Chinese Gong Fu Style Tea Brewing Instructions

Gong Fu Cha, a traditional Chinese tea brewing method, involves multiple short infusions to extract the full flavor potential of the tea. Here are step-by-step brewing instructions for various tea types using the Gong Fu Cha method

White Tea

1. **Tea Amount:** 5-7 grams of white tea leaves
2. **Teapot Size:** Small to medium-sized gaiwan or Yixing teapot (100-150ml)
3. **Water Temperature:** 185-195°F (85-90°C)
4. **Infusion Time:** Start with 15-20 seconds, gradually increasing with each infusion.
5. **Additional Tips:** Use flash infusions for the first few rounds to preserve the delicate nature of white tea.

Green Tea

1. **Tea Amount:** 5-7 grams of green tea leaves
2. **Teapot Size:** Small to medium-sized gaiwan or Yixing teapot (100-150ml)
3. **Water Temperature:** 175-185°F (80-85°C)
4. **Infusion Time:** Start with 10-20 seconds, adjusting based on tea type and personal preference.
5. **Additional Tips:** Experiment with leaf quantities and infusion times to find the right balance.

Oolong Tea

1. **Tea Amount:** 7-10 grams of oolong tea leaves
2. **Teapot Size:** Medium-sized Yixing teapot or gaiwan (150-200ml)
3. **Water Temperature:** 185-205°F (85-96°C)
4. **Infusion Time:** Start with 20-30 seconds, increasing with each infusion.
5. **Additional Tips:** Oolong teas can be steeped multiple times; observe the evolving flavors through each infusion.

Black Tea

1. **Tea Amount:** 5-7 grams of black tea leaves
2. **Teapot Size:** Medium-sized Yixing teapot or gaiwan (150-200ml)
3. **Water Temperature:** 200-212°F (93-100°C)
4. **Infusion Time:** Start with 15-30 seconds, adjusting based on the tea's strength.
5. **Additional Tips:** Gong Fu brewing can enhance the nuances of black tea; adjust parameters to suit your taste.

Pu-erh Tea

1. **Tea Amount:** 8-12 grams of pu-erh tea leaves (sheng or shou)
2. **Teapot Size:** Yixing teapot (150-200ml) for sheng, slightly larger for shou
3. **Water Temperature:** 200-212°F (93-100°C)
4. **Infusion Time:** Sheng: Start with 15-30 seconds, Shou: Start with 10-20 seconds.
5. **Additional Tips:** Rinse pu-erh leaves briefly before the first infusion to awaken the tea.

Herbal Tea

1. **Tea Amount:** 5-7 grams of herbal tea
2. **Teapot Size:** Gaiwan or Yixing teapot (100-150ml)
3. **Water Temperature:** 212°F (100°C)
4. **Infusion Time:** Start with 20-30 seconds, adjusting based on herbal ingredients.
5. **Additional Tips:** Herbal teas can often withstand longer infusions; experiment to find your preferred strength.

Rooibos Tea

1. **Tea Amount:** 7-10 grams of rooibos tea
2. **Teapot Size:** Gaiwan or Yixing teapot (150-200ml)
3. **Water Temperature:** 212°F (100°C)
4. **Infusion Time:** Start with 20-30 seconds, adjusting based on personal preference.
5. **Additional Tips:** Rooibos is forgiving and can be steeped longer for a richer flavor.

Adjustments to brewing times, temperatures, and leaf amounts may be needed based on personal preference and specific tea characteristics. Gong Fu Cha allows for a more intimate exploration of each tea, revealing its layers of flavor through multiple infusions.

Suggestions

• A standard porcelain gaiwan can be used for all tea types and will provide clean, well rounded flavor profiles with bursting aromatics.  Click here to purchase
• Different size and shapes have different functionalities.  For example, a tall narrow gaiwan will capture the high notes and offer enhanced aromatics on the nose(green, white, and oolong teas are great for this).  On the other hand, a low and wide gaiwan has a larger base for larger leaves that are allowed to open up and can enhance complex, rich and deep flavors(puerhs and oolongs are great for this).  Purchase Tall Gaiwan here and Low and Wide Gaiwan here.
• I would also suggest using Yixing Zisha Clay Teapots for how the different clay types(Zini, Zuni, Duanni, etc.) interact with the tea generally smoothing out the texture and subtly enhancing flavor, however authentic ones are hard to come by.  
• There's a saying that goes something like "The first brew is for your enemies, the second brew is for your partner/friend, the third brew is for yourself."  I understand this to mean (specifically for puerh) the first brew is the wash/rinse meant to clean and open the leaves and then be discarded only good for enemies.  By the second brew the leaves have opened more, imparting greater flavor now good enough to present to loved ones.  The third brew has the benefit of fully opened leaves extracting the most out of them giving the best taste and texture.