Last month, we were lucky enough to visit the Tea Research Institute in Guilin, West China. We met with tea expert, Nico, who has been studying tea for ten years now and introduced us to the traditional Chinese method of brewing tea: Gong Fu Cha.

Gong Fu Cha translates as something along the lines of ‘tea brewed with skill’. Over thousands of years it has evolved and unlike the more formal Japanese ceremony, everyone does it differently. There are some key points to remember if you want to make really tasty tea though, and we would like to share them with you so that you can make the most of your tea set.

We’re going to use green tea to make our Gong Fu tea.




Before you begin, there are two things to remember:

1. Get the water temperature right. It varies with each tea, but generally when brewing green tea, 80 to 85 degrees is ideal. Stop the kettle before it reaches boiling point, or better yet, use a temperature-controlled kettle.
2. Have your tea set ready. You will need a teapot, a serving cup, small tea cups, and a strainer (optional).