Chinese Gongfu tea art originated from the tea ceremony of the Tang Dynasty, started in the Ming Dynasty, was formed in the Qing Dynasty, and continues to this day. The tea used in Gongfu tea art is green tea among the six major tea categories, commonly known as oolong tea. The production method of green tea is between that of green tea and black tea. Therefore, green tea has the advantages of both red and green tea. It has the refreshment and fragrance of green tea, as well as the color, fragrance and richness of black tea. If you want to taste green tea, you must have a set of exquisite and exquisite tea art. The following are the twenty steps of Gongfu tea art:
1. Prepare tea sets
Gongfu tea has the "four treasures", namely Mengchen jar, Ruochen cup, jade book, In addition to Chaoshan stoves, there are tea cylinders, tea boats, teaspoons, tea buckets, tea trays, tea towels, tea towel trays, etc.
2. Boiling mountain springs alive:
Lu Yu's "The Book of Tea" says: "On top of mountains, in rivers, and under wells." When making tea, spring water is the top priority. "Living water needs living fire to cook." Living fire refers to the flame of coal. The tea should be boiled twice during brewing. Too tender or too old is not conducive to the development of the color, aroma and taste of the tea.
3. Reward guests with good leaves:
Su Shi, a literary giant in the Song Dynasty, once wrote a biography of tea called "Ye Jia Zhuan", and later Ye Jia was used to refer to tea. Today we invite guests to taste the "Iron Goddess of Mercy" produced in Anxi, Fujian Province. Its appearance is curly and strong, in the shape of a dragonfly head with a green base and a green belly. It is as heavy as iron and as beautiful as Guanyin, so it is called "Iron Goddess of Mercy".
4. Meng Chen Mulin:
Scald and wash the teapot. Meng Chen was a famous purple sand maker in the Ming Dynasty. He was good at making small teapots, known as Meng Gong teapots or Meng Chen jars.
5. Guanyin gets on the sedan:
Use a teaspoon to transfer the Tieguanyin tea from the tea cylinder into the tea lotus (use the tea lotus to measure the tea leaves from the tea cylinder).
6. Oolong entering the palace:
Use a teaspoon to put the Tieguanyin tea in the tea lotus into the teapot. The amount of tea leaves accounts for about 70 to 80% of the pot.
7. The first tilt of the clay pot:
Wash the tea. Pour water into the pot from the inside of the ring mouth and pour it out immediately to remove impurities contained in the tea leaves.
8. High mountains and flowing water:
The hanging pot rushes high. Lift the kettle and pour it down from the higher edge of the pot, so that the water reaches the pot's mouth. When flushing, flush along one side of the pot, not toward the center, to avoid breaking the "tea bladder."
9. The spring breeze is blowing:
Use the pot lid to scrape off the foamy impurities floating on the mouth of the pot, also known as "top scraping". The purpose is to make the tea soup in the pot clearer and cleaner.
10. Rewash the beauty:
Pour the lid and body of the pot with boiling water, also known as "drenching eyebrows", which can clean the appearance of the pot and increase the temperature of the pot. , to ensure the quality of green tea.
11. If Ruochen takes a bath:
Scald and wash the teacup. Ruochen was a famous porcelain maker in the early Qing Dynasty. He was good at making thin porcelain small teacups, so Ruochen was used to refer to teacups.
12. Touring the mountains and rivers:
Hold the pot and rotate the bottom of the pot around the edge of the tea boat to scrape off the water droplets on the bottom of the pot.
13. Guan Gong patrolled the city and Han Xin ordered his troops:
The requirements for pouring Gongfu tea are low, fast, uniform and clean. When pouring tea, keep the spout as close to the teacup as possible to prevent the tea from getting cold, foaming out, or splashing out of the cup unsightly. The tea soup is poured back and forth into the tea cups, which is called "Guan Gong's inspection of the city", and then the remaining tea soup in the pot is evenly dripped into each tea cup, which is called "Han Xin's ordering", so that the amount and concentration of the tea soup in each cup are uniform. ． Serve tea: Serve tea to guests.
14. Three dragons protecting the tripod:
When holding the cup, support the cup with your thumb and index finger, and hold the cup with your middle finger.
