Clay tea pot brewing

Clay tea pots are used in what's known as "Gong Fu" tea brewing, which refers to a process that is done carefully over time. Indeed, the art of brewing with a clay tea pot takes time to master. True connoisseurs will "raise" a pot brewing only one kind of tea. After years of drinking one tea from one pot, it's said that plain water can be poured into the pot, and poured out tasting like that tea.

This is the ideal method for enjoying the best oolong tea and Chinese pu erh tea. It is also sometimes used for brewing loose black tea.

Below are instructions for a formal tea ceremony using a clay tea pot. When brewing a casual cup at home, feel free to alter the steps to suit your needs.

	1. Prepare the equipment: clay pot, serving cup, mesh filter (resting inside the serving cup), tea cups, tea tray, tea holder, and tea ceremony tool set.
	2. Pour boiling water into the tea pot. Fill the pot up completely, so when you put on the lid excess water will cascade over the sides, warming the outside as well.
	3. Pour the boiling water out of the pot into the serving cup.
	4. From the serving cup, pour the hot water into all of the tea cups. This process serves to warm and rinse the whole set.
	5. Pour the water from the tea cups out into the tea tray.
	6. Using the tea spoon from the tea ceremony tool set, pull the leaves from the tea holder into the clay pot so that they fall evenly on the bottom. Fill the pot nearly halfway with leaves, adjusting for your own taste preferences.
	7. Pour hot water over the leaves. In ceremonies, water is poured using the "three nods of the phoenix" motion, rhythmically raising and lowering the pot three times as water flows into the glass. This will help disperse the leaves evenly in the water.
	8. Use the lid to gently brush off bubbles that rise to the surface, and then cover the pot.
	9. Quickly pour this water out into the serving cup. The first brew is a rinsing, not for drinking. Do not pour this tea out yet, it will be used in step 11.
	10. Pour water over the leaves again using the same “three nods of the phoenix” method described in step 7.
	11. Pour the rinsing brew of tea from the serving cup over the clay pot. This is done to create a more even temperature on both the inside and the outside, and is a technique used for “raising” a tea pot to make it more appealing over time.
	12. Pour the tea from the pot through the filter into the serving cup. Because the last tea out of the pot will be thicker, a serving cup, rather than direct pouring into the tea cups, is used to ensure evenness of flavor. The first brew should last 20 seconds, adding 15 seconds to subsequent brews.
	13. Pour the tea form the serving cup into the tea cups, and enjoy your perfectly brewed gong fu tea!