We experience a Traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony

We're in Shenzhen, China, at our manufacturing partner's office. The manager here is kind enough to demonstrate a traditional Chinese tea drinking ceremony, also known as Kung Fu Cha. Cha means tea in Chinese. They have a beautiful Cha Ji. Cha Ji means tea table. It is the centerpiece of Kung Fu Cha, a masterpiece of aesthetic and functionality. He's unwrapping the tea flower. According to the team, this is from Yunnan province. Today we're having black tea. He puts it into the tea bowl. Tea tables come with built-in water piping and drainage. It is made out of fine woods like rosewood or bamboo, and combined with a granite tea tray. Really expensive ones may use marble. Aside from the lovely Cha Ji, they have a traditional tea set. They have a covered bowl or caiwan, a tea scoop or cha zi, a tea strainer or cha lou, a tea pet or cha chong for good luck and fortune, and finally a Kong Tao Bei or fairness pitcher. The pitcher ensures equal flavor in every cup to promote fairness and shared enjoyment. Don't you just love these values? There are many types of teas used. Here are some popular ones. There is Lu Cha or green tea, known for its light flavor and health benefits. Bai Cha or white tea is made of young leaves and buds which has the most amount of antioxidants. Oolong comes in many aromas. And there is the prestigious Pu'er. More of his teammates join us. Check out his entire tea ceremony set. His teammates are all so curious now. The table even comes with a tap, an induction cooker and warmer. He boils the water on the hot water and discarded tea is poured here. It's truly amazing, a marvel of engineering and craftsmanship. The water is ready. You can see the steam from the spout. He pours it on the tea strainer, then into the tea bowl. The tea bud floats to the top. He then covers the tea bowl with a lid. He checks on the tea cups. They're ready. He picks them out with tongs and places them on the tea tray. He pours hot water on the strainer. This is to remove any remnant tea dust. He does the first pour, also known as Xi Cha, which means cleansing the tea. There are many benefits to this step. In practical purposes, this removes any impurities in the tea and also awakens the tea. It also symbolizes purity and starting fresh. He compliments the color. But his keen eyes point out some tea dusts. He will pour this away. He pours hot water into the tea You can see the hot water and discarded tea flowing down. He pours us each a fresh cup. This will be served to us. You can see this tea is much clearer. The cups are placed in a circle. As I'm the guest, I'm served first. So exciting. Looks amazing. It is good tea etiquette to sip the tea slowly. I'll pass my camera to my friend. Watch me demonstrate good tea drinking etiquette. It's good. I ask them where is the table from. Apparently it's made in Hubei, China. He uses his teapot to push the water. This is when I find out the table has built-in drainage. Yes, I'm mind blown. He shows to me where the water goes. I'm an engineer so I just had to ask. They show me the water source below. I'm really impressed. They find my curiosity amusing. They say I'm their most curious visitor. They tell me this table also serves as their break area. They have lunch and breaks together here. I joke with them that this is very productive. You can eat and work at the same time. This table is made from rosewood. The timber comes from Yunnan. The granite tea tray comes from Hubei. Because the granite is heavy to ship, the timber is sent to Hubei. And the entire table is made there. Rosewood was used by royalty during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Rosewood furniture is more expensive these days. Thus is less popular. These days most people buy pine furniture. It's a more sustainable and eco-friendly choice. I'm impressed with their green initiatives. It seems they are more environmentally friendly than I had assumed. They look at more sustainable sources. But rosewood is still revered. Obviously due to its rich history. I ask them if the statue is rosewood. And about the cupboard too. They tell me the cupboard is fake rosewood. It's only normal timber. But painted to look like it. They explain that only the statue and the tea table are real rosewood. And so are the chairs. I tell them that I usually see these types of furniture in antique stores or at museums. They are surprised. As I'm chatting, I'm served a fresh cup. Good Chinese tea can brew multiple servings. And the flavor won't diminish. They call it hui kan, which means a returning sweetness in the aftertaste. Or to simply put, a lingering flavor. He's making his fourth brew. Yet the aroma and color are still the same. Apparently, we can get three to five brews from these particular leaves. He steeps the leaves for a while between each brew, gradually increasing the time and decreasing the temperature after each serving. This ensures uniformity of flavor and aroma. Sorry, the battery died. We were discussing red flags in tea. Pro tip. Three ways to check your Chinese tea quality. Number one. Broken or dusty leaves indicates low quality or improper handling. Number two. A faded aroma or taste is a sign of stale or improperly stored leaves. Number three. A bitter or harsh taste means improper brewing or worse, low quality leaves. Hope you enjoyed this video. Please like, share, and subscribe. See you in the next video.