<p>One of the many questions we get whenever we serve tea to new friends is: what is that clay animal next to the kettle? What does it do?</p>
<p>First, we must provide context. Tea pets make the most sense when brewing tea in the traditional Gongfu fashion with a tea tray to pour excess liquids into. Tea pets can be kept completely dry as a decorative part of the experience or as friendly decor, but their unique potential is most apparent when regularly pouring liquid on them as part of the Gongfu tea process.</p>
<h2>What is a Tea Pet?</h2>
<p>The premise of a tea pet is very simple. Whenever you have tea, your tea pet does too.</p>
<p>When your water has come to temperature and you&#39;re rinsing your teaware, so too do you rinse your tea pet.</p>
<p>When &quot;waking up&quot; a tea, your tea pet gets the first taste from the discarded liquid.</p>
<p>When you&#39;re finished with your tea and you still have some left over, you gift what remains to your tea pet.</p>
<p>The tannins present in each tea and the amount, temperature, and frequency of the steeps you share causes your companion to develop a visual fingerprint of the story you both share. Over time your tea pet develops a patina and coloring unique to you! </p>
<p>There are several practical and even spiritual reasons to share your tea with a tea pet, but above all else each tea pet is about sharing a journey that grows with each steeping. Or maybe you just think they look cute. That&#39;s okay too.</p>
<h2>History of Tea Pets</h2>
<p>Tea pets are as interesting as they are mysterious. Although they&#39;re considered an essential part of the experience for many tea enthusiasts, no one has quite the same reasoning for <em>why</em> they consider tea pets to be part of the process at all. </p>
<p>Tea pets are traditionally made of unglazed Yixing clay (purple sand) and come in all shapes and sizes: turtles, dragons, dogs, tiny buddhas, oxen, lucky pigs, and even as mini teapots! Some of these tea pets are made so that they can determine the relative temperature of the water from the heat pressure it generates, but for the most part a tea pet is just a plain and solid clay totem.</p>
<p>So why do they exist?</p>
<p>Unfortunately there is no clearly recorded history of what tea pets were originally meant for or how they came to be, but what we do know is that they originated in the same Yixing region made famous for its clay artisans and mastery of all things pottery related. We can only surmise that one day an artisan thought to create a loyal companion that he could share his tea with: one that wouldn&#39;t mind listening to him talk for hours on end about his trade, or sharing the silence of a quiet morning with the rising sun. And thousands of years later we continue on with the tradition.</p>
<h2>Modern Tea Pets</h2>
<p>Tea pets are one of the many things we consider most sacred in their original form, but the tides of time have brought many changes to the art form over the years.</p>
<p>Although they are traditionally unfinished (baked as-is) Yixing clay, tea pets can now be found in many materials and finishes both glazed and unglazed. The modern tea pet can be found painted and glazed, as porcelain rather than clay, with multiple materials, with precious materials or stones, or even with temperature sensitive color changing paints.</p>
<p>While these non-traditional tea pets generally can&#39;t develop a patina and character like their predecessors, they all have their own novel characteristics, and at the end of the day choosing a tea pet is about picking what you like most!</p>
<h2>Finding a Tea Pet</h2>
<p>If you&#39;ve decided you need to get your hands on a lovely companion to share delicious teas with, <a href="https://chicagoteashop.com/category/brewing-accessories-tea-pets">check out our Tea Pets here</a>!</p>


Friends, and Why We Keep Them

<p>Hi folks, Carter here!</p>
<p>Today we’re going to do a very quick break down of Gongfu Cha, also known as Kung Fu Tea. If confused, <em>Cha</em> means tea, and since I&#39;m shooting for bonus points, here is its Chinese character: 茶 </p>
