Chinese tea ceremonies — let’s get ready to gongfu cha!

Do you know gongfu cha? A Chinese tea introduction for beginners

You know, before I ever really got into tea, if you asked me about Chinese tea ceremony facts, I wouldn’t know what to tell you.  Likewise, the expression gongfu cha might evoke a comment that no, I didn’t practice martial arts.

Gongfu cha — the Chinese tea ceremony

Gongfu cha, 工夫茶, is a Chinese tea ceremony which ritualizes the preparation and serving of tea.  It might look complicated, but it’s not!  The below Youtube video gives a really good demonstration of the basic gongfu cha Chinese tea ceremony:

You don’t need all of the fancy objects and materials seen in the video to do this, either!  A bowl to catch water and a glass or pitcher to pour the tea into, as well as a teapot and cups are all you need.  The ritualistic aspect of gongfu cha is calming and therapeutic, too.  I find myself looking forward to it while at work during the week!

There are a ton of videos online showing the gongfu cha, as well as other, tea ceremonies.  I’ll go into more detail of this, and other Chinese tea ceremonies (and other nationalities!) — Today was just an introduction to the lovely world of gongfu cha.  Why not give it a try sometime?

And no, no martial art skills are required.