What gongfu tea is & is not

Gongfu tea is not a style of tea brewing. It appears to be, and is often referred to as such. This, however, does not account for the manifold variations which arise according to personal taste and temperament. The individual is, ultimately, the most important factor in the art of tea brewing. Kung fu (gong fu), in the context of Kung fu tea, is equally solely referring to the invisible and indivisible power that the tea brewer can direct into the tea broth.

Those who fail to manifest this, or who are playing coy, will say it is simply a certain arrangement of cups, or that it is the use of small tea pot… Such a perspective is what is taken in kungfu circles — be they martial or artistic — as biao main (表面) gong fu — merely superficial skill.