How to Brew Chinese Tea the Right Way

How do you make tea? Chances are you’ve been doing it wrong.
For many people in China, brewing tea is a ritual akin to meditation. And there is a proper ceremony called gongfu cha.
Gongfu means skill, and cha means tea. It’s a form of Chinese tea service that dates back to the 14th century in Fujian. It places emphasis on the tea’s taste, temperature, and quality.
In this video, we’ll run you through how to do the tea ceremony correctly.
If you liked this video, we have more stories about Chinese culture, including,
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• How to Make Green and ...
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#china #tea #gongfucha
Producer and Videographer: Clarissa Wei
Animator: Annie Hall
Editor and Mastering: Joel Roche
Music: Audio Network

[@Goldthread]

Hi folks! We have 3 tea sets to give away to the most liked comments! The tea sets are travel-friendly and pack into a neat carrying case. You get a gaiwan, two tea cups, and a little holder for tea leaves (the small brown container you see in the video to the left). Like it? We'll look at the 3 most-liked comments on midnight April 8, EST. 🍵

[@mylifeisazn]

Is this comments for KZbin or Facebook or both?

[@mylifeisazn]

@Victoria Ho Ooh okay yay!

[@teresaames7902]

Goldthread won’t you pour from high to low and circle at bottom?

[@cookbook800]

I’m so excited..... I received my amazing tea set. I can’t wait to use it! Thank you so much! 🥰

[@dawnnadir]

It's Kung Fu cha not Going Fu!

[@anderspedersen7488]

A friend of mine gifted me a jar of expensive tea he brought home from a business trip to China. I wouldn’t dare start brewing without knowing the hows and whys.

[@user-gy5rv3sr5w]

Same! That’s why I’m here

[@kennyc5212]

This is a great educational video. Not only educational but also shows our Chinese culture. Great job.

[@mememachine2777]

I don't see the grilled dogs anywhere

[@kennyc5212]

Don’t hate the Asians BLM 😂

[@dehuaipeng3791]

meme machine So did your girl friend cheat with a Chinese？ Maybe thats what make you feel so angry with Chinese.

[@karlchen9745]

@@mememachine2777overused insult, please be more original next time 😪

[@leafster1337]

@@karlchen9745 it’s usually funny to me now because i always wonder what dog taste like. different breeds with different textures, flavors, richness...different ages and sexes for different fleshes...the different organs...what flavors compliments which cuts, breeds, ages, sexes, cooking methods best. just like any other meat! i want to know out of curiosity, but at the same time it feels cruel, but not much more cruel than what we usually do to other animals, right? so maybe in the end it’s all right if we accept the status quo...

[@tofuking]

One of the main reasons for the gongdao cup is so that the tea can sit in it without being over-steeped when you're not pouring out the whole teapot's/gaiwan's worth of tea!

[@rookiewong8688]

Thnak you for sharing about Tea ! We are Craftedleaf Tea from Hong Kong. Please feel free to visit us at www.craftedleaf-tea.com/

[@mylifeisazn]

"No tea bags, and no flower-infused blends please. The leaves in tea bags are inferior in quality..." I definitely agree but I just love how bluntly and matter-of-factly she says it haha. Loose-leaf all the way! Also this is perfect timing during all the quarantining - I've been wanting to learn to make boba better, and that definitely starts with the tea!

[@mylifeisazn]

Victoria Ho ahhh yay!!

[@rainbowgalaxy1668]

not even whole piece leaves or filtrated green tea commodities...

[@marchowe1629]

It's what you do when you're insecure.

[@Moonsapphire419]

Loose-leaf team for life

[@emcee7670]

Have spent more than seven years in China. I have never, not once, seen a Chinese person there use a tea bag.

[@Sonia-fr1vp]

When i was China i was able to see some professionals doing it, they were wearing chinese traditional hanfu and they had many things on the table it was really a beautiful experience! I loved it and i even tasted it

[@joeltan4960]

This is how my dad brew his favourite tea (Oolong). He learned this from his dad, then he thought me how to do it. Now i'm passing this tradition to my son. Thank you for posting this.