<p>As a quick definition, Gong Fu Cha might appear to refer to Chinese martial arts, but when you break it down, Gong Fu literally means (roughly) “to labor with skill”. So Gong Fu Cha really just means to make tea with skill. As a side note, we Chinese would actually refer to Chinese martial arts as Wushu rather than Kung Fu. One other thing you&#39;ll see commonly on guides for Gongfu tea is the emphasis on leaf-to-water ratio. Agreed but honestly they make it sound like the end of the world. You only need 2-3 table spoons, that stuff blows up you know? It happens with real leaves and not tea bag dregs.  </p>
<h3>Tools / Utensils</h3>
<p>We’re going to keep it simple here, hot water, vessel, strainer, cup. At its core and in its essence, that’s really all you need. Kettle to make hot water, vessel to make tea in (traditionally a Yixing clay teapot and/or a Gaiwan cup), a strainer to strain (you can use the two in one push-pots, we sell them, it’s not blasphemous), and a cup to drink from.</p>
<p>If you’re fancy, which admittedly we are, you want all this sitting on top of a nicely sized tea tray (which we will carry).</p>
<p>Now that’s just what we run with and are going to run with. The whole nine yards includes an entire plethora more in tools. Would explain those here but that’s not the experience we want you to have. For us, as we will emphasize in person and in the future, tea is a medium for conversation, first and foremost. Adding too much to the ceremony takes away from said conversation and instead becomes a novelty. If you’re curious what the (many) other tools are, there are already plenty of other much more technical guides out there.</p>
<h3>Times and Temps</h3>
<p>Don&#39;t want to confuse you so we&#39;re putting temps in a quick table:</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th></th>
<th>Temp in Fahrenheit</th>
<th>Note</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody><tr>
<td>White Tea</td>
<td>160-190F</td>
<td>Honestly delicate as they are, you can afford to go a bit over.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Green Tea</td>
<td>160-180F</td>
<td>These will be the MOST delicate, absolutely avoid super hot.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Oolong Tea</td>
<td>180-200F</td>
<td>Lower for greener oolongs, higher for darker.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Red (Black) Tea</td>
<td>203-208F</td>
<td>Avoid that rolling boil, after a boil sit for 30 seconds.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Herbal Tea</td>
<td>200-212F</td>
<td>Most herbs are good, maybe best, with boiling water.</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>If you compare our times and temps with other sites you will most definitely find slight differences, honestly it&#39;s not too big of a deal, it&#39;s not chemistry. </p>
<p>Okay, maybe it is chem, but a few degrees won&#39;t ruin it, not too much at least.</p>
<p>As for times, always remember that a good tea leaf can always be used more than once, generally 6-7 steeps. Past the 4th or 5th you would steep a little bit longer. And <strong>ALWAYS</strong> start with a quick rinse using the same temp water you would for the steeps. Besides that, we have a very simple guide:</p>
<ol start="0">
<li>Rinse, water in water out, dump. </li>
<li>First steep, leave in for 10-15 seconds. </li>
<li>Second to fourth steeps, water in water out, <strong>quick</strong> steeps. </li>
<li>Fifth to seventh steep, leave in for 10+ seconds. Adjust as you go.</li>
</ol>
<p>As a side note and quick tip on temperature, assuming you don’t have a special kettle like ours (which we sell and you can get <a href="https://chicagoteashop.com/products/electric-kettle">here</a>), you can also run with the baby bottle method. That being to just hold it to your wrist, if it’s touchable but still hot then it’s good to use! Probably within the 180-190F range. Conversely, I trust you not to slap your wrist on a fresh boiled pot of water.</p>
<h3>End Note</h3>
<p>Now, with all the technical bits said and done, it’s not really meant to restrict you. At the end of the day, people have preferences. Even Lee and I have slight differences preferences. The technicalities are meant to be guidelines. If you want to leave it in for minutes at a time, that&#39;s fine too, brews are fine as long as you don&#39;t waste the following brews because I can guarantee you it will still have flavor. That being said, we only ask that you do two things if not following the simple guide:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Don’t burn your tea. To be fair, the technical temps have an enormous range so you have a lot of room to play with.</p>
</li>
