A question from another tea lover on Instagram inspired me to write a post about how to get started and get what you need to steep tea gongfu style!
What is Gongfu Cha?
Gongfu cha (skillfully prepared tea) is a style of brewing tea that originated in China over 1,000 years ago. It involves using a higher ratio of tea leaves to water than Western-style tea brewing. Small steeping vessels–teapots or gaiwans–are used with small cups. (A gaiwan is a kind of Chinese bowl with a lid.)
Brewing tea the gongfu cha way involves multiple infusions of the tea leaves. It allows the tea drinker to observe changes in the tea across different infusions.
I also enjoy steeping gongfu style because I can brew a very small pot of fresh tea multiple times over the course of a few hours or a day. This approach, happily, allows me to stagger my caffeine and enjoyment of hot tea.
Required for Gongfu Cha
To minimize your purchases as you get started to steep tea gongfu style, you could absolutely steep tea gongfu style with the following.
- a small (120-150 ml) teapot or gaiwan
- a teacup or two
If a gongfu teapot interests you, I recommend starting with either a porcelain or clay teapot. If you go with clay, I recommend one with a glazed interior to begin. They are the most versatile across a wide range of teas. If choosing a gaiwan, glazed ceramic or glass are also my recommendations.
You’ll want a small teacup without a handle for gongfu tea. If you go a bit unorthodox, you could get a teacup that fits the amount of liquid that your teapot holds. I would suggest, however, getting at least two teacups that are smaller than your teapot. (Why not set yourself up to be able to share tea with someone?)
Beware: because of the higher ratio of leaves to water, you don’t want to allow the tea to sit in your gongfu teapot too long. After it’s reached your desired steep time, you want to pour off the tea. If you have a cup as big as your teapot, you simply decant it all into your teacup. If you do not, you’ll need something into which to decant the tea so it doesn’t over steep.
Heartily Recommended to Steep Tea Gongfu Style
Given the issue with teacups smaller than teapots and not over steeping the tea, I strongly recommend a “fairness cup” when you start steeping gongfu style. You also sometimes see this item called a tea pitcher, fairness pitcher, or equality pitcher.
It’s like a mini carafe into which you can decant your steeped tea. From there, you pour it into the teacup(s).
Not only does a fairness pitcher stop the tea from over steeping, but it also slightly cools the tea so that it will be closer to a safe and comfortable drinking temperature when you transfer it to the teacups. And, by putting all the tea into this pitcher before distributing, everyone enjoys the same strength tea. Note: if you pour from a teapot and fill one teacup and then another, the first teacup will have a lighter steep than the second one. (In the photo of the teacups by the pear, higher in this post, I poured directly into one teacup then another. Notice the difference in the color of the tea.)
If you don’t want to buy a fairness pitcher, a porcelain creamer can work, as can a small Pyrex glass measuring cup. Whatever you use, make sure it can handle tea-temperature heat without cracking and doesn’t retain odors from other things.
If you would like to buy a fairness pitcher, I recommend starting with a glass, porcelain, or clay one that is either clear or has a white interior. This way, you can better appreciate the color of the steeped tea.
Handy Accessory to Consider
Although not strictly necessary to steep tea gongfu style, it’s nice to have a designated tea strainer when you start steeping tea gongfu style. Tea leaves can work their way out of the teapot or gaiwan and into your teacup. If you’d like to avoid or minimize that, a small tea strainer like this or this is very helpful. You can put it over your fairness pitcher or teacup and pour the tea from the teapot through it.
There are other items, and different types of teaware, that you could get into if you decide to delve deeper into steeping tea gongfu style; however, the items above are what I would recommend to start.
Tea for Gongfu Style and More?
Not sure where to start to get the cha, or tea, to steep gongfu cha? Check out my suggestions in “Companies that Sell Loose Leaf Tea Samples.”
Interested in more you might do to support a gongfu cha tea practice? Check out my post “What a Tea Pet Can Add to Your Practice.”