[@hananokuni2580]

The leaf crumbs found in tea bags are much like the leaf for _konacha_ (粉茶) produced in Japan. _Konacha_ is made from the crumbs that are left behind during tea leaf processing. The crumbs left behind from the processing of high-quality green tea leaf, whether _sencha_ (煎茶) or _gyokuro_ (玉露), provide an inexpensive way to enjoy the flavor of high-quality leaf. In Japanese sushi bars, the green tea provided is usually made from _konacha_ and sometimes sushi establishment owners pay high prices for crumbs from the best green tea leaf. Since the small particle size means large surface area, the flavor is released very quickly. Thus, the best way to brew tea from leaf crumbs is to put some in a fine-mesh strainer (a couple of grams) and pour very hot water through the strainer and into a coffee mug or other drinking vessel. Let cool a bit and enjoy. It is possible to repeat once or twice before discarding the wet leaf crumbs.

[@fireinthesun2408]

My Chinese flatmate gave me some tea as I’m English we exchanged to try the difference. I opened it a few you days later and I thought it was a bag of weed lol. Thank you for this!

[@sevenmillionhobbies7840]

Welp.... this is going to be another new obsession with me. It went from colored pencils to fountain pens, to tea brewing. I think my body is trying to tell me that I need to meditate 🤔

[@almojabanas9296]

Oh I think that I'm the same as you or even more extreme😭

[@andret5302]

You will go crazy seeing the variety of portable tea sets for travel in China online stores.

[@clee89]

Tea has been a great comfort for me recently (especially recently). Even beyond the taste and depth, I love the ritual of it that forces you to make time and take a breather. I know for others, coffee does the same thing. But for me? Loose leaf tea. Always.

[@rookiewong8688]

Thnak you for sharing about Tea ! We are Craftedleaf Tea from Hong Kong. Please feel free to visit us at www.craftedleaf-tea.com/

[@raffisandoval9103]

I'm with you on that, it's a great practice

[@kc5115]

Meanwhile all I do is toss loose leaf into a tea cup and just keep adding hot water all day.

[@bary450]

it's called grandpa style brewing, also good :)

[@Weeping-Angel]

Same

[@elisel8828]

Chinese tea culture is so rich and complicated, I have been wanting to learn it for years. Thank you for sharing

[@addictionsucks8848]

My slow transition to becoming Iroh has greatly benefited from your teaching. I sincerely appreciate your lesson. Thank you

[@rizutolionhard5460]

Uncle iroh would be happy seeing this

[@mynameiskailyn]

The gongdoa cup isn't super necessary especially if you're serving tea to a group, hence why its often exclude in travel sets and sometimes actual nice sets. Its mostly there so you dont have the tea over steep since some people don't like their teas too dark, or if you have guests who drink tea kinda fast so you have some ready. I'm not sure if its my region specific but after someone pours you a cup of tea you tap the table twice as a thank you. I actually have the teacups for that geiwei, its so cool since it looks like theres holes in the cups but there arent.

[@emcee7670]

True you can skip the pitcher. Makes it a bit easier though. The double tap is used in Beijing, and of course I take it with me wherever I go. Not sure I really notice it's presence or lack either one. For me it's automatic.

[@dyscea]

I’ve heard of this, but never seen it. Makes more sense now.

[@nemochi]

as a tea newbie, I needed this

[@junie136]

Love this! Very educational!

[@innapinch7112]

A friend of mine gifted me with a bunch of aged green and white teas a few years ago. I'm finally going to try one tonight, using this method. I don't know much about it, but it's a white tea from 2010.

[@Yratharn]

Flamboyantly done 🍵

[@KathleensBasicsVideos]

This is life saving ! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

[@martinjohnson4405]

I couldn't agree more with you regarding teabags. Once one has tasted good Chinese teas, drinking tea from a teabag is akin to someone who likes gourmet coffee drinking instant coffee. I do have to admit, however, that on a hot, steamy summer afternoon I enjoy a cup of Jasmine tea.

[@hewhodoes8073]

It's worth noting that this isn't the only way people brew tea in China, nor is it the oldest or most popular. It was originally a regional style from Chaosan. There are many different ways to brew tea in china.

[@justinwuwuwu]

Great video! I've been brewing coffee at home and now looking into brewing tea. Also yay for repping our culture!

[@rookiewong8688]

Thnak you for sharing about Tea ! We are Craftedleaf Tea from Hong Kong. Please feel free to visit us at www.craftedleaf-tea.com/

[@78deathface]

Perfect. Thank you!

[@jackdearden9451]

Nice video, short enough, concise, clear and helpful. Well done.

