Gōng Fu Chá 工夫茶 – Skilful Tea

Cháozhōu 潮州 Style

The Cháozhōu 潮州 (or Teochew in a local romanisation) gōng fu chá 功夫茶 brewing tradition originated from the Cháoshàn 潮汕 area in the Guǎngdōng 廣東 province of China, home of the Phoenix Mountain (Fènghuáng shān 鳳凰山) and dān cōng 单枞 oolongs. This several hundred-year-old way of preparing tea was originally developed to make low-grade teas more palatable through skillful brewing. It traditionally relies on locally produced teas (namely dān cōng 单枞) and teapots[1], using only three cups[2] that are arranged to form the character pǐn 品 (taste). This character is said to symbolize in abbreviated form the word pǐndé 品德, which means ‘virtuous character’ or ‘morality’. Three brews are served[3], with the tea being directly poured into the cups in a circular fashion (known as ‘Lord Guān patrols the city’ / Guāngōng xún chéng 關公巡城[4]). The last drops coming from the teapot, which contains the strongest liquor, are then distributed evenly by shaking it downwardly (known as ‘Hán Xìn selects the troops’ / Hán Xìn diǎn bīng 韓信點兵[5]). Once the tea is served and as a sign of respect, the first cup is offered to the oldest guest among the three that are present, with the last one given to the youngest person[6]. When drinking from the cup, tea is traditionally drunk in three sips; the first one to appreciate the aroma and moisten the lips; the second one to appreciate the flavor; the third one to keep a final aftertaste. Nowadays, Cháozhōu 潮州市 style gōng fu chá 功夫茶 expresses itself through a diversity of procedural variations and is used to brew other types of unrolled oolongs such as yán chá 岩茶 (rock tea) from the Wǔyí mountains 武夷山.

• Ideal for: People already familiar with tea or looking to further explore the complexity of rock (yán chá 岩茶) and phoenix oolong teas (dān cōng 单枞)
• Teas shared: Organic, naturally grown, artisan Taiwanese teas, Chinese yán chá 岩茶, dān cōng 单枞 (will be tailored based on the event and availability)
• Number of guests: 2 – 3
• Duration: 45 minutes to 1 hour and a half
• Event type: Private

Notes

[1] The use of gàiwǎns 蓋碗 is also common.

[2] The common theories for the use of three cups are several: the three cups mimic the character pǐn 品 (which means ‘to taste’ and is composed of three ‘mouth’ radicals); they symbolize the trinity of Heaven, Earth and Human; they represent Buddhism and the Triple Gem of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha; they are based on Daoism and The Doctrine of the Trinity (from the Dào Dé Jīng 道德经: “The Dao produced One; One produced Two; Two produced Three; Three produced All things”).

[3] Brews are usually very quick (only a few seconds) depending on the tea and the brewer’s calibration. Therefore, teapots must have a very quick pour in order to prevent the tea from being over-brewed.

[4] Refers to the famous general of the Three Kingdoms (Sānguó shídài 三國時代) period, Guān Yǔ 關羽, making a round around a walled fortress. He was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Liú Bèi 劉備 during the late Eastern Han (Dōnghàn 東漢) dynasty of China. Guān Yǔ played a significant role in the events leading up to the end of the Hàn 漢 dynasty and the establishment of Liú Bèi’s state of Shǔ Hàn 蜀漢 during the Three Kingdoms period.

[5] Hán Xìn 韓信 was a well-known Chinese military general who greatly contributed to the formation of the Hàn 漢 dynasty. He is best remembered as a brilliant military leader for the strategies and tactics he employed in warfare, some of which became the origins of certain Chinese idioms. He was named as one of the Three Heroes of the early Hàn dynasty (Hàn chū sān jié 漢初三傑), along with Zhāng Liáng 張良 and Xiāo Hé 蕭何.

[6] This is called ‘xiān zūn hòu bēi, xiān lǎo hòu yòu 先尊後卑、先老後幼’, which literally means ‘first the respectable [person], then the lower [person] / first the old, then the young’. It is also considered disrespectful to the guests to be served after the host (‘The barbarian host deceives the guests’ / Mán zhǔ qī kè 蠻主欺客).