Gongfu cha is not a performance. It is a way of brewing that gives you control over each infusion, so you can follow a tea as it opens.
The ratio that matters
Everything else follows from one number: 1 gram of leaf per 15–20 ml of water.
For a 100ml teapot or gaiwan, that is 5–7 grams of leaf. Weigh it the first few times. After that you will know what it looks like.
The vessels
| Vessel | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gaiwan or teapot | Where the leaf steeps |
| Fairness pitcher (chahai) | Equalises the infusion before it reaches the cups |
| Strainer | Catches broken leaf |
| Small cups | Let you taste the tea while it is still hot |
A gaiwan is the most honest vessel to learn in — you can see and smell the leaf the whole way through. A zisha teapot rounds the edges of a tea; porcelain keeps them sharp.
Timing
Start at 10 seconds for the first infusion of a rolled oolong or a ripe puerh, and add 5–10 seconds to each following steep. For yancha and young sheng puerh, start shorter — 5 seconds — and taste as you go.
Water
Filtered water at just off the boil, around 95°C. Green teas are the exception — 80–85°C keeps them from going bitter.
When to stop
A tea is finished when the fifth or sixth infusion tastes flatter than the one before it, not when the pot is empty. Pushing past that point only gives you leaf-water.