Tea Fundamentals I

Discover gong fu cha as a time and effort tea making tradition, including the distinction between gong fu and kung fu, and bamboo-sifted processing and bag beating techniques.

Learn how gong fu brewing uses large tea leaves with minimal water and a suite of vessels—gaiwan, strainer, fairness pitcher, tea tree, and purple clay teapots.

Master tea brewing by applying high water, low tea, and quiet non-center pours, and manage time, temperature, and water-to-tea ratio to optimize flavor and inventory delivery.

Master the gaiwan hold with a top position grip for stability, learn the two-step opening and sliding to control the lid, and practice relaxed pouring.

Learn to brew oolong using a gaiwan, examine dry leaves, and compare aromas and flavors across multiple brews, while understanding water, temperature, and time as key variables.

Explore open vessel brewing for gua pian green tea, including grandpa style, water temperature, and visual leaf tracking to prevent overcooking while delivering multiple fragrant brews.

Explore the six tea categories—green, yellow, white, oolong, red, and black—defined by processing, not oxidation, with signature steps like green tea’s high-heat kill of enzymes and white tea’s long wilting.

Explore green tea fundamentals with Huo Qing, compare green teas, and learn four processing methods: stir-fry cha ching, steam, bake-dry, and sun-dried, and pearl-shaped buds and leaves.

Yellow tea is a micro fermented tea defined by the yellowing step, yielding a smooth, umami flavor. Terroir and location—from Huangshan to Mengding and Xinjiang—shape its distinctive taste and value.

Explore white tea and Bai Mu Dan, focusing on the signature wilting step, sun-drying methods, and how processing time shapes aroma, body, and complexity.

Explore the subcategories of oolong, including yancha (cliff tea), fenghuang (phoenix oolong), and tieguanyin, and learn the regional acronyms Dian and Min for origin labels.

Explore the history and terroir of yancha, including Da Hong Pao and the great red robe story, true cliff area terroir, Guan Yin Rock, and blending cultivars.

Master intentional blending to balance aroma and texture in oolong, using cultivars from genuine terroir, precise roasting, and formulas that distinguish blend for volume from blending with intention.

Explore Dianhong, a red tea from Yunnan, the sweetest fully fermented tea—the West calls it black tea—with floral notes and a high-altitude Yingchang number ten cultivar.

Discover Shou Pu, a black post-fermented tea built from enzymatic and microbial metabolism of first-five category leaves. Explore its earthy, mellow profile and notes, including probiotic debates and cholesterol benefits.