Photos of tea bowls, teahouses and gardens reveal the exquisite artistry of the cult of tea. Mar 14, 2018 the chinese tea ceremony, or gongfu cha is often thought of as being an ancient ceremony, performed throughout china and then passed on to the west relatively recently. From the wikipedia page 1 taiwanese tea culture, include tea arts, tea ceremony, and a very social way of enjoying tea. Sit back and enjoy the taste, aroma, and warmth of your efforts to replicate a gongfu tea ceremony using oolong tea. This weekend will be a full immersion into the daoist arts of qigong, meditation, daoist philosophy, and tea ceremony. The gongfu tea ceremony originated in the song dynasty and by the ming dynasty had become more widespread, used especially in fujian and guandong. Exploring the history and method of brewing and serving tea chinese gong fu style, using both traditional and new gong fu tools and teaware. So almost every thursday afternoon we will gather for a gong fu tea ceremony with amazing teas and immerse into the world of subtelties, harnesing our awareness and sensiivity to tea and to ourselves.
Before we go over the best 5 tea ceremony locations in kyoto, lets learn a little bit about. Gong fu teacha episode 1 what is gong fu cha tea house ghost. He had written several books on tea, and he had a literary collection about tea and the history of tea. To entertain guests, or friend, our gongfu tea cups are must have. Explore the unique japanese tradition of sharing tea asian arts and crafts for creative kids. The process of drinking tea goes back hundreds of years and the gonfu style of observing taste is unique to each tea. A brief stepbystep description of how to prepare and serve tea gong fu style using the proper tools and teaware.
This will take you through the special gongfu style of brewing the leaves, where youll learn about when to let it breathe, for how long and offer tasting notes for when you actually get a mouthful. Houston tea is an aromatic, sensory experience that is balancing for the body and mind. Though the area that gongfu tea originated is the subject of some debate with different areas wanting to claim that they are the originators, its origins do trace back to the song dynasty. On track with the kung fu tea ceremony teabooksketches. This way of brewing is originated from chaozhou during the song dynasty, which is why its also often referred to as chaozhou gongfu cha. While bowl tea is like a shamanic ritual that takes you on a journey with yourself. The entire tea ceremony needs to be done in a calm and relaxed manner to truly create a peaceful and unique chinese tea ceremony. While the most common teas are oolongs especially taiwanese oolongs such as iron goddess and alpine oolong. Gongfu brewing is a ritualized form of preparing tea that works well with oolongs and puers. This method is very popular within the gongfu circles where tea is also used in special ceremonial rites. Many of the classical arts can be seen in the tea culture, examples. The gongfu style of infusion is most popular because the relationship one can develop through it with a tea can be very intimate.
The gong fu tea online teahouse is your source for everything essential to the sublime art of tea. The chinese tea ceremony, or gongfu cha is often thought of as being an ancient ceremony, performed throughout china and then passed on to the west relatively recently. The phrase is also spelled as kung fu, kung fucha or gong fucha. Down the history, chinese have been able to meet different types of tea e. Though there are differences in application when compared with a japanese, vietnamese or korean tea ceremony, many principles still remain the same. Of course not many people know of this art especially in the west. The japanese tea ceremony was soon perfected with the help of cha ching the tea book, written by chinese scholar lu yu. Unlike the other types of tea ceremony, gongfu style of tea drinking requires that the drinkers enjoy the aroma to the fullest before gulping down the ritual brews. Tea cafe, asian kitchen, tea culture, tea tray, japanese pottery, chinese tea, tea ceremony. How to make china tea tea answers know your tea and drink. We are a purveyor of fine teas and quality teaware, as well as a rich source for education on everything from the history of tea to the wonderful health benefits of tea. The tea ceremony, literally translated as way of tea in japanese, etiquette for tea or tea rite in korean, and art of tea in chinese citation needed, is a cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of tea. Gongfu tea ceremony was founded on the need to make classical teas with excellent taste and aromas. A tea ceremony is a ritualized form of making tea practiced in asian culture by the chinese, koreans, japanese, indians, vietnamese and taiwanese.
