The Perfect Hei Cha Session: Gong Fu Style

There are many ways to brew Hei Cha, but if there is one lesson I have learned over countless sessions, it is that this family of teas rewards observation far more than precision. Recipes are useful as a starting point, yet the tea itself should always have the final word.

Hei Cha is a living tea. Every cake, brick or basket has its own personality, shaped by the leaf, the processing, the ageing and the storage. Brewing gong fu style allows that personality to reveal itself gradually, one infusion at a time. Rather than producing a single cup, you experience a journey that unfolds over an entire session.

For me, that journey is exactly what makes Hei Cha so captivating.

My Preferred Way to Brew Hei Cha

The Hei Cha I brew most often is Fu Cha, especially teas rich with beautiful golden flowers (Eurotium cristatum). They offer remarkable depth while remaining approachable, making them ideal for gong fu brewing.

My everyday setup is simple:

• 6 to 7 grams of tea
• 100 ml of water
• Water at 100°C
• A dedicated teapot
  (usually my Midnight Leaf-fall - I like to name them - which is a black 150ml Hei Luolan Zisha clay where I use 9g of tea)

The first infusion begins almost immediately. From there I gradually extend the brewing time:

• 10 seconds
• 12 seconds
• 15 seconds
• 20 seconds
• 25 seconds
• 35 seconds
• 50 seconds
• 1 minute 15 seconds
• 1 minute 50 seconds

Those timings are never absolute.

The tea decides where the session goes. Every infusion tells me whether I should lengthen or shorten the next one. Rather than watching a timer obsessively, I taste, observe and adjust. This flexibility has always produced better tea than following a fixed chart.

Why I Always Rinse Hei Cha

Before the first infusion, I always rinse Hei Cha.

The rinse serves two simple purposes. First, it awakens the compressed leaves, allowing them to begin unfolding after months or even years spent tightly packed together. Secondly, it removes any fine tea dust that naturally develops during production, transport and storage.

The rinse is brief and is immediately discarded.

The only tea I personally do not rinse is white tea.

Don’t Be Afraid of Boiling Water

One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is using water that isn’t hot enough.

Hei Cha responds exceptionally well to freshly boiled water. Brewing at lower temperatures often leaves the liquor tasting muddy and flat, preventing the tea from revealing its full depth.

Many beginners worry that boiling water will make the tea harsh. In my experience, the opposite is usually true. Properly made Hei Cha is incredibly forgiving, and the higher temperature helps unlock the flavours that make these teas so rewarding.

Follow the Flavour Arc

The greatest joy of brewing Hei Cha gong fu style is watching the tea evolve.

A typical session often begins gently before gradually becoming deeper and more expressive. Towards the later infusions, I often find the tea settling into a beautiful mineral sweetness that lingers long after each sip.

The exact flavours depend enormously on the age and character of the tea. Some sessions evoke sweet earth after rain. Others remind me of antique varnished woods, old libraries, damp forests or polished timber.

Rather than expecting every session to taste the same, I enjoy discovering where each tea wants to take me.

The Session That Changed How I Tasted Tea

One of the most memorable teas I have ever brewed was a handmade aged Fu Brick filled with golden flowers.

It also carried a gentle smoky character.

My first impression was confusion.

The tea reminded me of smoky honey, rain evaporating from a forest floor, mushrooms and petrichor transformed into flavour. It was unlike anything I had tasted before.

At first, I wasn’t sure whether I even liked it.

Then something interesting happened.

Instead of trying to identify individual tasting notes, my mind began connecting those aromas to places, memories and experiences. The tea suddenly made sense. What had seemed strange became deeply enjoyable.

Since then, I have approached every complex tea differently and Hei Cha (or Dark Tea) is now one of my daily go to teas.

Don’t Chase Flavour Notes

One piece of advice I often give beginners is to stop worrying about identifying flavours.

Instead, ask yourself a different question.

What does this remind me of?

Does the aroma bring back memories of walking through a woodland after rain?

Does it remind you of old furniture, warm bread, leather-bound books or a childhood memory you haven’t thought about for years?

Our brains naturally connect aromas with experiences. Those connections are often far more meaningful than trying to decide whether something tastes like honey, dates or walnuts.

The tasting notes will come naturally with time.

Do You Need an Expensive Teapot?

Not at all.

A simple porcelain gaiwan is more than capable of producing exceptional Hei Cha.

Expensive teaware is not a requirement for enjoying great tea.

That said, there is something special about dedicating a clay teapot to a single family of tea. Over time, many tea drinkers notice the sessions becoming richer and more rounded. It is one of the pleasures of long-term tea practice.

Just remember that brewing in a clay pot is its own skill. It behaves differently from porcelain and takes time to understand. The pot itself does not improve your tea. Learning how to use it does.

When Should You Stop Brewing?

There is no magic number of infusions.

Some Hei Cha may offer eight wonderful brews. Others continue well beyond fifteen.

I simply keep extending the infusion times until the tea has nothing meaningful left to give.

Eventually, the flavour fades and the liquor becomes little more than warm water.

That is when the session has reached its natural conclusion.

Final Thoughts

If there is one thing I hope you take away from this article, it is this:

Let your mind wander. Don’t stress about finding flavours. They will come naturally. Simply enjoy the tea and allow it to take you on a journey.

For me, that is what gong fu brewing has always been about.

It isn’t a race to extract every flavour note or follow a perfect recipe. It is an opportunity to slow down, pay attention and discover how a tea unfolds over time.

Every Hei Cha has a story to tell.

All we have to do is listen.