How Does Chaoshan Gongfu Tea Differ From a Long Brew?

Chaoshan Gongfu Tea, from Chaozhou in Guangdong, uses a high tea-to-water ratio and quick successive pours rather than a long brew, and the leaves are normally brewed only three times. The goal is the most intense aroma and flavor in each small cup, and the method is documented in eight steps that cover utensil choice, leaf quantity, and tasting.

Chaozhou sits beside Phoenix Mountain, the birthplace of aromatic Dancong oolong, and its tea ceremony traces back to the Song Dynasty. For comparison, a moka pot takes roughly five minutes on the stove, but the Gongfu method deliberately keeps each infusion short, which pushes extraction intensity up instead of extending contact time.

Chaoshan Gongfu Tea is a shining pearl in Chinese tea culture, originating from Chaozhou, Guangdong, and still preserving an ancient and pure brewing tradition to this day. Unlike the modern Gongfu tea that is popular today, Chaoshan Gongfu Tea emphasizes a high tea-to-water ratio and quick pours, brewing only three times, in pursuit of the most intense aroma and flavor. This article will provide a detailed introduction to the historical origins of Chaoshan Gongfu Tea, the tea-to-water ratio, the selection of tea utensils, and the complete eight-step brewing method, helping you master this traditional skill. Whether you are trying it for the first time or hoping to refine your technique, you will find practical guidance here.

Chaozhou, Guangdong is a charming city with a profound tea culture. Chaozhou is adjacent to Phoenix Mountain, which is the original birthplace of the richly aromatic Dancong Oolong tea. In the higher-altitude mountainous areas, tea trees grow semi-wild, surrounded by fragrant orchards.

China's Gongfu tea ceremony originated in Song Dynasty Chaozhou. To this day, the tea-drinking tradition on this land is still cherished and passed down. In other regions, you may see people adopting various brewing methods, such as large-pot tea or Western-style brewing. However, in Chaozhou, tea drinkers prefer to hold fast to their roots. If you spend enough time with the locals, they will most likely invite you to share Gongfu tea.

What exactly is Chaozhou Gongfu Tea?

Interestingly, the Gongfu tea ceremony that many people participate in today was little known in China just a few decades ago. It blends various tea traditions from China, Taiwan, and even Japan, gradually evolving into modern Gongfu tea. It is said that this form was actually created in Taiwan, when Japanese influence was still significant, and after being refined, it spread back to mainland China, where it continued to flourish and develop.

As mentioned earlier, Chaozhou has always been committed to preserving its ancient tea-drinking traditions. The Gongfu tea ceremony as we know it today may have undergone subtle changes. In Guangdong, people tend to follow the old ways.

Gongfu tea once specifically referred to the Chaozhou people's way of brewing tea. As Gongfu tea spread around the world, this boundary gradually blurred. Today, Chaozhou Gongfu Tea specifically refers to that authentic Gongfu brewing method.

The two characters "Gongfu" mean "to exert every effort." We put in our greatest effort solely to obtain the purest, most delicious, and most fragrant tea.

Today, some people use the Gongfu brewing method for top-quality fine teas, while leaving ordinary or lower-quality teas for quick Western-style brewing. The traditional Chaozhou Gongfu brewing is not like this.

This brewing method is precisely designed to handle lower-quality tea leaves, allowing you to do your utmost and ultimately obtain a delicious cup of tea. Making good tea taste good is far easier than making inferior tea taste good.

Chaozhou Gongfu is a concise brewing method used by the people of Guangdong. It does not have as many steps as the modern Gongfu brewing you are familiar with from videos, articles, and tea ceremonies, and it does not even require many tea utensils.

Chaozhou Gongfu Tea

Steps for brewing Chaozhou Gongfu Tea:

For a first try of Chaozhou tea, we recommend choosing Dancong Oolong, Wuyi Rock Tea, or other similar teas. Tightly rolled oolong or light green teas are usually not very suitable.

Prepare boiling water.