While i was in hong kong, i was able to attend a gongfu session at the museum of teaware that ran through the modified and traditional gongfu ceremony. Its a topic that could probably fill several thick volumes, but the authors put forth a nice summary in a mere 28 pages. In the tea ceremony known as gong fu, the implication is that time, dedication and effort will produce an ultimate tea experience. Theyre a chain from taiwan and though they mostly specialize in boba tapioca teas, their san gabriel and chinatown locations have a section dedicated to the gongfu tea ceremony. Portable travel tea set chinesejapanese porcelain gongfu tea set, traditional tea ceremony set with tea can,teapots, teacups, bamboo tea tray and travel bagsred 4. The only way to truly taste tea is through a traditional chinese tea ceremony. The story of tea opens with a brief history of tea. It is a period when the chinese residents look forward to celebrating and enjoying the best aromas of their ritual brew.
The truth is that it originated in the chinese southeastern province, chaozhou, and it was relatively unknown outside this area even in the 1950s. China gong fu tea ceremonyhistorysteps to brew tea gong. When tea was first used centuries ago for medicinal purposes, monks began to drink tea and to use it to teach the principles of calmness, nature, and humility. Guide to chinese tea ceremonies in hong kong tripsavvy. A wwii epic of escape, survival, and adventure by david howarth 2001, paperback at the best online prices at ebay. It is probably based on the tea preparation approaches originated in fujian and the chaoshan area of eastern guangdong. This post will summarize this research and provide a brief history of gongfu brewing. Amidst the loud tunes and vulgar colours of chinese celebrations, be it new year, weddings or birthday banquets, so there is the tranquility and modesty of tea, the constant reminder of the wisdom of life beyond the ceremonies, as the banality of tea itself takes the center stage, albeit a brief moment. The ceremony that is practiced today originated from the ming dynasty of china, and is a ritualized process that involves a teapot, a brewing vessel, a tray, and tea. I brew western style tea with 3 grams of tea to 6 ounces of water, while the rough guideline for gongfu style brewing is 1 gram of tea per ounce, about double the amount. The following books are the most popular among beginning and advanced students of the tea ceremony. Many people think that kungfu tea or gong fu cha refers to the acrobatics and gimmicks performed by servers in restaurants when pouring tea from elaborate and longspouted tea. The gongfu tea ceremony, taipei chinese tea room, tea room. Amidst the loud tunes and vulgar colours of chinese celebrations, be it new year, weddings or birthday banquets, so there is the tranquility and modesty of tea, the constant reminder of the wisdom of life beyond the ceremonies, as the banality of tea itself takes the center stage, albeit a brief moment the most important things in life comes in.
According to zhang, contemporary gongfu brewing developed in 1970s taiwan, though its origins are in an 18th century brewing style local to the chaozhou region of china bordering fujian and guangdong. This will take you through the special gongfu style of brewing the leaves, where youll learn about when to let it breathe, for how long and offer tasting notes for when you actually get a. Gong fu is a formal chinese tea ceremony, albeit less so than japanese chanoyu. The vietnamese tea ceremony, also influenced by its chinese counterpart, is only performed during weddings and other religious rituals. This book describes the world and history of the way of tea, explains its utensils and etiquette, and shows why it is a spiritual buddhist discipline, promoting harmony, respect, purity, tranquility, imperfect beauty, and egoless unconditioned lovingkindness. Read chinese tea set to determine capacity you need. The japanese tea ceremony is better known, and was influenced by the chinese tea culture during ancient and medieval times, starting in the 9th century when tea was first introduced to japan from china.
Mar 20, 2020 while many travelers think an old teahouse is an ideal place to have a tea ceremony, the fact is you can experience tea ceremony in english at only special venues. Includes a complete, narrated performance and slide shows on. Gongfu tea study in a tea class settingwhen i was still running retail outlets, tea classes were conducted for users to learn about the nature of tea through infusion studies. Sep 30, 2017 gong fu teacha episode 1 what is gong fu cha tea house ghost. The gongfu brewing chinese tea ceremony process is also very different from the western and japanese styles i. While many travelers think an old teahouse is an ideal place to have a tea ceremony, the fact is you can experience tea ceremony in english at only special venues. The traditional gongfu tea set includes a tea table, a teapot or gaiwan, three small tea cups, a set of tea tools to aid in serving, and a kettle. Of course i have a cup of tea to sip while writing this and while reading it i am on steep number four of some da hong pao and getting a bit tea drunk. This is the first book i read about the tea ceremony, and im glad. In this article we mainly discuss the principles of traditional chinese gongfu brewing. Educational and informative this dvd is a wealth of informaton on the chinese gongfu tea ceremony. It is an aesthetic way of welcoming guests, in which everything is done according to an established order. If the tea tastes bitter, the water may have been too hot or the steeping time was too long. The japanese tea ceremony is a fascinating exploration of one of japans greatest arts and details the importance of the tea ceremonys history and traditions, its historical tea masters and its physical manifestations.