15. Smell the fragrance carefully:
The aroma of Tieguanyin tea is rich and long-lasting, and is known as "the fragrance remains after seven brews".
16. Appreciate the soup color:
Tieguanyin tea soup is golden, rich and clear, commonly known as tea oil color.
17. Sip the nectar:
The Tieguanyin tea soup is mellow, rich in flavor, and has a sweet aftertaste. The word "tasting" has three mouths, so drink the tea soup in three mouths. Taste it slowly, swallow it slowly, and smell the lingering fragrance at the bottom of the cup.
18. Drink Lingya again:
Brew and pour the second tea.
19. Appreciate the charm:
Chew the Chinese Yingying, chew slowly, taste carefully, and understand the charm of Tieguanyin.
Weng Huidong said in "Chaozhou Tea Classic. Gongfu Tea": "After sprinkling the tea, each passenger drinks from a cup. The rim of the cup touches the lips, the surface of the cup meets the nose, the fragrance is all present, finish it in one sip, and smell the bottom of the cup three times. The taste is plump, the food is delicious, the fragrance spreads over the teeth and cheeks, and the sweetness soothes the throat and kisses. The gods are as high as the sky, and their thoughts reach this level, and they have mastered the three flavors of Gongfu tea." Drinking Gongfu tea is not to quench your thirst, but to appreciate the taste and temperament of the tea. Savor the taste of tea carefully, smell its fragrance slowly, and enjoy the pleasure of nourishing your soul. Anyone who can taste the charm of Guanyin is worthy of being a tea connoisseur.
20. Thank you for the tea:
Drink up the tea and thank the tea for bringing us a better life. The first course: burn incense to calm the air, boil the sweet spring alive
The Kung Fu tea set burns incense to calm the air, which is to create a peaceful, solemn and extremely warm atmosphere by lighting the incense. I hope this refreshing fragrance can make everyone feel relaxed and happy. I also hope that your heart will be sublimated to an elegant and magical realm along with this long curl of cigarette.
Su Dongpo, a great writer in the Song Dynasty, was a tea master who was proficient in tea ceremony. He summed up the experience of making tea and said: "Living water must be cooked with living fire." To boil sweet springs alive, use a strong fire to boil the mountains in the pot. spring.
Second course: Peacock spreading its tail
Ye Jia treats guests
The peacock spreading its tail is to show its beautiful feathers to its companions. We use the peacock spreading its tail program, introducing the guests to the exquisite Kung Fu tea sets used to make tea today.
"Yejia" is Su Dongpo's laudatory name for tea. Ye Jia rewards guests by asking everyone to appreciate the appearance and shape of oolong tea.
Third course: Da Bin takes a shower and Oolong enters the palace
Da Bin was a master of making purple clay pots in the Ming Dynasty. The purple clay pots he made were amazed by future generations of tea drinkers and regarded them as It is a treasure, so later generations call the precious purple clay teapot the Dabin teapot. Dabin shower involves pouring boiling water over a teapot. Its purpose is to wash the teapot and raise its temperature.
The fourth course: high mountain flowing water, spring breeze blowing on the face
Wuyi tea art emphasizes "high flushing, low pouring tea." The high mountain flowing water is about to raise the boiling kettle, and flush the water into the purple clay pot. The tea leaves in the pot roll with the water waves, which plays the role of washing the tea with boiling water.
"Spring breeze blowing on the face" is to use the pot lid to gently scrape off the white foam on the surface of the tea soup, making the tea soup in the pot clearer and cleaner.
The fifth course: Oolong into the sea, wash the beautiful face again
When drinking Wuyi rock tea, we should pay attention to "the first bubble is the soup, the second bubble is the tea, the third bubble is the essence, and the fourth bubble is the essence." We generally do not drink the tea soup as soon as it is brewed, but pour it directly into the sea of ??tea. Because the tea soup is amber in color and flows from the mouth of the pot to the sea of ??tea, it looks like a dragon entering the sea, so it is called Oolong entering the sea.
