Product Overview
Congou is a description of a black Chinese tea variety used by 19th-century tea importers in America and Europe. The etymology of the tea is the same as gong fu, from the Chinese for "skill". The term is an early romanization of the Amoy dialect for gongfu, referring to gongfu hongcha, the black tea subcategory. The group includes such famous names as Minhong Gongfu, Ninghong Gongfu, Dianhong Gongfu, etc.
In antiquity, when all works were manual, such extensive demand for skills and labor was quite new from the other teas that that specific tea was used to produce. They, therefore, describe such teas required a lot of gongfu, i.e. work and dedication per se. The expression Congou in the Western tea world first came about as a supreme quality black tea, and somehow through time and marketing needs, degenerated to a common grade.
Grown in Southern China, Wuyi Gongfu is one of the great historical teas of China from its trading days. Grown in the mineral-rich soil beneath the towering cliffs of the Wuyi Mountains, Wuyi black has an intensely rich and complex flavor. The tea is made with the careful skill to produce thin, light strips without breaking the leaves.
The resulting toasty black tea is smooth and sweet with the flavor of unsweetened baked apples. In the cup, the aroma continually changes and shows incredible complexity. Hints of the aroma of grilled meat, the plum sauce, to chocolate cake with a rich pear buttercream frosting. The overall flavor is rich and mouth-filling and the body is deep and satisfying.
Brewing Guide: Bring fresh, filtered water to a boil. Add 5 grams of tea to a infuser, or straight into an 8-oz. mug. Pour the heated water into the mug. Steep for 3 minutes. Strain tea leaves, or take out the infuser. Sip and enjoy.