[@Eiroth]

Very informative video! Just four infusions is selling it short though, with a high ratio of leaves to water you can easily go beyond six. I've often had brews that last beyond 12 infusions, although that depends on a multitude of factors (type of tea, temperature, brew time, amount of tea, how much you like the leaf, how much you feel like drinking, etc.)

[@maudcannon2395]

Now I understand everything, thank you!

[@kaputamas2824]

Love the music in the background :)

[@kylin3197]

ooooh that's why the bubble tea chain is called Kungfu Tea...looks so fun, I shall try sometime!

[@lindatisue733]

Thanks for the video. Let's rid the world of the scourge of tea bags. Rare to find a cafe with proper tea in Sweden or the US.

[@johnchavez2521]

Love this! Thank you

[@brit4858]

Great video! it hits the mark

[@haku_68]

There is a yellow tea i tried in china, yinzhen(银针) The more you brew, the sweeter it gets

[@casparnigell5510]

Love how you "lift up the pinky"! 😀

[@dryoutube]

As a doctor, I drink loose leaf tea at work all the time with my flask - I find the later brews I make are stronger.

[@matthijsvanwijhe864]

Always brew gongfu! Its sooo much more delicious guys trust me its incomparable!

[@christianspain3015]

This video is excellent.

[@moldveien1515]

Ok so a small correction, black tea is not fermented, neither is wu/oolong they are oxodized, pu erh I would not call pu erh its own type of tea, rather saying hei cha, or dark tea, pu erh is just the most popular (to the extreme that most people who like tea know about pu erh but not hei cha) hei cha including pu erh are fermented, oxidasion and fermentation are very diffrent chemical processes.

[@weilandong5640]

I brought my German friend very expensive tea from China. After he saw the dry tea leaves, he literally said he won’t drink it because it seems like dead dry fish...

[@EroticOnion23]

xD

[@rs-tarxvfz]

Or dried frogs.

[@randommemesweekly4417]

bruh...

[@fredwangleboy1490]

huh, such politeness, I would take everything back for that comment

[@ns2859]

You should not buy expensive tea to a beginner, try with loose flavored tea of good quality, then you can introduce him to natural tea (the last stage is pu er).

[@eminemma]

Really great content! It made me miss my time in Maokong!

[@rookiewong8688]

Thnak you for sharing about Tea ! We are Craftedleaf Tea from Hong Kong. Please feel free to visit us at www.craftedleaf-tea.com/

[@chineduokonkwo5777]

Gonna try Chinese tea tonight.

[@tornado649]

Great video!!

[@fcfdroid]

Cool!

[@julia7810]

I got a Lipton tea bag ad after watching this 😅😂

[@xiolinorchdork]

Omg I've been waiting for this video 😍

[@ncc2022]

Great video! 🙂

[@fyiqin4154]

haha，i own the all six kinds of teas. Drinking tea everyday～

[@fcfdroid]

I actually imported black gold tea leaves from Yunnan sourcing in China so I'm excited to do this but I don't have all this equipment 😢 is it okay to cold brew the leaves after the wash? Or are these only warm water leaves?

[@emcee7670]

Not bad. I was prepared (based on the title) for this to be all wrong, but... Spot on. Save for maybe the bit about the number of steeps.... Generally we're doing 8-12 steeps. I'm wondering if perhaps this is a function of using more tea leaves. We don't measure the tea (when in China with friends) by weight). I'll have to try using 5g in a gaiwan and then see how much we typically use in one of our small yixing or porcelain pots. But yes, excellent presentation. Q: where was the video with the two people shot? That looks like the interior of an old style of buildings I encountered in rural NE Jiangxi.

[@OLDMANTEA]

I always drink the first round. The hints of dust and impurities add to the flavor profile.

[@straightouttacomicbook]

Thank you

[@nickhaley6797]

Tea with Erping has a good video on Chinese tea

[@sundaystef]

great video thanks

[@tinahuttner7280]

So if you want the tea to have a stronger taste though, is there a bigger size brewer to use more leaves?

[@tigresshp4302]

Omg this is my favourite. Please make more videos about tea. sadly ..So hard to get good quality of tea.. Mostly I get more twig than tea leaves

[@rookiewong8688]

Thnak you for sharing about Tea ! We are Craftedleaf Tea from Hong Kong. Please feel free to visit us at www.craftedleaf-tea.com/

[@OLDMANTEA]

Getting someone to sell you top quality tea is harder than you think lol…

[@alfcnz]

Thank you, very well made. Can you please add the information (grams, volume, time for different teas) in the video description?