"Rewashing Fairy Face" is originally a cliff stone carving on the bank of Jiuqu River in Wuyi, which here means the second flush of water. The second flush requires not only filling the purple clay pot with boiling water, but also pouring boiling water on the outside of the pot after adding the lid. This will warm the inside and outside and is conducive to the dispersion of the tea aroma.
The sixth way: Mother and child feed each other, and then add nectar
When brewing Wuyi rock tea, two pots should be prepared. One purple clay pot is specially used for making tea, which is called "Making pot" or "mother pot"; another pot with the same volume is used to store the brewed tea soup, which is called "sea pot" or sub-pot. In modern times, some people also use "fair cups" instead of sea pots to store tea. The tea brewed in the mother pot is poured into the child pot, which is called "mother and child feeding each other". After the tea in the mother pot is drained and the tea set is clean, the tea is boiled again while the pot is hot, which is called "refilling the nectar".
The seventh way: the auspicious dragon rains, the phoenix nods
Pour the tea soup from the sea pot quickly and evenly into the scent cup, which is called "the auspicious dragon rains" , taking its auspicious meaning of "sweet rain falling".
When there is not much tea soup left in the sea pot, the quick pouring of tea should be changed to pouring at a moment's notice. At this time, the tea master's hand gestures are high and low, and the tea is poured rhythmically, which is vividly called It is called "Phoenix Nod", which symbolizes the salute to the guests.
In the past, some people called this procedure "Guan Gong patrolling the city" and "Han Xin ordering troops", because such explanations are full of swords and swords and are too murderous, which violates the basic value of "harmony" in the tea ceremony. spirit, so we abandon it.
Course 8: Husband and wife are in harmony and the carp is turning over
After filling the cup with tea after smelling the aroma, turn the cup with the dragon on it upside down and cover it with the cup with the phoenix on it. Smell the fragrance on the cup, which is called the harmony of husband and wife, and can also be called "dragon and phoenix presenting auspiciousness".
Turn the closed cup over and call it a "carp turn."
In ancient Chinese myths and legends, a carp can turn into a dragon and ascend to the sky by jumping over the dragon gate. We use this procedure to wish all the guests present a harmonious family and a prosperous career.
The Ninth Way: Holding a Cup to Serve Tea, All Hands Holding the Cup
Holding a cup to serve tea is a tea art. Use both hands to hold the dragon and phoenix cups up to eyebrow height, and then respectfully Pay attention and nod to the first guest on the right and pass the tea to him. After receiving the tea, the guests should not just taste it alone. They should also respectfully nod to the tea master to express their gratitude, and pass the tea to the next guest in sequence according to the tea master's posture, until the tea is passed to the person sitting next to him. The tea ceremony ends with the furthest guest. Then pass the tea in the same order from the left side. By holding cups of tea and passing them from hand to hand, the guests and hosts present can feel closer to each other, feel closer and the atmosphere more harmonious.
The tenth course: Appreciating two colors, enjoying the fragrance
Appreciating two colors means asking the guest to hold the tea cup with the dragon and phoenix pattern steady with his left hand, and slowly hold the tea cup with the right hand to smell the fragrance. Lift it up slowly. At this time, all the hot tea in the aroma cup is poured into the tea cup. As the temperature of the tea cup rises, the oolong pattern made of heat-sensitive ceramics will change from black to colorful. At this time, you should also pay attention to whether the tea soup in the cup is clear and gorgeous amber color.
Hiring the high fragrance is the first of the three smells of Wuyi tea, which means guests are invited to smell the fragrance at the bottom of the cup. The first smell is to smell the purity of the tea aroma to see if it is fragrant and pungent without any peculiar smell.
The eleventh course: Three Dragons Protecting the Ding, First Taste of Wonderful Tea
Three Dragons Protecting the Ding requires guests to hold the cup with their thumb and index finger, and hold the bottom of the cup with their middle finger. Holding the cup is both stable and elegant. The three fingers are like three dragons, and the tea cup is like a tripod, so this cup-holding posture is called the three dragons protecting the tripod.
