Tuesday, TeaDay to you 8/05/08 Gongfu/gender bias?

[Grubby]

I semi-gongfu a lot - not for black tea though

Often i will do it with green or white tea, and do all the infusions in a row and just mix them.

[Terrasi]

No gong-fuing here.

I did practice kung fu for a while. I was pretty good at it. I could never do one of those flying jump kicks though.

[chamekke]

No gongfu yet, unless you count what I was up to yesterday with the grinning gaiwan-houhin hybrid

Oh yes, I've been tempted to get the gear, double-X chromosome notwithstanding. But setting aside the expense of buying a new set of tea toys, there's the issue of storage space in our wee apartment. It's bad enough doing Japanese tea ceremony. Too much of our "spare" space is already taken up with those bits and bobs.

Sigh. I need a place for my stuff.

In my cup: some Taiwanese high-mountain Oo!

[Scarlet Glow]

I do Gong fu occasionally, but mostly when I have guests over for tea

You have guests over for tea? I am so jealous! I want guests!

None of my peers drink tea so I do my gong fu-ing alone. I don't do it for any special reason, just whenever I feel like making time for it.

[Riene]

I brew Western style myself- ~4 min for Black tea at 'Western" concentrations.

Same here, for the most part. I have tried the gong fu method--no doubt doing it wrong fu--with my oolongs, but so far it's difficult. As Aphroditea says, this style requires time, space, concentration. Between family, work, travel, those aren't in plentiful supply.

Back home from my trip now and looking forward to decent tea. Also on a dial-up connection for a week, in-between ISP contracts. Bah.

[Angela Justice]

Great topic Chip. I liked yesterday's too.

Gong fu means great skill. Because it takes great skill to make good tea!

Gong fu is exactly the same as kung fu...it's a different transliteration from Chinese to English. Many people who know their kung fu enjoy gong fu too. Speak up if you are out there!

Traditionally gong fu refers to preparing oolong teas ...particularly for tea competitions. It also typically refers to the use of preparing generous quantities of leaf in a yixing teapot (aka gong fu teapot), with correct temp water, in carefully timed infusions. In Guangdong most of the farmers and tea masters I met used Gong fu preperation to refer to process of making in yixing and serving in small tasting cups. Preparing tea in a gaiwan is more often referred to as gong fu preperation in the United States than China.

I have a collection of yixing pots devoted to different oolongs. Shui Xians are a particular favorite. For newbies and those new to oolongs shui xian means water immortal and refers to twisted leaf, medium to dark roasted oolongs from the Phoenix Mountain area of China. I included a picture of me next to one of the original tea plants on the mountain which is over 600 years old!

[Dr. Eel]

i love gongfu, i think it really brings out the art in tea. i gongfu with almost all of my chinese teas except most greens, which i like to glass brew.

there will definitely be a gongfu puerh session later today for me

[Salsero]

... shui xian means water immortal and refers to twisted leaf, medium to dark roasted oolongs from the Phoenix Mountain area of China.

I have heard that the Shui Xian varietal originated in the Phoenix Mountains in Guangdong and certainly some Shui Xian leaf still comes from there, but isn't Shui Xian nowadays mostly associated with the Wuyi Mountain region in North Fujian and considered a yan cha tea? The Guangdong examples I have had are generally presented as exceptions to the rule, and generally not as heavily roasted.

Or have I gotten it wrong again somewhere along the way?

[Geekgirl]

I love gongfu, semi-gongfu, western style, gaiwan...

Cup is the qingbai "singing cup" from Stephane, pot is an el cheapo from Mr YSLLC (I love it,) tea is Iron Goddess King from NCTG. Yummy. The little pot is just stuffed with leaves.

[henley]

Female who doesn't gongfu. I've tried it once at home w/the pu & another time at a tea tasting I attended. It's a lot of work for a small amount of tea. Maybe one day but for now, I'm happy w/my Western style methods.

This was great! However, haven't you heard that famous saying that the pen is mightier than the keyboard...




Golden Monkey w/bfast & second infusion for lunch.

[auggy]

Semi-semi-gong-fu here. I use a bit more leaf (maybe a gram or so more) and shorten the steep time (the lower end of the recommended range or 30 seconds or so less), but that's as gong-fu-y is I think I'm going to get.

Lovely pictures today. Geekgirl, yours makes me want to just reach out and take a sip.

[Geekgirl]

Nice keyboards guys. Great reflection in the tea Salsero, I love it. I haven't had a lot of success with tea reflections in my photos. I've tried, but all I get are lots of shots of FAIL.

[Pentox]

I gong fu rarely. I pretty much do it for guests, when serving a gongfu warranting tea (i.e. something chinese/taiwanese, I won't do it for indian or Japanese teas).

[Pentox]

Great topic Chip. I liked yesterday's too.

I love the pose. It just says, I'm off on the other side of the world from where I normally live, standing next to a 600 year old tea plant. No biggie. Just chillin.

[Katrina]

Semi gongfu girl here. With two kids, getting tea at all is a minor miracle and gong fu is just too time consuming most of the time. That being said, on the weekends, I am really beginning to love this style of brewing. And I'm beginning to have a hard time enjoying oolongs any other way.

NO TEA YET TODAY. EEK!