[@rookiewong8688]

Thnak you for sharing about Tea ! We are Craftedleaf Tea from Hong Kong. Please feel free to visit us at www.craftedleaf-tea.com/

[@nikolaimestserjakov2502]

different teas also require different water temperature of water. green/white tea is 85-80 degrees Celsius

[@cookbook800]

WOW......what a very informative video! I would like to try this. I loved how they drank from a "tea cup", but for me it looked like a shallow dish. So much fun! 🍵

[@cookbook800]

Victoria Ho, oh my gosh...... I’m so excited! Thank you so much for this opportunity and chance to win, you’ve definitely made my day! 🥰

[@cookbook800]

Victoria Ho......... Email sent. Thanks so much!

[@raffisandoval9103]

Congratulations on starting your gong fu journey

[@WTKACE]

It's great ....but I do have few concern about this method : 1) since repeated brew is needed for this kind of method, does it means we need a temperature control kettle to ensure that each brew will be consistent? 2) Since there are numerous brew count for 1 tea, which count that will produce the best cup of tea? Does it mean other count just produce average tea quality? Is there a way to brew in one big pot without having to brew so many time? So that we can have a consistent quality of tea in one pot for everyone to enjoy instead of having different strength of tea throughout the prose's

[@iamnotfooled]

Nice!

[@TurkeyDart]

Amazing video

[@superdave292]

Very good. 👍

[@RoyFJ65]

Whats the recommended temperature for oolong as opposed to jasmine?

[@EffectsAffects]

Instead of using whole leaves and brewing multiple times with small servings each, is it possible to crush the leaves and brew a single larger batch?

[@lordrobert12]

I love China!!❤️❤️❤️

[@dawnnadir]

Sorry, this is in Hong Kong.

[@dewitubeX1]

oh wow so the first water is to wash the tea. okay no wonder i tasted the tea to be rough all the time at first. thank you for this tips.

[@DavidASmith-vt5ds]

Thank you, had to re-watch to understand some of the cups; I did have a question is and I did look it up - is ok if you want a more direct way to drink it with the water and leaves toghether? Is this is in-polite to do? Just wandering, Thanks.

[@Goldthread]

I think if you're drinking it alone, it's okay, but the reason for the tiny cups and leaves being separate is that you want to be able to slurp it to aerate the tea, similar to the way you'd taste wine. This allows you to taste all the additional layers in the tea. :)

[@journal_and_otherthings2177]

My dad's business business partner always gift us tea leaves. And i don’t know how to prepare tea like this. But i thought i should prepare it like a regular tea and i have been doing this wrong 🙂🙂🙂 i realised after watching your video thank you for a nice video regarding the traditional tea brewing process. But i have a question it is if I'm done drinking tea then the rest tea leaves will go waste. I hate to waste anything..... So is there any other way i can reuse those leaves besides brewing?

[@JoeJTSJoe]

I always forget to pour at the right distance from me, and to ensure lid pointing to me.

[@rookiewong8688]

Thnak you for sharing about Tea ! We are Craftedleaf Tea from Hong Kong. Please feel free to visit us at www.craftedleaf-tea.com/

[@abkenm.5693]

Awesome, but wait what? "Up to 4 times"??? I do always 6-12 infusions. I recommend 6 for baozhong (but you can always push it further just to see if it has more to give), 8-10 for high mountain oolongs, 8-12 for most of the oolongs, at least 10 for Gui Fei or roasted, or more oxidated oolongs. I'd say that up to 12 for oolongs. I've tried up to 18, but for 99% of the oolongs I recommend between 6 and 12 infusions and for aged oolongs up to 14. Just steep your tea as many times as possible, if it becomes too watery or becomes smelly (sulfur notes) discard it and write down the count of infusions on the tea package or in a spreadsheet. This way you will know how many times you should resteep every tea

[@juniorleit478]

Gracias por el subtitulo al español.

[@giulia8407]

This is very informational. Thank you! I was wondering what to do with the leaves after brewing. Can they be reused or should be disposed? How to store them if so?

[@emcee7670]

After you've steeped several times, the leaves are done. Compost or discard.

[@haruzanfuucha]

Now that you have a done a video on the gongfu cha ceremony, how about doing one about the ancient dian cha ceremony?

[@rookiewong8688]

Thnak you for sharing about Tea ! We are Craftedleaf Tea from Hong Kong. Please feel free to visit us at www.craftedleaf-tea.com/

[@japanesecinema6736]

I love drinking from gaiwan.