The first taste of Qiming is the first tea in Wuyi Mountain. Do not swallow the tea soup immediately after entering the mouth. Instead, inhale to make the tea soup roll and flow in the mouth, so that the tea soup fully contacts the base, tip, surface and side of the tongue, so that you can more accurately appreciate the wonderful flavor of tea. . When you first taste Qiming, you mainly need to taste the fire skill level of the tea to see if there is "old fire" or "raw green".
Course 12: Pour Liuxia again and explore Orchid Zhi again
Pouring Liuxia again refers to pouring the second course of tea for the guests.
Fan Zhongyan of the Song Dynasty wrote a poem: "The taste of tea is light and refreshing, and the fragrance of tea is thin orchid." The fragrance of orchids is recognized by the world as the fragrance of kings. The second exploration of orchid is to invite guests to smell the fragrance for the second time, and to compare it carefully to see if the quiet, elegant, sweet, distant and unpredictable fragrance of tea is better than the simple fragrance of orchid.
The 13th way: The second grade is cloudy and fat, and the bottom of the throat is left
The Kung Fu tea set "Yunfu" is the laudatory name for tea by the calligrapher Huang Tingjian of the Song Dynasty. "Second-grade Yunfu" means inviting guests to taste the second tea. The second taste is mainly to taste the tea, to see whether the tea soup is fresh and mellow, or astringent and bland.
Tour No. 14: Three pours of stone milk, which will stir your soul
"Stone milk" is a treasure among the tribute teas from Wuyi Mountain in the Yuan Dynasty, and later generations often use it to represent Wuyi tea. "Three pours of stone milk" means pouring the third cup of tea. "Sweeping the soul" is the third time I smell the fragrance. When sipping Wuyi rock tea, pay attention to the "three breaths" when smelling the aroma. That means not only smelling it with your nose, but also inhaling the tea aroma with your mouth, and then exhaling it through the nose three times in a row. In this way, you can feel the tea aroma with your whole body and distinguish the aroma of the tea leaves more delicately. type characteristics. Tea people call this method of smelling the aroma "stirring the qi and intestines". The third smell is also to identify the persistence of the tea aroma.
The fifteenth course: Han Ying Zui Hua, understanding the rhyme of the rock
"Han Ying Zui Hua" is the third tea course. Yuan Mei, a great talent in the Qing Dynasty, said when drinking Wuyi rock tea: "Taking tea should contain Yingzhuhua and chew it slowly and considerately." The Ying and Hua in it both mean flowers. Hanyingzuihua is like holding a small flower in your mouth when tasting tea, chewing slowly and savoring it carefully. Only in this way can you appreciate the unique "fragrance, clearness, sweetness and vitality of Wuyi Rock Tea". ", extremely beautiful rock rhyme.
The 16th way: The friendship between gentlemen is as clear as water.
The ancients said that "the friendship between gentlemen is as light as water", and the bland taste is just like drinking three strong drinks. After tea, take another sip of boiled water. When drinking this mouthful of boiled water, you must not swallow it hastily but should savor it carefully like a mouthful of water, and then swallow it when you can no longer hold it in your mouth. After swallowing the boiled water, open your mouth and take a breath. At this time, you will definitely feel your mouth full of saliva, sweet aftertaste, and extremely comfortable. Most people will have the feeling that "no tea is better than tea at this time". This procedure reflects a philosophy of life--the ordinary is always true.
Tour 17: Exploring Famous Teas, Playing in the Water
Good Wuyi rock tea will have a lingering fragrance after seven brews, but the true taste of the tea will not be lost after nine brews. Famous tea exploration invites guests to make tea by themselves. Take a look at how many times the tea in the pot can be steeped to maintain the color and aroma of the tea. "Wandering in the water" means putting the brewed tea leaves into a cup of clear water and letting the guests watch the brewed tea leaves. In the jargon, it is called "looking at the bottom of the leaves". Wuyi rock tea is a semi-fermented tea, with the base of the leaves being three parts red and seven parts green. The periphery of the leaves is dark red, and the inside of the leaves is green, which is called "green leaves with red edges." During the tea art performance, because the leaves of oolong tea sway in the clear water like a dragon playing in the water, it is called "Youlong Playing in the Water" "
The 18th course: The host and guest stand up and drink their cups of tea