Running Water" describes the pouring process. You fill the teapot, overflowing it again. Replacing the lid onto the pot, you pour the boiling water over the filled teapot until the entire tea boat is filled.
"Guan Yin Exits The Sea" - You extract the tea from the tea boat filled with water (the sea) and beginning pouring the tea into the tiny teacups in a sweeping motion. The sweeping motion is so that all of the teacups have the same "strength", pouring into each cup individually will result in the first cup poured being the weakest while the last cup the strongest because it was steeped in the leaves for the longest time.
"Dripping Water, Flowing Fragrance" - This is the process where the remaining last drops of the tea from the teapot, which is supposedly the strongest, is dripped into each individual teacup.
"Releasing The Aroma" - The guests of the ceremony will pick up their own teacup and raise it to their nose to smell the distinct fragrance of the tea. Closing their eyes, they could almost feel the aroma seep through their nose and into their head, relaxing the entire body.
"Examine the Color" - Opening their eyes, the guests examine the beautiful amber hue of the tea in their teacups.
"Attention to the Lingering Aroma" - The host will then remove the lid off of the teapot in preparation for another infusion, releasing the lingering aroma from within the teapot.
"Sipping the Elixir" - The final step is for the guests to sip and experience the taste of the tea. Sipping is like the tasting of wine, you allow the tea to linger in the back of your throat as you experience the "nose" of the tea and finally swallow and experience the aftertaste.