Why do we need to put a lot of tea leaves in brewing Kung Fu tea? How much tea should be brewed in one brewing?

Kung Fu tea is actually a tea drinking custom, a method of brewing tea, and belongs to the art of tea. Kung Fu tea also has special Kung Fu tea sets. Among them, the most famous is the Kung Fu tea in Chaoshan area. When brewing Kung Fu tea, generally more tea leaves are used. Why is this?

Why do we need to put a lot of tea leaves when brewing Kung Fu tea?

Kung Fu tea generally refers to the method of brewing oolong tea, especially for Chaoshan people or southern Fujian people. Teas like Tieguanyin, Phoenix Dancong, Yongchun Buddha's Hand, Phoenix Narcissus, etc. can all be brewed using the Kung Fu tea method.

In the process of making oolong tea, in order to take into account both the aroma and the shape, the raw materials used are all older tea leaves (except for some high mountain teas in Taiwan). Therefore, during the brewing process, the elements in the tea are not so easy to be released into the tea soup, which makes the taste lacking. Therefore, in order to obtain a tea soup with a better taste in a short time, more tea leaves need to be added. This is one of the reasons.

Secondly, the characteristic of oolong tea is its fragrance. People who like to drink oolong tea love the moment when oolong tea is brewed. When the lid of the bowl or pot is opened or the tea is poured from the mouth of the pot, the fragrance of tea is overflowing, and the whole person feels refreshed and comfortable. Therefore, in order to obtain enough tea fragrance in a short period of time, more tea leaves need to be added, usually about 8 grams.

How much tea is served in one serving of Kung Fu Tea?

The amount of tea used in "Kung Fu Tea" is much greater than other tea brewing methods. Usually, the amount of tea used in Kung Fu Tea is 4 grams for Gongfu black tea, 6 grams for Tieguanyin, and up to 8 grams for Oolong tea (of course, it depends on the size of the brewing utensils). In other brewing methods, the amount of tea used in each cup is generally only 2 to 3 grams, such as Anji white tea and Longjing tea.

The characteristic of Gongfu tea is "good water boils quickly", and the rapid separation of tea and water is the core of Gongfu tea technique. Because it boils quickly, it usually takes less than 30 seconds to drain, so in order to ensure the tea taste, you must increase the amount of tea. People who just learn to make Gongfu tea often ignore this point and think that leaving a little tea in the pot is not a big deal. In fact, if you leave one more drop of water, the taste of the next brew of tea will easily become sour.

What are the special requirements of Chaoshan Kung Fu tea

If you want to make a good pot of Gongfu tea, the real craftsmanship is to pay attention to the fire, and select olive charcoal to burn and boil water. Before making tea, you should first use boiling water to wash the tea set, and then put an appropriate amount of tea leaves. The first brew of tea is not to be drunk, because there are bubbles in the tea, and it is also used to wash away some dirt. After all, the tea is handmade and will be somewhat unclean. It is only after the second brew that it can be drunk.

There are also some particularities in how to brew tea. Pour the tea evenly into three teacups next to each other, and finally pour out all the tea in the cups like Han Xin's soldiers, leaving no water in the tea leaves to avoid spoiling them. The water temperature must also be controlled, 100 degrees is not enough, it must be slightly lower, too low is not good for the color and taste of the tea to be fully reflected.

Specifically speaking, there are many rules and skills. So brewing a pot of Gongfu tea requires a person to pay close attention, do it quietly, and be very careful. A pot of good tea is brewed with good color and fragrance, and it is very noble when used to entertain guests.