- Happy 22nd Year Anniversary - Gong Fu Tea
- Iced Tea Tips
- Iced Tea Recommendations
- Seasonal Teas
- Teas - Back In Stock
Hello fellow Tea Enthusiast,
Happy 22nd Year Anniversary - Gong Fu Tea
We at Gong Fu Tea are celebrating our 22nd year in business this month! We would like to take this opportunity to thank you, our valued clientele, for making this possible. Your patronage is much appreciated, and we look forward to continuing to serve you a selection of the world's finest teas for many years to come.
Iced Tea Tips
Please peruse our Iced Tea tips in the following text for the inside scoop on America's favorite summertime beverage, as well as Mike and Rusty's suggestions for tea selections that are exceptionally tasty over ice.
Iced Tea Brewing Instructions
- To make iced tea by the glass:
Making iced tea by the glass is very similar to making hot tea. The only difference is that you will use ½ the amount of water you would normally use to make your hot tea. You are basically making a concentrated cup of tea that you will then dilute by pouring it over a full glass of ice. The following are the instructions to make a 16 oz. to 20 oz. glass of iced tea:
- Place two teaspoons of your favorite loose-leaf tea in your teapot.
- Pour the correct temperature hot water over the tea leaves using only ½ the amount of water you would normally use to make hot tea.
- Allow tea leaves to steep the correct number of minutes (approximately 3 minutes for green tea and 5 minutes for black tea) – see the back of your tea package for recommended steeping times.
- Fill a tall glass full of ice cubes.
- Once your tea has finished steeping, pour your brewed tea over the ice cubes until the glass is ½ to ¾ full.
- Leaving the glass on the counter, swirl the glass in a small circle (4 or 5 times) to allow the hot tea to melt the ice quicker which will cool your tea very quickly.
- Fill the balance of the glass with ice.
- Enjoy!
- To make one gallon of iced tea:
- Steep 1 oz. of loose-leaf tea (1 oz. = approximately 4 tablespoons) in 1 quart (32 oz.) of the appropriate temperature hot water.
- Steep tea for 15 minutes.
- Pour through a strainer into a 1 gallon container and dilute with 3 quarts cold water.
- Chill in refrigerator and serve over ice.
- Enjoy!
How To Sweeten Your Tea
If you find that you prefer to enjoy your iced tea slightly sweetened, there are two excellent methods. The first is by preparing a simple syrup and storing it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve your iced tea. The second is by steeping your tea with a natural brown crystal sugar.
- 1 cup water plus 2 cups sugar
- Heat to a boil while stirring
- Reduce heat and stir until sugar dissolves
- Cool to room temperature
- Store in refrigerator
- Brown Crystal Sugar - Europeans consider brown crystal sugar the ideal sweetener for premium loose-leaf teas. A few pieces of this unrefined crystal sugar, added to your teapot while your leaves are steeping, will result in a wonderfully balanced and lightly sweetened infusion. This raw sweetener is ideal for those who enjoy a southern sweet tea as well as those searching for the finest ingredients for their homemade chai. Please click on photo below for details:
- Add 1 teaspoon of brown crystal sugar to your teapot for each teaspoon of loose-leaf tea you are using. Adjust this ratio up or down for your own taste preferences.
- Steep your tea as you normally would, using any of the above iced tea brewing methods.
Iced Tea Recommendations
The question we are presented often is “which tea makes the best iced tea?” From our 140 plus loose-leaf teas offerings, we have compiled the following list of 9 teas that tend to be summer favorites:
Seasonal Teas
Jin Xuan - This offering is the direct result of our relationship with tea growers on our tea-buying trip to Taiwan in the Fall of 2008. The Jin Xuan is an oolong tea varietal that is typically grown side-by-side with the Frozen Summit, or High Mountain, teas. The leaves themselves are slightly larger, darker green, and have a “coarser” serration on their margin. What truly makes the difference in taste, however, is the time of day the plucking is accomplished. While Frozen Summit is usually picked early in the morning, Jin Xuan is picked in the heat of the day while the plants are at their most fragrant – a difference you will definitely detect in the cup… Please click on photo below for details:
Frozen Summit -
This high mountain oolong is grown near the geographical heart of Taiwan. Surrounded by a year-long early-morning fog, this area produces some of the finest oolongs in the world. The liquor exhibits a golden amber color with a complex nutty aroma. The taste is distinctly fragrant with crisp floral notes and a smooth sweet finish. This tea can easily be steeped 6-7 times.
Please click on photo below for details:
First Flush Darjeeling -
Teas from Darjeeling are reputed to have fresh, muscatel and flowery aromas. The term "First Flush" refers to the first plucking season of the year - March to April. Teas from the First Flush are greener, lighter and more flowery in taste compared to their later season relatives. Please click on photo below for details:
Teas - Back In Stock
China Green -
This is a fine Green Tea from the Wuling Mountain area in the west of China's Hunan Province. It has a rich, yet delicate flavor - due to its being picked in the early spring prior to the rains. While rare, it is a very famous tea in China, with a production history going back nearly 2000 years. Please click on photo below for details:
Organic Emperor's Gold -
This is one of the top grade black teas from Yunnan, China. Made from long, slender, gold leaf tips. It has a sweet, slightly roasted, full bodied flavor similar to apricots. There was only a small harvest of this tea this season and perhaps it reflects the precious value of gold in times of the Emperor.
Please click on photo below for details:
Peach Green -
This peach green tea is blended with the essence of fresh, ripe peaches - yielding a taste treat that will make you reminiscent of a warm spring day. Great alone or with a light pastry. Makes a wonderful iced tea.
Please click on photo below for details:
Best regards,
Mike and Rusty
Gong Fu Tea
Contact Us: fineteas@gongfu-tea.com
Photo Above:
Left photo: Mr. Liu receiving the Tea Prize Winner award. Right photo: Mike visits with the tea estate owner Mr. Liu and the tea masters who deftly created the Jin Xuan tea. Taiwan’s Chusan-Region.
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