Oy, Monday again, but wait, it is a holiday and TeaDay!!!!

[Ladytiger]

by Ladytiger » Feb 18th, '08, 12:31

On my second steep of peach oolong with some sugar.

[Mil]

by Mil » Feb 18th, '08, 12:35

I'm female and I don't gongfu. (Is gongfu a verb? And is it one word or two? These are the things I worry about. )

I hesitate to say this, as this is the Internet and it might accidentally come off as rude, but... I am supremely uninterested in tea ceremony of any sort. I got serious about drinking tea because I needed a moderately healthy replacement for milk in my diet, and bagged tea just wasn't doing it for me, taste-wise. I want my tea with a minimum of fuss, time commitment, and dirty dishes.

Gongfu sounds interesting and all. It's just that I'm fundamentally too lazy to bother. *ducks*

[Wesli]

by Wesli » Feb 18th, '08, 12:40

Super tired = matcha + sencha

[Mil]

by Mil » Feb 18th, '08, 13:02

Thanks for the description, Mocha. I'll have to try your method this summer when I'm craving iced tea.

[Victoria]

by Victoria » Feb 18th, '08, 13:21

I don't do gongfu style because I like having a very large cup or mug that I can then enjoy and relax over. We are talking 12-14 ozs at a time. But I am learning the proper technique - thanks to those here who have helped and are patient with me. I still need the proper equipment. I can see myself doing this on the weekend when I have more time. At work it would be near impossible.

In my cup this morning one of my new Hou De oolongs: 2006 Winter Li-Shan
Very lovely. The leaves are just simply amazing.

[olivierco]

by olivierco » Feb 18th, '08, 13:27

Here's a short YouTube video of one varient.

"La dégustation pour le débutant en 8 volumes" is the best video I have seen so far of "serious but not ceremonial" gong fu cha. Full of useful advices!

Here is a link for the first part In French only

[Pentox]

by Pentox » Feb 18th, '08, 13:41

Oh man, guys are getting trounced.

So far this morning:

Ei Ayatsuyu

The day has just begun.

[Chip]

by Chip » Feb 18th, '08, 13:50

Yutaka Midori sencha from Kagoshima prefecture is in my cup.

Please have fun with the poll today and discussing the topic. Many of us are here to learn as well as fellowship.

I somehow knew this poll would get a little confusing. If you do not know what gongfu is, you likely do not practice it in your TeaPrep. It is ok if you do not know...and if you want to learn, there are a lot of TeaChatters here who can help you. There are also many topics on TeaChat related to this practice.

The point of this poll is to get a feel on the subject along the lines of gender.

I, for many teas practice a semi gongfu preparation. I do prepare gongfu style, just not really strictly speaking. So, I voted for semi.

[bananarchysplit]

by bananarchysplit » Feb 18th, '08, 15:19

I am off on a slight tangent with my enjoyment of flavored white teas, after finding out that I can get a flavorful cup of tea after discarding the first caffeine-filled steeping. Drinking Adagio White Peach as I write this.

Isn't it wonderful? I have always shied away from anything but ti sanes due to to the caffeine content but found this out and am excited!

[bananarchysplit]

by bananarchysplit » Feb 18th, '08, 15:22

I hesitate to say this, as this is the Internet and it might accidentally come off as rude, but... I am supremely uninterested in tea ceremony of any sort. I got serious about drinking tea because I needed a moderately healthy replacement for milk in my diet, and bagged tea just wasn't doing it for me, taste-wise. I want my tea with a minimum of fuss, time commitment, and dirty dishes.

Gongfu sounds interesting and all. It's just that I'm fundamentally too lazy to bother. *ducks*

Don't duck I am right there with you

[Mary R]

by Mary R » Feb 18th, '08, 15:26

Gongfu sounds interesting and all. It's just that I'm fundamentally too lazy to bother. *ducks*

Don't duck I am right there with you

Me too! Honestly, the only time I do gong fu is when I'm doing a formal tasting session with a new tea. It really does focus you on the tea and its specific tastes and less on the "aw crap, I've got a load of laundry in the dryer" aspects of life. I occasionally do a semi-gongfu method when I'm reading or writing, but I generally just throw some leaves in a brew basket or my tetsubin and go.

In today's cup: Kuki-Matcha from Rishi.

Last edited by Mary R on Feb 18th, '08, 15:34, edited 2 times in total.

[Salsero]

by Salsero » Feb 18th, '08, 15:27

... I am supremely uninterested in tea ceremony of any sort... Gongfu sounds interesting and all. It's just that I'm fundamentally too lazy to bother. *ducks*

Mil,
This is a supremely sensible approach to the issue and no one here looks down on you for just wanting to get on with your tea. My impression in life is that women tend to be a little more sensible about such things and men tend to go off the deep end if they are not watched carefully.

As today's poll indicates, there are a great many sensible women that frequent TeaChat and small number of men who are obviously NOT being watched closely enough.

Clearly, Mary R is an exception to the rule about sensible women as she knows way too much about gong fu. To her excellent notes above I would add a couple things:

Gong fu implies the use of a gaiwan or a yixing style pot

Unlike the Japanese ceremony, Chinese gong fu is quite informal and the center of attention is the tea, not the ceremony. In fact, while it is often called a "ceremony" it's really more a style of brewing.

For those who wish to explore the deeper water, Kam at Funalliance has some nice material and instruction on gong fu, which he calls The Serious Methods vs The Casual Methods.

http://chineseteas101.com/brewingmethod.htm

In my cup, Yunnan pure golden tips from a mug (I don't generally get wiggy with gong fu until later in the day.)

[tenuki]

by tenuki » Feb 18th, '08, 15:28

no tea yet today, maybe some coffee going on...

[Mary R]

by Mary R » Feb 18th, '08, 15:35

My impression in life is that women tend to be a little more sensible about such things and men tend to go off the deep end if they are not watched carefully.

Hrm...there might be something to that. When blokes launch themselves into a project they really have a passion for, they really go full kilter until said project is mastered. Sometimes that's to the exclusion of everything else. I'm not saying women don't do that too--heaven's knows I do it often enough--but it seems that after marriage and children come along, it's the women that step up and make sure the other stuff gets done too.

'Course, that could just be my own limited experience. I was raised by a stay at home mom in a very traditional setting. I washed the dishes and vacuumed the floors. My brothers occasionally mowed the lawn in between basketball pick up games. If Mom or I didn't manage the house, no one would have been able to find clean socks.

[Salsero]

by Salsero » Feb 18th, '08, 15:46

. . . they really go full kilter until said project is mastered. . .

Or--more traditionally--completely botched up. This is not something you can explain by environmental factors, it is a gene. Actually, I think they have isolated which gene it is and named it the Chevy Chase gene.