Gongfu fundamentals — three-session workshop

What you get

• a personal gaiwan and tasting cup set to keep

• a detailed brewing guide covering all six tea categories

• three guided sessions with direct feedback on your technique

• comparative tasting of Bái Háo Yín Zhēn (白毫银针), Tiě Guān Yīn (铁观音), and a young shēng (生) pu’er

• a final self-led brewing assessment with master evaluation

• access to the tea.community discussion group for ongoing Q&A

• priority booking for advanced workshops on tea.events

From uncertain pour to confident infusion

The workshop unfolds over three evenings, each building a single layer of gongfu technique until the whole becomes second nature.

Session one begins with stillness — the weight of an empty gaiwan in your palm, the sound of the lid settling on the bowl. Chen Hui Yi demonstrates the first pour using a 2023 Bái Háo Yín Zhēn from Fuding. The dry needles carry a cool, hay-like sweetness. She pours water at 82°C, not boiling, and the leaves soften without scalding. The infusion tinges pale champagne; the mouthfeel is silky and round, with a faint honeydew finish. Each student repeats the motion while the master adjusts grip and angle. By the end of the ninety-minute practice, everyone has poured at least ten infusions and begun to sense how water temperature shapes the quietest teas.

The second evening turns to timing. Zhou Xiang sets three trays — a tightly rolled Tiě Guān Yīn from Anxi, a loose-leaf qí lán (奇兰) oolong from Wuyi, and a 2020 shēng pu’er cake from Menghai. He brews each with identical parameters except for steep time. The Tiě Guān Yīn blossoms in ten seconds, its orchid fragrance filling the room, while the shēng requires a bolder first flash to wake the compressed leaves. Students taste the same tea after five, ten, and fifteen seconds, learning how a few heartbeats can tip a cup from bright citrus to over-steeped bitterness. Wet leaf aroma — roasted grains, stone fruit, damp earth — becomes a map of the tea’s personality, not just an afternote. Instructors walk between the tables, adjusting timers and reminding students to listen as much as they watch.

Session three is a quiet climax. The room is set with six porcelain gaiwans, each holding a different tea category: a Lóng Jǐng (龙井) green, a Jūn Shān Yín Zhēn (君山银针) yellow, Bái Mǔ Dān (白牡丹) white, a Taiwanese-style twisted oolong, a zhèng shān xiǎo zhǒng (正山小种) black, and the now-familiar shēng pu’er. Students work independently, choosing temperature, ratio, and timing for each. The masters observe, offering only quiet corrections. For forty minutes the room is near-silent — the gentle clink of porcelain, the whisper of boiling water, the occasional exhale of satisfaction. A final comparative cupping reveals how dramatically the same hands can coax different stories from a leaf. Each student receives a written evaluation and a brewing guide stamped with their name and the master’s seal.

Graduates leave not as experts, but as confident beginners who can approach any Chinese tea without fear. The workshop plants roots that grow long after the last infusion — through continued tastings on tea.events, conversations in tea.community, or the deeper study paths at tea.school.

Your guides

• Chen Hui Yi — White, yellow, and green tea specialist — guides the comparative tasting and online sessions.

• Zhou Xiang — Green, black, and yellow tea master — leads the six-tea tasting, anchored in Anhui and Fujian classics.

Practical details

• Location — Saint Petersburg — Nevsky Prospekt studio; Berlin — Kreuzberg tea space

• Schedule — three consecutive Tuesday evenings, 19:00–21:00 (spring and autumn cohorts)

• Group size — 4–8 students per cohort

• Dress — comfortable, scent-free clothing; no strong perfumes

• Food & drink — light seasonal snacks and all teas provided; dinner not included

• Language — English or Russian, depending on the group

• Cancellation — full refund up to 7 days before the start; 50% refund up to 48 hours