kungfu tea
Gongfu tea is popular in Chaoshan area of Guangdong Province. Generally, it is advisable for three people to drink congou tea. It is more elegant to choose a small pottery pot and a glazed white porcelain teacup made in Yixing. This teacup is only the size of a silver dollar, just like a small wine glass. Put oolong tea and water in a small pottery pot (jar) and cook it on a small charcoal stove or a small alcohol stove. After the tea is cooked, pick up the teapot and make a circular motion on the three porcelain cups in the shape of finished product (commonly known locally as "Guan Gong Touring the City") to fill each small cup in turn. At this time, you can pick up the small teacup with overflowing fragrance and taste it slowly. When drinking tea, you can't fill one cup and pour another, but pour it back and forth in turn according to the number of cups. Therefore, in addition to brewing congou, it takes time to drink tea.
Gongfu tea originated in the Song Dynasty, and it is the most popular in Chaoshan area of Guangdong Province. It is the inheritance and in-depth development of tea tasting art since the Tang and Song Dynasties, and now it has become the representative of Chinese tea art. Su Zhe has a poem saying, "Tea in Fujian is of the highest quality in the world, so I don't know how to devote myself to tea." It takes a certain amount of time to operate congou, which is for the knowledge of brewing and the kung fu of drinking. The word "time" should be sought among water, fire and punching. Both water and fire pay attention to a movable type, and living water and fire are the keys to cooking tea. "The Book of Tea" said: "Mountains and rivers are the top, rivers are the middle, and wells are the bottom." At that time, there was no running water, so Lu Yu naturally didn't discuss it. It is a common sense that running water is not suitable for making tea. However, in places like Hong Kong, when water is made with one click, people are very surprised, and "self-help" is not enough. What is the use without running water? The Book of Tea also said: "The spring at the top of the mountain is light and clear, the spring at the foot of the mountain is heavy and turbid, the spring in the stone is clear and sweet, the spring in the sand is clear, the spring in the soil is rich, the mobile person is good, the negative one wins, the mountain cuts the spring few, the mountain shows the spring god, and the stream is tasteless." This has been paid little attention to. As for water, there are differences between Tian Quan, Tianshui, Autumn Rain, Plum Rain, Dew and Knocking on Ice, all of which belong to the exquisite scope, but these exquisite things are actually difficult to achieve. For example, Miaoyu in A Dream of Red Mansions grimaces the snow water on the plum calyx to make tea, and only she can have this leisure. My generation is like a time.
The key to cooking tea is, "water is often sought first, and fire is not behind." Su Dongpo's poem says: "Living water still needs to be cooked by living fire". Living fire means that charcoal has a flame, and its potential is fierce. Chaoshan people use "ground charcoal" to make tea. "Ground charcoal" is a very strong tree. After burning charcoal, it is absolutely smokeless and smelly, and it is the best fuel. There is also a black olive core as charcoal, which is light blue in flame and even in flame, which is even more special.
Tasting congou tea is one of the most famous customs in Chaoshan, Guangdong Province. In Chaoshan, every household has time to drink tea sets and must drink several rounds every day. Even the Minnan people and Chaoshan people who live in other places or emigrate overseas still keep the custom of tasting congou tea. It can be said that where there are Chaoshan people, there is the shadow of congou.
Gongfu tea is famous for its high concentration. At first, it seems bitter, but after getting used to it, other teas are not good enough. Oolong tea is often used to drink congou, such as Lingtou Dan Cong, Baiye Dancong and Fenghuang Dan Cong. Oolong tea is between red tea and green tea, and it is semi-fermented. Only this kind of tea can produce the color and fragrance required by Kung Fu tea.
Lingtou Dan Cong and Baiye Dancong are both produced in Lingtou Village, Raoping County, Chaozhou City. The tea soup is bright yellow, golden yellow, oily in honey color, excellent in honey fragrance, sweet and moist in tea, lasting in sweetness, and so on. It is known as the White Leaf Fairy. It was once a special tea for foreign guests in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. It is the most distinctive representative of Chaoshan congou tea.
Phoenix single cluster is produced in Fenghuang Mountain area of Chaozhou. The color of tea soup is slightly brown, the tea strips are tight and the leaves are thick. It is very resistant to brewing and can be brewed for about 20 times. It can be divided into sweet-scented osmanthus, jasmine, honey and other flavors, and it is one of the representatives of Chaoshan congou tea after Lingtou dancong tea.
