The 11am seating SOLD OUT!!! I opened a 9 am seating! I am thrilled by the support.
Gong Fu tea was originally drank by labors, blacksmiths. They lighted charcoal in a stove and had a clay pan on the stove to make the tea. It is now in every household.
Gong Fu- means tea with skill
Cha= tea
smaller vessels give you more control in making tea - at the end of the day, it's all about the taste
I was so excited to find portable Gaiwan tea sets. I got them for $3 each- I ordered 15 sets. They will be perfect for my tea parties.
After a thorough washing, these sets are ready for tea! At my tea I will show the tea ceremony and then everyone will get to try to make their own teas with the Gaiwan tea sets.
Fun facts:
The Eastern Style of brewing tea- Gong Fu- is more about the tea itself. Where some say the Western style way of brewing is more about the sweets you have with the tea. You are getting more tannins and bitterness with this kind of tea.
You brew tea either in the small yixing tea pot or the Gaiwan Bowl (Gaiwan has the lid- you can use your lid to stir the leaves, then hault the steep time by decanting or pouring into the fairness pot then into the smaller cups)
Tea Process....
Pour water into the teapot and tea ware that you will be using, like over the cups, smelling cup, fairness pot, and tasting bowls- this is where the tray comes in handy. This gets the cups warm, also cleans them, and opens up the teas aroma
open the tea container, smell the tea, examine the tea
put tea in the tea infuser with the scoop
pour water into the fairness pot for a few seconds to rinse the tea
smell the first brew, we don't drink the first brew
pour over the cups and to the tea pet
2nd brew is what you drink
your tea leaves will be bloomed- add more water - steep for maybe 15- 20 seconds.
high quality tea does not take long to brew
put the filter on the pot and transfer the tea in there- it stops the steeping
pour the teas into the tea cups- you serve your guests with the tongs- handing the cup to them using the tongs.
You put your tea in the tall smelling cup and them pour it into the tasting bowl.
You smell the smelling cup first.
enjoy the taste- sip the tea (don't gulp) slurping loudly shows your appreciation
make the next brew...you can brew 3-5 times, it will vary, and then you start to loose the flavors
first brew is the lightest- it introduces your pallet to the tea
temp- darker the tea, the hotter the water.
Black tea- 212 degrees
green and white teas 170-185 degrees
Oolong 185-200 degrees
Pu-erh 212 degrees- if using a cake, try not to break the leaves, whole leaves usually gives higher quality infusions
the older the tea, the more valuable.
Learn more by coming to the tea class in February