Chaozhou people are famous for using boiling water to brew tea!

The tea-to-water ratio is on the high side.

About 1 gram of tea leaves per 10 milliliters of water. This region is known for tea drinkers who love strong tea!

For this, make sure to use a round teapot or brewing vessel of appropriate size, leaving ample space for the tea leaves to absorb water, expand, and unfurl completely freely. Cramped space will prevent the tea leaves from fully releasing their flavor, because the leaves do not have enough room to spread out and release their contents.

In Chaozhou, most people use Chaozhou teapots. These are unglazed teapots, similar to Yixing zisha pots, but made from local Phoenix Mountain clay rather than Yixing clay. A teapot of 150 to 160 milliliters is ideal.

Fill the teapot with tea leaves.

This is perhaps the most visually demanding step in Chaozhou Gongfu. First, sort the tea leaves, separating the complete large leaves from the broken small ones. Try to fill the walls and spout of the pot with the large leaves, while placing the broken leaves in the center. Let the tea leaves fill about eighty percent of the teapot.

Close the lid tightly and pour boiling water over the exterior of the teapot.

This helps awaken and heat the tea leaves. If the Chaozhou pot or Yixing pot is well made, the water will not seep into the pot, and the tea leaves remain dry.

Some people use a roasting method instead of this step. For this, you need a small charcoal stove that can sit comfortably on the tabletop. The tea leaves need to be roasted for a period of time, until they become warm and quite aromatic. This step is considered key to releasing undesirable astringency. Since most people may not have a charcoal stove on hand, we can pour water over the covered teapot to create a similar oven-like effect.

Fill the brewing vessel with water.

When doing this, try not to pour the boiling water directly onto the center of the tea leaves. Instead, pour the water from the edge of the teapot opening toward the tea leaves in a quick circular motion. Use the lid to skim off the bubbles that are forming.

Discard the first brew, then repeat.

Brew the tea once, then pour it out quickly.

Chaozhou Gongfu pours quickly, with each pour not exceeding 10 seconds. Having a teapot with a spout is important, as it can pour the tea quickly and smoothly, avoiding over-steeping.

Fill the Gongfu cups.

For Chaozhou Gongfu brewing, use 25-milliliter thin-walled Gongfu cups. Make sure to fill each cup to two-thirds. Filling the cups with the scalding hot tea that is the hallmark of this brewing method will allow you to enjoy it without burning yourself.

Note: Traditional Chaozhou brewing rarely uses a fairness pitcher. Instead, the tea master quickly pours the tea into all the cups in sequence, trying to distribute each part of the tea evenly among the cups.

Sip the tea without letting your lips touch the cup.

First, bring the teacup close to your mouth. Then, "suck" the tea from the cup into your mouth. This helps the tea come into contact with air, allowing its full mouthfeel and aroma to emerge. Many Gongfu tea practitioners around the world prefer this method of drinking tea, although it may take some time to get used to. Try both ways of drinking at the same time. Using this "no-lip-touch" method, you may notice more aroma.

Repeat the brewing until you have brewed three times in total. Unlike the Gongfu tea we usually practice, which can be brewed 10 to 15 times, the Chaozhou style brews only three times. After that, the tea leaves are discarded. For each brew, make sure the steeping time is the same.

Gongfu teacups

In the tradition of Chaozhou tea, three teacups are usually placed on the tea table. The three cups form the Chinese character "pin" (品).

In fact, Chaozhou Gongfu is far less elaborate than the modern Gongfu we love today. Simple utensils are used with local tea leaves, but the tea quality is not necessarily always the highest. While many of us regard Gongfu tea as a ceremony, in Chaozhou it is simply a brewing method that makes tea taste better.

Trying Chaozhou tea for the first time, you may find it too bitter. The more you use this brewing method, the more accustomed to it you will become. Chaozhou people usually find other brewing methods too weak and not aromatic enough. After drinking it for a long time, you will find it hard to go back to your previous Gongfu ways!

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.