New Tea Treasures

Here are some of my newly collected tea treasures.  The little brown (yixing) teapot came from China, along with the utensils.  The tea boat (the tray) came from New Century Tea Gallery in Seattle.  These implements are part of the Gong Fu (Chinese/Taiwanese) style of brewing tea.  In this approach, you use a high ratio of tea leaf to water, you brew in a small pot, and you serve in tiny little cups.  The idea is to do multiple infusions, adjusting each brewing to show the tea at its best.  It's a wonderful way to brew and serve tea, and I hope you can experience it.

The utensils above include tweezers for handling the cups, a tea scoop, a flat-headed device for managing the wet leaves in the pot, a pick for getting leaves out of filers and spouts, and a funnel.  The wood is called "chicken feather" wood in Chinese.

Here are the little cups used with this style of tea.  They'll hold abuot 3 small sips of tea.

Have you enjoyed the Gong Fu style of tea?  It's becoming more accessible in the US and if you're in Portland, you can partake at the Chinese Classical Garden.