Sunday, October 28, 2012

Gongfu Tea

According to research, Gongfu tea originated in the later Ming Dynasty. It gained popularity in the Qing Dynasty and was renowned in Chaozhou. Gongfu tea was produced in Fujian Province. Today, almost every household in Chaozhou has a Gongfu tea set. To brew a cup of Gongfu tea during family reunions or when friends come to visit is a Chaozhou and Guangdong custom. Gongfu Teas was originally the name of a type of tea leaf. It refers to the best quality Wuyi Yan tea leaf. During the reign of Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty, Lu Yancan, governor of Cong'an Prefecture in Fujian (the current Wuyi Shan City) once quoted the following passage from Observation Records in his book. Sequel to the Classic of Tea, “In Mt Wuyi, tea leaves picked from the top of the mountain is known as Yan Tea. Tea leaves picked from the waterside is known as Zhou Tea. Yan Tea is top quality, Zhou Tea is second.
Yan Tea from the northern peak is the best; Yan Tea from the southern peak is second.
The two types of tea leaves are named after the mountains from where they were picked. The best of these are known as "Gongfu Tea." the earliest recorded method of brewing Gongfu tea is in the 51 st year of the reign of Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. It was recorded by Yuan Mei (1716-1797) in his book, Sui Yuan Recipes. In the chapter "Wine and Tea." under Wuyi Tea, he recorded. The cup should be as small as a walnut the pot as small as a citron. Each brew will not exceed 50 gram. One would not bear to sip it immediately, but will first inhale its scent before taking a sip. One would slowly sip the brew and appreciate the taste..." The text records in detail his travels in Mt. Wuyi. Everyone offered their guests tea brewed in miniature teapots and drank from tiny cups. He also recorded that the custom was to first inhale the scent before taking a sip and that the tea still had a strong flavor even after being brewed for three rounds. These descriptions described using the Gonglu tea brewing method to brew Wuyi tea leaves. Thus, we can see that during mid-Qing Dynasty. Gongfu tea was already popular in the northern Min area.
The formal naming as "Gongfu Tea" was by the Xingning Prefecture's historian Yu Jiao in Guangdong. He detailed the entire process of Gongfu tea brewing method in his book Mengchang Zazhu
Prepare a stove, a teapot and a tray. Use Zisha teapot and small porcelain teacups. The number of cups depends on the number of guests.

Use spring water to brew the tea.

Use charcoal to boil the water, and brew the tea with water that has just reached boiling point.

Seal the teapot when brewing the tea.

Sip the tea slowly.
Similar to the methods of brewing tea, the tea set used in the Tang and Song dynasties are very different from that used in the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is said that Su Shi of the Song Dynasty made his own overhead handle Zisha teapot, and that there are numerous famous makers of Zisha teapot in the Ming Dynasty. This particular type of teapot is exceedingly important in the brewing of Gongfu tea.
The brewing of Gongfu tea began and was perfected in the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was popularized in the Min and Yue area, and became the famous Chaoshan Gongfu Tea. It formed the foundation for the modern method of brewing tea and is still one of the most important methods of brewing tea today.

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