How to Brew Tea With Skill and Meowgic
Hello hoomans! Things have been hectic as of late and I struggled to keep up, but now I'm finally back to the blog... and yes, the moment has come! After teasing you with an introduction to gong-fu cha, boring you with a list of all the tools, inspiring you with the charming tea mascots and boring you some more with tea processing, I am finally going to teach you how to use the gong-fu method for brewing tea. I have also decided to add a page, the grimoire, where I will collect this and all my series to make them easier to read in order.
And now, with maintenance out of the way, let's get brewing!
The most important thing you need for gong-fu tea is time: the whole point of the method is to enjoy the best your blend has to offer, so make sure you have at least a half hour to spare, ideally longer. You can do things like reading or knitting, but you'll be refilling the pot often and the risk of spillage is high... I just like to sit with my own thoughts, or maybe listen to an audiobook or podcast.
Choose the tea you want to brew, as it will potentially affect the tools you use, then gather all materials and place them nicely on the table. Your setup doesn't need to be Instagram-worthy, so please don't waste the whole afternoon on it, but I would at least make sure that your table is not dirty or cluttered. You will be sitting and looking at it for a while, the last thing you want is to get annoyed at yourself thinking about how untidy you are.
First, pour some boiling water into all vessels, including the cups, to warm them up and get them ready. Then place the tea leaves into the gaiwan. The exact quantity to use depends on your personal taste for that specific blend, and you will figure it out by doing, although when you're trying a tea for the first time it's usually better to err on the side of it being too bland rather than too bitter. In any case, we're talking about half a tablespoon for pearls and 1-2 tablespoon for big loose leaves. I put the emphasis on the tablespoon because if you are used to western-style brewing it may sound like a huge quantity, but trust me: the brewing time will be proportionally shorter. If you don't do the "grandma method of measuring"1, this site has some neat charts you can consult.
Now, the tea needs to be rinsed. Why? First, because it prepares the leaves and makes the flavour more available, as some sort of "warm up". Second, if the leaves are tightly rolled, it begins to loosen them up so they can actually steep. Finally, it removes any unwanted extraneous particles and remnants, which is particularly important for fermented teas and pu-erh (in fact, those should be rinsed at least twice). To do the rinse, simply pour water at the correct temperature over the leaves, filling the gaiwan to the top, and then discard the water immediately... by giving your tea pet a nice warm shower. This is the most important "offering" to it, and kinda the whole reason why tea pets are a thing. If you don't have a gong-fu tray with drainage, simply sit your mascot in a heat-resistant bowl.
After the rinse, you can start actually drinking your tea. Infusion times depend on the type of tea and the size of the leaves, with smaller leaves needing much shorter time. Assuming that you have whole, big (2-3 cm, 1 inch) leaves, brew black teas and oolong for 12 seconds, and green and white teas for 15. Pour the infusion into the cha hai or a small pitcher to mix it evenly.
But Dr Glowcat, you say, the gaiwan has no handle... how do I hold it? Well, yes, this is a bit tricky, and it will unfortunately take a while before you grow asbestos paws... here is my technique:
- to begin with, fill the gaiwan only to about 2/3, so that the brim is not in contact with the boiling water.
- when ready to pour, shift the lid a bit to the side to create an opening.
- hold onto the brim with your thumb and middle finger, while keeping the lid in place with the index. Your fingers should point towards the opening. Hold tight and be fast, so that you are done pouring before the gaiwan gets too hot to handle. Don't use a towel to protect your fingers, as it is guaranteed to slip. If there is any leftover tea that doesn't fit in the cup, give it to the tea mascot. The gaiwan should be empty of water and have its lid open in between brews, so that the tea leaves don't go on cooking.
Now enjoy the first brew! It will take just a minute or two for it to cool down enough, because the cups are so small. That's also why you don't want to be doing something else at the same time: all it takes is a moment of distraction and your tea is suddenly tepid and blah.
When you've drank your cup, you can proceed to the subsequent brews. You will notice how the flavour changes and evolves from one to the next: some notes will wane quickly and others will grow stronger, in an ever-different mix that you just can't experience when you're brewing all at once for a few minutes, like we are used to do. The instructions for all brews are the same, except that you should shave off a couple of seconds each time, until you hit brew five. After that, most teas will start to feel spent. If you want to keep brewing, you can gradually increase the water temperature, or reduce the timing even more. That said, most teas won't get far past brew five. The exception, as usual, are pu-erh teas, which can often be infused up to twelve or fifteen (15!!!) times. I once went to a conference with just one mini-cake of ripe pu-erh in my tea bottle and brewed it over and over for the full two days of the event, and it was still good at the end of the trip, when I decided I needed to wash the flask anyway.
When you decide you are done, it is time for cleanup. Throw away the spent leaves. Rinse the gaiwan and cha hai with only warm water if they are made of glass or porcelain, but if they are clay just leave them to dry and absorb the tea oils. Same thing with the tea pet. Cups are the only thing I was with soap, because I'm squeamish about saliva. Rinse the tray too, if you have one, or simply spread the tea uniformly and let it stain the wood. I hope you had a good time.
... but where is the meowgic part?
As I said in the intro, gong-fu cha is not a meowgic ritual per se, it just lends itself really well to it. Which means that the meowgic part can be wherever you want, and wherever you need it to be!
I realize, however, that this may not sound very useful if you're just starting out, so here are some ways I do it myself.
The tea mascot is there for you! I mean, this is the simplest way of using the magic of this moment. As I mentioned in the dedicated pawst, tea mascots bring good fortune to the owner, but each of them also has more specific blessings to share. Therefore, you can just pick a tea mascot that aligns with your goal, and spend your drinking time meditating on how are you going to get there and what will your life look like once you do.
Enchanted Tea. The various types of teas have their own meowgical powers and that can be enough, or you can combine them with other herbs or flower to meet your needs. A few examples: use rose petals for love, beauty and keeping secrets; mint for mental clarity; orange peel for prosperity... just make sure that they will taste good together, since you have to drink it. And for the love of everything floofy, ONLY USE EDIBLE STUFF IN YOUR TEA!!! Seriously, log off TikTok already. Just because something is natural it doesn't mean it cannot harm you.2
Full-fledged Spells. Of course, you can build from the basic procedure of gong-fu brewing to turn it into a more complicated spell. Carve your wish onto a candle and sit with your tea until the candle is completely burned. Dip a brush into the tea and paint sigils on a piece of paper or your own skin. Recite and incantation or mantra at every brew. Let the spent leaves dry at the end and use them in a jar or sachet. Your imagination is the limit...
Well, that does it for today! I'll for sure return to the topic every now or then, since tea is one of my favourite things in the world (did I not mention it???). Stay safe and happy sipping!