Presidents Day!!! TeaDay all day. I hope as you read this you are enjoying a cuppa hot tea. Share today, all day, what is in your cup.
Whether you are new to tea or old to tea, you are welcome to share, in fact, you are expected to share what is in your cup with everyone here. See what everyone else is sipping as well.
Today's TeaDay Poll. I hope I do not confuse everyone with this. If I do, drink more tea and discuss what ever. It is a holiday after all.
Today's topic is not intended to offend the fairer sex, but it has recently seemed to me that gongfu preparation seems to have a difficult time crossing the gender barrier. So, do you gongfu or don't you.
There is no right or wrong answer to this question. But it will be interesting to see if there is a gender bias. In the topic, share with everyone whether you gongfu or not...and anything you would like to add regarding your brewing practices.
Feb 18th, '08, 04:55
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Location: Back in the TeaCave atop Mt. Fuji
Feb 18th, '08, 05:42
Posts: 20891
Joined: Apr 22nd, '06, 20:52
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Location: Back in the TeaCave atop Mt. Fuji
Feb 18th, '08, 09:15
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Feb 18th, '08, 09:21
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Joined: Feb 11th, '08, 07:35
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TexasTea
I'm female and I've heard of gongfu but haven't tried it - YET! I intend to check it out soon, though, when an opportunity arises.
In my cup this morning is a blend called "Mount Everest" from one of my local teashops. It's a blend of Chinese Yunnan and Indian Assam. Strong and bold, a good morning tea...
In my cup this morning is a blend called "Mount Everest" from one of my local teashops. It's a blend of Chinese Yunnan and Indian Assam. Strong and bold, a good morning tea...
BRILLIANT question, Chip. I'm very anxious to see the results!
For those who may be a little confused, 'gongfu' basically denotes a sort of Chinese tea ceremony. There seem to be endless variations on the theme, but they all basically share the brewing of a lot of tea (ie significantly over 2.5 grams) in a little water (usually under 4 oz) for very short intervals (often 30 seconds or less). It's often done with Chinese puerh or oolongs, but any tea can be brewed in a gongfu method, particularly if you're an adventurous American.
Here's a short YouTube video of one varient.
For those who may be a little confused, 'gongfu' basically denotes a sort of Chinese tea ceremony. There seem to be endless variations on the theme, but they all basically share the brewing of a lot of tea (ie significantly over 2.5 grams) in a little water (usually under 4 oz) for very short intervals (often 30 seconds or less). It's often done with Chinese puerh or oolongs, but any tea can be brewed in a gongfu method, particularly if you're an adventurous American.
Here's a short YouTube video of one varient.
Yeah, that was a little confusing. I thought gong-fu just referred to short steeping times. I didn't realize more tea + less water factored into the mix at all. Hence, I picked semi-gongfu.Mary R wrote:BRILLIANT
For those who may be a little confused, 'gongfu' basically denotes a sort of Chinese tea ceremony. There seem to be endless variations on the theme, but they all basically share the brewing of a lot of tea (ie significantly over 2.5 grams) in a little water (usually under 4 oz) for very short intervals (often 30 seconds or less). It's often done with Chinese puerh or oolongs, but any tea can be brewed in a gongfu method, particularly if you're an adventurous American.
Maybe there should be clear definitions of what each one means, especially semi-gongfu. Statistically speaking, it would only be fair.
I'm female, and I only heard about gongfu from reading these forums. My tea experience has been primarily English and herbal up to this point, and I have fond and distant memories of Japanese tea ceremonies from a childhood passion for all things Japanese.
I honestly wasn't aware of the complexities of Chinese tea culture until last week.
My tea interests are primarily herbal, with emphasis on the magical properties of the herbs. I don't see that intersecting with gongfu in a meaningful way.
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.
I honestly wasn't aware of the complexities of Chinese tea culture until last week.
My tea interests are primarily herbal, with emphasis on the magical properties of the herbs. I don't see that intersecting with gongfu in a meaningful way.
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.
Well, it is really hard to give a textbook definition of gongfu in terms of "you use a 100 ml yixing pot, 6 grams of oolong, water at 190ºf, etc" because it is sort of an art form and there are so many different ways to go about it. You can use a gaiwan, you can use a small yixing pot...you can use sipping cups, you can use cup sets with an aroma cup and a sipping cup... There are bajillions of variations in terms of the basic stuff you use and how you steep.
But gongfu does have the basic things I listed before in common.
Semi-gongfu (or 'wrongfu' if you're feeling funny) is even more ambiguous. You might, for instance, use a gaiwan or yixing, but use brewing parameters more like the English method (little leaves, lots of time). You might even use the gongfu parameters, but pay little attention to any thing resembling a ceremony. (Gongfu, whatever the varient, always seems to have an emphasis on form and aesthetic appeal...forgot to mention that.)
That's sort of lame...but it's the best I can do for short 'definitions' at the moment.
But gongfu does have the basic things I listed before in common.
Semi-gongfu (or 'wrongfu' if you're feeling funny) is even more ambiguous. You might, for instance, use a gaiwan or yixing, but use brewing parameters more like the English method (little leaves, lots of time). You might even use the gongfu parameters, but pay little attention to any thing resembling a ceremony. (Gongfu, whatever the varient, always seems to have an emphasis on form and aesthetic appeal...forgot to mention that.)
That's sort of lame...but it's the best I can do for short 'definitions' at the moment.
This morning, I had genmaicha from Den's $3 green tea starter sample. I'm not enjoying it as much as last night's sencha. It seems thicker, fuller and more grassier. We may order some sencha from Harney & Sons.
I have not yet tried gongfu style, but am eager to learn more about both Chinese and Japanese tea traditions and ceremonies.
I have not yet tried gongfu style, but am eager to learn more about both Chinese and Japanese tea traditions and ceremonies.
Feb 18th, '08, 10:31
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caradrake