gongfu cha
a tradition over 200 years old, gongfu cha, directly translated from chinese means “making tea with skill.” Often times, gongfu brewing is referred to as the chinese tea ceremony; not to be confused with chado, the japanese tea ceremony. gongfu cha is style of brewing tea which has been carefully crafted to fully appreciate the complexities of camelia sinensis, aka tea.
gongfu cha utensils
Cha jin
“tea towel” - cha-keen
used for cleaning spills during the ceremony. spills are common.
cha chi
“teaspoon” - cha chee
used for handling tea.
chá hé
“tea lotus” - cha who-uh
used for displaying the tea leaves before brewing.
cha pan
“tea tray” - chaban
used as the base for ceremony. catches and holds tea waste.
Gong dao bei
“fairness cup” - gong-dow-bay
used as decanter for tea between steeps. ensures homogenous tea.
Cha lou
“tea strainer” - cha-low
used to strain tea fines.
Wen xiang bei
“scent cup” - when-shyang-bay
used to appreciate the aroma of tea before drinking.
gaiwan
“cup with lid” - guy-wan
used to brew tea.
or
cha hu
“teapot” - cha-who
used to brew tea.
cha guan
“tea caddy” - cha-gwan
used for storing tea.
Shui hu
“water kettle” - shay-who
large water kettle, traditionally clay. any kettle will suffice.
Cha zhui
“tea awl” - cha-jay
used for breaking apart pu’er tea cakes and bricks.
cha chong
“tea pet” - cha-chong
used as decorations atop the chábán (tea tray).
Pin ming bei
“tasting cup” - pinying-bay
used to appreciate the flavor of tea. pairs with Wén xiāng bēi.
Cha Jia
“tea tongs” - cha-zya
used to strain tea fines.
Lou dou
“funnel” - low-doe
used for transfering tea from chá guàn to chá hé (Tea lotus).
Gua Chi
“scraping spoon” - gwa-chee
used to remove spent leaves from chá hú / gàiwǎn.