China Gong-Fu Tea Ceremony

Gongfu tea is famous in every household in chaoshan district. It is often the case that they make tea and serve their guests. Chaoshan gongfu tea is very well-known custom in China culture and it is one of four Golden Flower in the southern place. The fundamental spirit of it can be seen as the following: peace, love refinement and nobleness. Peace represents the harmonious atmosphere. Love represents the kindness, refinement represents the beauty of tea set and the particular way of making tea and nobleness represents the nobility of the mind.

炭炉：charcoal stove     电随手泡：an instant electrical kettle

陶壶：a pottery kettle      紫砂壶：a boccaro teapot

瓷壶：a porcelain teapot    盖碗：a covered teacup

闻香杯：sniff-cup/fragrance –smelling cup

品茗杯：the tea-sipping cup     茶叶罐：a tea canister

水盂：a tea basin    茶盘：a tea tray     托盘：a tea serving tray

公道杯：a Fair mug (Gongdao Mug)       过滤网：a filter

茶夹：the tea longs      

The Zisha Clay teapots are producted in Yixing,Jiangsu Province.

The Zisha Clay tea-wares are precious handicrafts ,which are collecting as objects of art .

The inside wall of the white porcelain tea-sipping cup preserves the fragrance . It allows the drinker to smell the frangrance remained in the cup after sipping the tea .

The tea basin is used for washing teacups or holding litters such as fruit skins ,peedings ,and seeds .

The Fair Mug is mainly used to balance the thicknees of tea liquor .

Green tea is a non-fermentesd tea with qualities often known as “one tender and three green”. “one tender ” refers to tender tea leaves , and “three green”refers to thegreen colored tea leaves ,the green colored tea liquid ,and the green colored tea dregs .

Black tea is the compiete fermented tea .

Oolong tea has big varieties ,main types include Dahonggpao Tea ,Tieguanyin Tea ,Phoenix Dahongpao Tea ,and Taiwan High Mountain Tea

Dahongpao (Big Red Robe),also known as the “King of Tea ”,grown in Wu-Yi Mountain ,Fujian Province

Tieguanyin tea (Iron Mercy Goddess )is the most farmous Oolong tea ,which is grown in Anxi ,Fujian Province .

Grown in Guangdong Province ,Phoenix Dancong Tea (Fenghuang Unique Bush ) possesses the largest varieties of fragrance

Judging by their different characters ,pu’er can be divided into two categories as raw pu’er and fermented pu’er .

Raw pu’er tea ,which is made of the tender leaves of the broad-leaf tea tree in Yunnan province ,is the green tea dried in sun.

Cooked pu’er is fermenting with the useful microorganisms in the humiod and hot condition

In the Qing Dynasty ,pu’er was one of tribute teas

Pu’er tea have effectiveness in renducing body weight and blood fat

“Water is the mother of tea .”The quality of water is essential to the flavor of tea .

When soft water is used to make tea ,the tea will have a melloe taste

盖碗：the lid is for the sky , the bottom is for the earth, and the body is for the person. When we combine these three things together, we call it 三才cup

温杯、洁具：pour into the hot water until half-full,then throw the water out of the teapot. It can warm up the teacup

乌龙入宫：we use the shovel to get some tea and put the oolong tea into the teapot

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悬壶高冲：lift up the pot and pour the water into the pot, the tea-leaf will flowing with the water, in this way, we can wash the tea and force the smell of tea come out

春风拂面：we use the cover of teacup to scratch the bubble on the surface

若琛出浴：use the tea to warm up the cup, in this process, we should turn the cup around

关公巡城：pour the tea into every cup in order, we should bear these four words in mind: low,fast, even and尽

韩信点兵：when the tea is nearly ran out, put the rest of tea into every cup. Every drop of water should be distributed evenly

敬奉香茗：now it is time for our guests to enjoy the tea.

三龙护鼎：use the thumb and the index finger to hold the body of the cup,and use the middle finger to 顶 the cup

鉴赏汤色Now we can drink the tea, before that, we should watch its color carefully. If it is in good quality, the color should be clear, golden. Bright and bring a sense of enjoyment

细闻幽香Then we can smell its fragrance, the laurel smell, the orchid smell will definitely make you pleasant

品啜甘霖now we can drink the tea. There is a special kind of feeling when you hold the tea in your mouth and drink it very slowly into your heart

Officially, the Gongfu Tea Ceremony is a 21-step process which takes careful practice, hence the name gong-fu, a play on words kung-fu. Whenever you visit an authentic Chinese tea shop, they will undoubtedly offer some form of gongfu tea service, often with exaggerated hand motions or entertaining tricks.

or your reference, here are the official 21 steps for Chaoshan Gongfu Cha: 

1.    Explain the tea service to the guests.

2.    Wash your hands.

3.     Light the charcoal (traditionally olive pits) in the clay tea stove. 

4.     Pour the water into the tea kettle (a long-handled, clay teapot).

5.    Bring the water to a boil, using a feather fan on the coals to sufficiently heat them. 

6.     Warm the serving teapot by pouring the hot water in and over it.

7.    Warm the tea cups in the same fashion.

8. Place the tea to be infused on a piece of white paper. 

9. Use the paper to guide the tea leaves into the teapot.

10. Wash the tea leaves with hot water, pouring this first infusion over the tea cups and teapot (to keep them warm). Be sure to then discard this fist infusion by dumping all tea in the cups and teapot out on the tea table.

11. Pour hot water into the teapot a second time (this time to be consumed), being sure to keep the kettle 20 centimeters (8 inches) above the teapot.

12. Use the teapot lid to smooth out any bubbles on the surface of the tea in the teapot. 

13. Put the lid back on the teapot and warm the teapot again by pouring hot water over it.

14. Warm and wash the cups again by pouring hot water over them and rolling one inside another using tea tongs, being sure to get all the edges submerged in the hot water. Cup washing should only take seconds to perform.

15. Pour the tea from the teapot into the first cup, being sure to keep the teapot 4-5 centimeters (1.5-2 inches) above the cups.

16. Quickly move the teapot to the second and third cups, being sure to pour the tea evenly into every cup. 

17. Make sure every drop is dripped into the cups.

18. Serve the guests by gently moving a tea cup in front of each one and politely asking them to drink. Extra guests beyond three must wait for the next round, and the same three cups are reused.

19. Before sipping, guests should first smell the tea. Hosts will also often offer the teapot lid for guests to smell. Smelling is very important because 90% of the taste of tea is in the smell.

20. Everyone is to take sips of the tea and savor the taste. Connoisseurs often loudly slurp the tea and swish it around in their cheeks to be sure all taste buds are engaged.

21. Everyone should smell their empty cup after drinking. The teapot or gaiwan lid will often be offered as well.

This process is repeated each time the tea is served, and a single serving of tea (3-8 grams) can be reused 4-8 times, until the flavor has faded. Depending on the speed of consumption, the warming steps may be left out if not needed.