International Webinar 2022 - Get to know the beauty of diverse cultures between countries – Part 26

Indonesian academics presented the Gong Fu Tea tradition in an international webinar held with STEKOM University. The gongfu tea ceremony or kung fu tea ceremony, is a type of Chinese tea ceremony, which involves ritual preparation and serving of tea. This may be based on approaches to tea preparation originating from Fujian and the Chaoshan region in eastern Guangdong. This term literally means "making tea with skill". This approach often involves using a smaller brewing vessel and a higher leaf-to-water ratio than western-style brewing. Today, the approach is popularly used by teahouses that carry teas from China, and by tea connoisseurs as a way to maximize the taste of tea choices, especially the more refined ones.


Attention to the quality of tea making has become a classic Chinese tradition. All teas, powdered teas, coarse teas and powdered teas have long coexisted with "imperial-appointed compressed forms." By the late 14th century, a more naturalistic, "loose leaf" form had become a popular household product and by the Ming era, loose tea was in imperial use.


Related tea sets, the teapot and later the gaiwan lid cup, evolved. It is believed that this approach to preparing gongfu tea only started around the 18th century. Some scholars think that it started in Wuyi in Fujian, where the production of oolong tea for export began; others believe that it was the people of Chaozhou in the Chaoshan county of Guangdong who started this particular part of the tea culture.


Oral histories from the 1940s still refer to Gongfu Cha as Chaoshan Gongfu Cha. It is likely that apart from the approach's earliest occurrences, the place where it was first successfully integrated into everyday life was the Chaoshan area. Chaozhou is recognized by some as the capital of gongfu tea.


In essence, what is wanted in Gongfu Cha is a drink that tastes good and satisfies the soul. Tea masters in China and other Asian tea cultures studied over the years to perfect this method. However, method alone will not determine whether a good cup of tea will result. Basically, two things have to be considered: chemistry and temperature.


Water must be considered carefully when performing Gongfu Cha. Water that tastes or smells bad will adversely affect the brewed tea. However, distilled or very soft water should not be used as this form of water lacks minerals, which will negatively affect the taste of the tea and result in an "even" brew. For this reason, most tea connoisseurs will use clean and good local spring water. If natural spring water is not available, bottled spring water will suffice. Even though mineral water with a high content also needs to be avoided. It is said that hard water needs to be filtered even though the mineral content of even very hard water can be dissolved, and no amount of filtering will affect it.


The above material was delivered by a presenter from China in an international webinar held by STEKOM University in collaboration with Universities from Mexico, Ukraine, Ethiopia, China and various other parties. The presenter's name is Xiaobo who comes from China.


This international webinar activity is part of the implementation of STEKOM University's commitment to increase various international activities. This was done in order to realize the vision to become an international-class university. Various international activities carried out by STEKOM University continue from year to year. There are international activities that are sustainable and there are also some international activities that are not sustainable. All types of international activities are accommodated and regulated by the International department of STEKOM University.