Kung Fu tea is not the name of a type of tea or tea category. It is a tea brewing technique. The reason it is called Kung Fu tea is because this method of brewing tea is extremely sophisticated. It requires a certain level of skill and expertise, both in the brewing process and in the art of tea appreciation. Kung Fu tea originated in the Song Dynasty and was most popular in the Chaozhou Prefecture of Guangdong (now the Chaoshan region) and in Zhangzhou and Quanzhou in Fujian. It is a continuation and further development of tea art since the Tang and Song Dynasties. As Su Zhe wrote in his poem, "The tea in Fujian is of the highest quality, and one can devote oneself to tea without feeling weary."
[Classification of Kung Fu Tea Utensils]
1. Yixing Clay Tea Set
The elegant and exquisite Yixing clay tea set has a unique charm and has a history of 500 years since the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty. The ones produced in Yixing, Jiangsu Province are the most famous.
Yixing clay tea sets are made of a porous material with a dual pore structure. The pores are extremely fine and dense, and they have strong adsorption properties. When used to brew tea, it not only retains the color, aroma, and taste of the tea, but also prevents it from becoming moldy or spoiling. Even after long-term use, pouring boiling water into an empty Yixing teapot will still produce a tea fragrance.
A single Yixing teapot requires dozens of production processes. Of course, as a purely handmade artwork, the price is not cheap. There are Yixing teapots on the market that cost tens of thousands of yuan, while the cheapest Yixing tea sets can be bought for one or two hundred yuan. Consumers can choose according to their own preferences and economic strength.
2. Ceramic Tea Set
The delicate and solid ceramic tea set accounts for a large proportion of tea sets, and it is more popular among ordinary people due to its moderate price. It can be divided into blue ceramic tea sets, fine pottery tea sets, colored pottery tea sets, and so on.
Blue ceramic tea sets have a fine texture and a lustrous glaze. The blue color has a touch of green, resembling ice and jade. Some are like the color of a green peak, while others resemble a lake of spring water. In addition to traditional relief and engraving techniques, the glaze also has delicate and translucent colors.
Fine pottery tea sets are mostly pure white and exquisite. They are new products in the field of ceramics and have the characteristics of both pottery and porcelain. The colors of the fine pottery tea sets are harmonious and pleasing to the eye. Some teapots have been decorated with relief, inlay, gold painting, silk screen printing, and makeup soil, making them shiny and exceptionally exquisite. As for the colored pottery tea sets, they have a thick and vibrant glaze, with rich and pure colors. They are pleasing to the eye and bring endless joy.
Ceramic tea sets are available in sets of one pot and four cups or one pot and six cups, and some even come with a tray. They have good resistance to thermal shock and high impact strength, making them practical. The prices on the market range from tens to hundreds of yuan, suitable for a wide range of people's tastes.
Ceramic tea sets have the characteristics of slow heat transfer and moderate heat preservation. They do not undergo any chemical reactions when in contact with tea, and the tea brewed in them has good color, aroma, and taste. Moreover, these tea sets are generally aesthetically pleasing, exquisitely decorated, and have artistic appreciation value. Especially the Yixing teapots from Yixing are treasures among ceramics. They have an elegant and antique shape, and when used to brew tea, they produce a particularly mellow fragrance and have an exceptionally clear color, without easily acquiring any tea taste even after long-term use.
3. Iron Tea Set
Old iron pots are made from raw iron through a casting process and have a special cultural significance due to the artistic achievements of the creators. The casting process of old iron pots in Japan was different from modern methods. The old iron pots at that time used a dewaxing technique, and after each old iron pot was cast, the mold had to be broken to remove it.
Moreover, the old iron pots were made entirely by hand, so it is impossible to have two identical pots. They have unique shapes and are precious antiques that are hard to come by in a hundred years. They are also water vessels with artistic and practical value. You can use them as daily water boiling utensils for health, or as works of art for appreciation, or as antiques for collection.
4. Artistic Tea Set
With the rise of home decoration, various crafts have become increasingly popular. And novel and unique artistic tea sets have emerged as a result, becoming a consumption hot spot for some people.
As the name suggests, artistic tea sets can be used for brewing tea and are also highly decorative. They are often known for their new, unusual, and distinctive shapes, which stimulate people's imagination. In terms of materials, they can be made of purple clay, pottery, copper, or a combination of several materials, and they are often accompanied by exquisite bases or trays. Placed in a home, they are a great decoration, adding a touch of Oriental artistic taste. Generally speaking, the prices of these tea sets are not too expensive, around a hundred yuan, making them affordable for ordinary working-class families, and they are therefore widely welcomed by consumers.
Drinking Kung Fu tea is one of the famous customs in the Chaoshan region. In Chaoshan, every household has Kung Fu tea sets and drinks several rounds of tea every day. Even Chaoshan people who live abroad or immigrate overseas still adhere to the custom of drinking Kung Fu tea. It can be said that wherever there are Chaoshan people, there is the shadow of Kung Fu tea.
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