What is Gong Fu Style?

In speaking to a friend about my desire to make a tea blog, I was reminded that not everyone knows what the gong fu style of tea preparation involves.  I thought I would offer my take on the matter to clarify.

Gong fu style, put simply, is a method of brewing loose-leaf teas with a high leaf to water ratio, much higher than many people are traditionally accustomed to, and brewing many consecutive, shorter steeps of the same tea.  The intention is to bring out characteristics of the tea which may not be apparent when it is brewed in a different fashion, and to also offer the drinker a means by which to observe how the tea changes as the steeps progress.

This is traditionally performed inside a device called a gaiwan, or in an unglazed earthenware pot, such as a yixing clay teapot.

 Gaiwan with my morning tea inside

If you have a look at Wikipedia, you will find an extremely elaborate description of what the gong fu 'tea ceremony' entails.  Most of what is described is ultimately unnecessary for practical tea drinking.  From speaking to my friends from China and Taiwan, I have learned that gong fu is not a ceremony, but rather simply the tea preparation style which I have described. 

There are numerous methods for brewing and enjoying tea, and gong fu is simply one of these methods.  No method is inherently better than another, I simply have come to appreciate this particular method, and it has become the method I use most often.  Gaiwans are very inexpensive, and can be found in tea shops, for those who are interested in trying this method of brewing tea.