[@zoomermcboomer4771]

Uncle Iroh is the only guy I take tea advice from.

[@Funcakes20]

You're supposed to throw out the first cup after steeping for about 10-20 seconds (醒茶).

[@stefanleo8963]

China is huuuuuuuge, this is only the southern way, might even be partially since as a northerner I know there're certain differences in northern ways too.

[@NUTMEGhead13]

Can someone find a link to that beautiful kettle? And can someone paste a link for some good tea ☕️ I need to be pointed in the right direction

[@rookiewong8688]

Thnak you for sharing about Tea ! We are Craftedleaf Tea from Hong Kong. Please feel free to visit us at www.craftedleaf-tea.com/

[@nikolaimestserjakov2502]

try Yunnan Sourcing

[@rahxeira]

Loose leaf is best!

[@adarsxaborah]

Chah❤

[@russianteahistory]

Chinese tea is walking around the world. People no longer have enough low quality tea in their tea bags. :0)

[@vincentmei5735]

This lind of tea is much better than coffee

[@grantwalter2243]

1:47 well I guess I have to go find another video to tell me how to brew water

[@theartofmat7931]

Nice video! Now where's the Yixing and Puerh!?

[@magno5157]

yum cha

[@ahhhlvin]

What's the purpose of the gongdao cup?

[@dearclarissa]

2:01 It's to portion out the tea. It provides a more seamless serving experience, as opposed to just portioning out with a teacup or gaiwan...which may yield inconsistent brews as you pour into the tea cups.

[@tofuking]

​@@dearclarissa One of the main reasons is so that the tea can sit in the gongdao cup without being over-steeped when you're not pouring out the whole teapot's/gaiwan's worth of tea!

[@rookiewong8688]

Thnak you for sharing about Tea ! We are Craftedleaf Tea from Hong Kong. Please feel free to visit us at www.craftedleaf-tea.com/

[@tyler23burt]

I love that teapot where can I get

[@rookiewong8688]

Thnak you for sharing about Tea ! We are Craftedleaf Tea from Hong Kong. Please feel free to visit us at www.craftedleaf-tea.com/

[@atorsionx9406]

It looks to be an electric kettle. They're rare in the US, no idea why. Try Amazon.

[@tyler23burt]

@@rookiewong8688 thank you 😊

[@tyler23burt]

@@atorsionx9406 thank you 😊

[@emcee7670]

@@atorsionx9406 Amazon has many electric kettles, not all created equal: pay attention to ratings.

[@drhtum]

What is the volume of the gaiwan?

[@f1111v]

I say 150ml.

[@hermanchow1405]

Brew a cup of tea is 30 minutes hard work , I am gratefully appreciated the invention of tea bags !

[@Eiroth]

It honestly doesn't take that long. The steeping time is much shorter, so you can start drinking faster if you're quick.

[@nikolaimestserjakov2502]

@@Eiroth Absolutely

[@saintofchelseathomascarlyl5713]

i love the start 'this is how most people make tea' but is it? i wonder if most people really use teabags or not in china probably not and maybe otjer countries in the east the know the better way probably hard to get the right numbers

[@ricco3]

I’m just wondering how much of the Chinese Tea leaves I need for 3 cups of water?

[@emcee7670]

It depends on the tea and how you're brewing it. That much water won't fit in a gaiwan. So you're talking about a teapot, and the amount will vary based on the kind of tea.

[@lukaautard2422]

If you are using a teapot do you still rinse?

[@emcee7670]

Yes,

[@irahdykeabueva4615]

Ahhh, The Jasmine Dragon

[@rainbowgalaxy1668]

😍

[@yumetime159]

Where can I buy some proper Chinese tea in the U.S?

[@emcee7670]

Many sources, depending on what you want. If you want organic and Fair Trade, Little Red Cup. If you want a wide variety of pu'ers, Yunnan Sourcing. Harney and Arbor both have some excellent Chinese teas.

[@diawalodge35]

The text is not on the screen long enough to look at that and the video at the same time

[@joroh22]

Been drinking tea like this for years and only now learned that there is yellow tea

[@user-wt2yy8nx7s]

😍👍

[@quynhanhtrannguyen135]

I think it's best not to drink tea while wearing make up, especially lipstick. the hot water will melt the lipstick and that can affect the taste

[@craigkeller]

I’m a guy so, not a problem!