Choose Chinese Teaware

A beginner setup

A Simple Setup Is Enough

Start with three useful pieces. Together, they cover brewing, pouring, and drinking without making your tea table complicated.

Gaiwan

One versatile vessel for steeping, straining, and pouring most Chinese teas.

Fairness Pitcher

Collects the brewed tea so every cup receives the same strength and flavor.

Teacup

A small cup makes each infusion easy to taste, share, and enjoy while warm.

Brewing basics

How to Brew Tea, KungFu Style

KungFu brewing uses a small vessel, a generous amount of tea leaves, and a series of short infusions. Use these steps as a starting point, then adjust each brew to taste.

01
Warm the Teaware

Fill the gaiwan, fairness pitcher, and teacups with hot water. Let the water warm the vessels for about 10 seconds, then discard it.
02
Measure the Tea Leaves

For a 100 ml brewing vessel, begin with 3–7 g of tea, depending on the tea type. Use a scale at first, as tightly rolled and loosely shaped leaves can look very different by volume.
03
Add Water and Steep

Heat the water to the temperature recommended for your tea, then begin timing as soon as the water touches the leaves. Most first infusions take between 8 and 25 seconds.
04
Pour Completely

Pour the entire infusion into the fairness pitcher, aiming to empty the gaiwan within about 5 seconds. Leaving water with the leaves will cause them to continue steeping between servings.
05
Serve and Brew Again

Divide the tea evenly between the cups, then add water to the same leaves again. Keep the next infusion at a similar length or add 3–5 seconds; once the flavor softens, increase later infusions by 5–10 seconds.

Starting Parameters by Tea Type

Tea type	Tea & water	Water temperature	First infusion
Green Tea	3–4 g / 100 ml	75–85°C	15–20 sec
White Tea	4–5 g / 100 ml	85–90°C	15–25 sec
Yellow Tea	3–4 g / 100 ml	80–85°C	15–20 sec
Oolong Tea	5–7 g / 100 ml	90–100°C	8–15 sec
Black Tea	4–5 g / 100 ml	90–95°C	10–15 sec
Dark Tea	5–7 g / 100 ml	95–100°C	10–15 sec

Rinsing note

Green, yellow, fresh white, and delicate black teas usually do not need rinsing. Tightly rolled oolong and compressed dark tea may be rinsed for 3–5 seconds before the first infusion.