When it comes to gongfu tea, many people think of gongfu black tea or Chaozhou-style gongfu tea, but few know why it is called gongfu tea. Is it because the variety of the tea leaves is named gongfu? Let's talk about what gongfu tea really is.
Generally speaking, gongfu refers to the time and effort spent on something, as well as the meticulousness and refinement involved, or the skill and expertise attained in a particular field.
Black Tea Gongfu Tea
In the category of black teas, gongfu tea is a type of refined black tea. It is named gongfu tea (or gongfu black tea) due to the extremely meticulous processing during both preliminary and final production stages.
In the Qing Dynasty, gongfu tea referred to black tea and some Wuyi oolong teas. The monk Chaoquan, who lived as a commoner after the fall of the Ming Dynasty, became a monk in Mount Wuyi in the thirtieth year of the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty and developed an affinity for Wuyi tea. In his poem “The Song of Wuyi Tea,” he writes, “It smells like plum blossoms and orchids, and its fragrance is achieved through careful baking. The teapot is placed over a gently heated stove, and the tea is made with leisurely yet deft gongfu.” This suggests that the excellent teas of Mount Wuyi were made through “meticulous gongfu.” Here, “gongfu” clearly means strength and time, and later came to refer to high-quality tea made with great effort.
Liu Zhi, who served as magistrate of Chong'an County in Fujian Province during the tenth year of the Yongzheng era, wrote in his collection “A Moment of Leisure” that there are two main types of rock tea: the highest grade is known as old bush small-leaf, followed by small-leaf, small-leaf gongfu, gongfu, gongfu flower tea, and floral aroma… This indicates that over 200 years ago, “gongfu” was used to name certain teas and denoted relatively precious varieties.
The contemporary tea master Wu Jue'ao, in his edited work “Selections from Local Gazetteers on Tea Materials in China,” also mentions that both Wuyi rock tea and black tea have varieties known as gongfu tea.
After the Republic of China period, rock teas no longer bore the term “gongfu.” Instead, “gongfu tea” exclusively referred to black tea. For example, Chen Zongmao, in his edited work “China Tea Book: Black Tea Chapter,” classifies black tea into three categories: small-leaf black tea, gongfu black tea, and broken black tea. Among these, gongfu black teas include Fujian gongfu, Qimen gongfu, Yihong gongfu, and Dianhong gongfu, among others.
Chaozhou Gongfu Tea
Here, gongfu tea refers to a technique of brewing tea. It is called gongfu tea because this method of brewing is highly meticulous and requires a significant amount of time, effort, and skill. This gongfu encompasses the art of brewing and the skill of tasting. The custom of drinking gongfu tea is particularly renowned in the Minnan and Chaoshan regions.
The earliest written record of gongfu tea drinking dates back to the “Customs” chapter of the “Longxi County Annals” from the 27th year of the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty. It states, “The tea custom of Ling Mountain Temple is highly valued; recently, Wuyi tea is purchased from afar, arriving within five days. Upon arrival, a tea competition is held, using a Dabin teapot, Ruochen cups, and Dazhuang stoves. A Guanxi palm leaf fan is used, and the tea is stored in a long bamboo basket. When brewing tea, water is fundamental, with fire control as an auxiliary factor. Water from the Sanjia River is considered the best, followed by water from Hui Spring. Even in remote mountainous areas, many people indulge in this practice, spending thousands of dollars annually on tea.” This short passage closely mirrors the gongfu tea practices of Minnan and Eastern Guangdong, covering aspects such as tea leaves, teaware, water selection, and fire control.
The method of brewing gongfu tea is a tea-drinking custom passed down through the folk, serving as both a tea art and a folk custom. It is a tea culture that integrates elements of spirit, etiquette, brewing techniques, and more.