If you enjoyed this article on how to make china tea, you might also like. Tea scholar didi liu demonstrating chinese gong fu tea. The gongfu tea ceremony or kungfu tea ceremony chinese. Chinese tea room perfect cup of tea joinery details kitchen benches tea tray space interiors brewing tea party plates tea ceremony.
Gongfu tea is a traditional way of preparing tea, characterised by multiple infusions of the same tea in a small teapot. Also for those who are not particularly interested in the japanese tea ceremony, these books will give those who have a general interest in the japanese culture lots of fascinating eyeopeners with lots of information on the japanese culture. Tea scholar didi liu demonstrating chinese gong fu tea ceremony. I was especially intrigued by their account of the boston tea party, which was more informative than. Nov 24, 2015 gongfu brewing is a ritualized form of preparing tea that works well with oolongs and puers. In china a tea ceremony is known as gongfu tea and is one of the most important traditions in the chinese tea culture. The process of drinking tea goes back hundreds of years and the gonfu style of. Remember to visit our complete gong fu brewing guide page for stepbystep instructions on serving tea gong fu style, and possibly even surprise friends and family with your own gong fu tea ceremony. Chinesejapanese porcelain gongfu tea set, traditional tea ceremony set with tea can,teapots, teacups, bamboo tea tray and travel bagsred 4.
The chinese new year is almost upon us, as well as one of the oldest rituals that comes with it. Global tea hut archive october 20 issue gongfu tea. The best way to slow down, appreciate the moment and savour a nice cup of tea is to do it through a tea ceremony. Jul 28, 2017 the best way to slow down, appreciate the moment and savour a nice cup of tea is to do it through a tea ceremony. A traditional gongfu tea ceremony shouldnt be confused with chinese wedding tea ceremonies though. Chinese gongfu tea ceremony cha dao tools set utensils six. An oolong tea variety is usually being used for the traditional tea ceremony and sometimes, more rarely, puerh can also be used.
The gongfu tea ceremony, taipei chinese tea room, tea. I got a positive flashback, when i recently watched an episode of the tv game show, on. A yixing tea pot of an appropriate size, of course. The ability that will help enormously in our own life. Gongfu tea ceremony the chinese tea ceremony, or gongfu cha is an ancient style of carefully, methodically drinking tea with a traditional chinese tea set. This was such a success that tea quickly became an integral part of japanese life. For gongfu tea, they are very small and come in pairs. See more ideas about tea cups, tea and drinking tea. Includes a complete, narrated performance and slide shows on tea ceremony history and a stepbystep tutorial. The gongfu tea ceremony or kung fu tea ceremony chinese. Chinese ceramic gongfu tea set service automatic handmade stonemill design porcelain tea pot w6 cups japanese kung fu tea gift for adults men women tea ceremony party home office decor collection. When we drink tea we often unintentionally throw a bag of tea in some boiling water to quickly drink the tea with our breakfast or so.
For gongfu tea, you need something to hold the sea of tea. Much confusion arises due to the western connotations of kung fu. During the subsequent ming dynasty gongfu tea became popular and spread to many areas in china, especially in fujian, guangdong and taiwan. The original term gongfu cha literally means making tea with efforts. Im sure some of you, like me, were curious about the original chaoshan method of gongfu. Tea ceremony, timehonored institution in japan, rooted in the principles of zen buddhism and founded upon the reverence of the beautiful in the daily routine of life. Tanakasan begins by walking you through both the history and evolution of the tea ceremony, which gives the reader a way better understanding of why the ceremony exists at all. The ceremony begins by choosing a tea through sent and color as we learn about its history and preparation. Tea leaps to europe through trade tea reaches europe during the 1600s, with credit being claimed by both the portuguese and the dutch. Your yixing tea pot is halfsubmerged in this sea during the gongfu tea ceremony. Unlike the other types of tea ceremony, gongfustyle of tea drinking requires that the drinkers enjoy the aroma to the fullest before gulping down the ritual brews.
The tea ceremony by seno tanaka goodreads share book. Before we go over the best 5 tea ceremony locations in kyoto, lets learn a little bit about japanese tea ceremony, a. The art of chinese tea the tea ceremony the tea house. The traditional chinese tea ceremony part i rivertea blog. The traditional gongfu tea set includes a tea table, a teapot or gaiwan, three small tea cups, a.
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