The first drink sleekly moistened my lips and throat;
The second banished all my loneliness;
The third expelled the dullness from my mind,
Inducing inspirations born from all the books I’ve read;
The fourth broke me out in a light perspiration,
Disbursing a lifetime’s troubles through my pores.
The fifth drink bathed every atom of my being.
The sixth lifted me higher to kinship with Immortals.
The seventh is the utmost I can drink -
A light breeze jets out from under my arms and
Master Jade Spring is who rides upon this breeze
To some place where Immortals come down to earth,
Guarded by their divinity, of course, from wind and rain.

- Lu Tong, (Master Jade Spring)
Taoist recluse and “tea fanatic”
upon tasting cakes of Imperial tea.

Steps of The Chinese Gongfu Tea Ceremony

1. Arrange the Tea Utensils and the Teapot
The utensils used in the Gung Fu Ceremony are one of the pleasures of preparing tea in this manner. Enjoy their simplicity and beauty. Utensils at this point include your traditional Yixing teapot, a decanter, a tea scoop, tea poker, tea boat, tea towel, and of course TEA.

2. Warm the Teapot and the Cups.
Using filtered or bottled water, heat the water to just below boiling for oolong, (180 for green teas).
Pour the hot water in the teapot and swish it around, allow it to sit for a moment, and then pour it over the tasting cups. Pour all the water away.

3. Put in the Leaves and Smell the Aroma
Gung Fu preparation relies upon a much stronger infusion for a much shorter time than we are normally accostomed to. The pot should be filled about 1/4 full with the oolong leaf, enough so that when the leaf is fully unfurled, they will fill the pot without forcing off the lid. (Less tea is used if doing it for green tea).
Place the lid on the tea and let it sit for a moment, then smell the aroma of the dry leaf. Pass the pot if you like.

4. Wash the Leaves and Smell the Aroma
Pour hot water over the leaves, allowing the water to run across the top of the pot. Take five deep breaths, and then pour the water out into the decanter. Resting the pot on the tea towel, deeply inhale the aroma of the freshly washed leaves. Pass the teapot and allow others to smell the scent.
Place the lid back on the pot and pour the decanted liquid over the closed pot. This will help develop the teapot’s patina over time, a desirable quality.

5. Brew the First Infusion
Pour the hot water over the tea and allow it to run over the sides of the pot. Quickly place the lid on the pot and allow to steep for about one minute.

6. Decant into the Decanter and Pour into the Aroma Cups
Decant the tea into the decanter. This assures that all the cups of tea will be of the same strength. (When not using a decanter then line all cups up and pour them half full in one direction, then go the other direction to top them off.) Pour the tea into the aroma cup, if you are using one. Then each person can smell the delicate aroma from the aroma cup. Each person pours the tea then into the drinking cup. The act of pouring the tea cools it slightly to the perfect temperature for savoring the complex flavors of the tea.

7. Repeat the above step as many times as your tea will allow.
You will know when the tea is done, because the infusion will begin to taste either insipid, or bitter. A good oolong tea can be steeped up to 8 times!

8. Clean the Utensils
When the ceremony is finished, use the stick to remove the leaves. Carefully wipe all the teaware. Never use soap on the Yixing pot, but rinse it well and dry it carefully. Each utensil must be carefully wiped and put away.