<li><p>Don’t waste steepings. Once you start, commit, It’s one thing to not use it nine times, it’s a whole other to not even use it twice.</p>
</li>
</ol>
<p>That’s all from me today folks, I bid you a pleasant day, and an even more pleasant morrow.</p>
<p>Regards,</p>
<p>Carter</p>


On The Topic of Gongfu Tea

<p>How do you pick which tea to drink? There are many technical and contextual reasons to pick a varietal, but more often than not it comes down to just picking what you&#39;re in the mood for. Black tea on a hectic Monday morning, a strong White when you&#39;re ready to focus, perhaps an Herbal for when you have company over and you want something easy-going and inviting.</p>
<p>So, here at Great Lakes tea, what&#39;s the tea for every mood?</p>
<h2>New Friends: <span class="tea-link"><a href="/products/blue-people">Blue People</a></span> &amp; <span class="tea-link"><a href="/products/sticky-rice-puer">Sticky Rice Puer</a></span></h2>
<p>We love making new friends, and one of our favorite parts about making new friends is getting to host them so we can introduce them to a world of delicious tea! We often find that those interested in tea are put off by a lack of knowledge, intimidated by the sheer number of varieties, and have maybe never gone beyond store-bought teabags and Earl Grey blends. </p>
<p>To that we say: let&#39;s start simple.</p>
<h3>Blue People</h3>
<p>We love Blue People as a starting point for those coming from bagged tea. It provides a similar experience of blended flavors, while being a distinct and <em>immediately</em> noticeable upgrade from what they&#39;re used to. In short it is: bright, zesty, and energizing. We have many, many opinionated teas, but this one&#39;s a crowd pleaser! To date, the only feedback we have ever received from those introduced to Blue People for the first time is: &quot;Oh, wow. That&#39;s delicious!&quot; </p>
<p>As our flagship tea, you can&#39;t go wrong with Blue People&#39;s everyman appeal.</p>
<h3>Sticky Rice Puer</h3>
<p>For those that have already begun their tea journey or that already have experience with loose leaf teas, we introduce them to Sticky Rice Puer. From the first pour to the last— what a lovely aroma. For many of us, Sticky Rice Puer smells like home, family, and friends all wrapped up in one. A lovely flavor gradient of toasted rice and woodsy sweetness, with such a soothing aroma we almost wish we could turn it into a candle.</p>
<p>We <em>could</em> go to great lengths explaining it&#39;s history, makeup, and origins... but we rarely do. The very first sip of Sticky Rice Puer speaks for itself, and it usually starts with a sigh of contentment. Whether you&#39;re a lifelong tea drinker or someone with just a tad of experience: this is a tea that makes you smile.</p>
<h2>Gallon of Energy: <span class="tea-link"><a href="/products/pearl-jasmine">Pearl Jasmine</a></span></h2>
<p>For those of us that have a little more experience with tea, sometimes you just want a lot of something. And that something needs to pack a punch. Whether you&#39;re starting your day or looking to moonlight into the one after, Pearl Jasmine has the unique distinction of being highly energizing <strong>and</strong> delicious when had in large volumes. </p>
<p>Highly caffeinated, delicious, and quite friendly to the Venti sized appetite. We would consider it borderline blasphemous to gulp your tea in most cases, but for this one... we&#39;ll make an exception. For those days you want something that drinks like a coffee but goes down and soothes like a tea, brew a batch and drink up!</p>
<p><strong>Fair warning</strong>: A mug of this will keep you wired <em>well</em> into the afternoon. This is a tea that will amplify the senses and keep you going, going, going.</p>
<h2>Something Different: <span class="tea-link"><a href="/products/hibiscus">Hibiscus</a></span></h2>
<p>For the days when you know you want something just a little bit different. We like Hibiscus because it manages to be novel, flavorful, and unique all at once. Not a blend, not a leaf, and generally much harder to find than your typical varietals. This is a tea that is usually off the beaten path for those that typically drink loose leaf teas, but not too foreign to have on a lark. Great for when you&#39;re looking for something different but not too opinionated.</p>
<h2>The Midnight Grind: <span class="tea-link"><a href="/products/chrysanthemum">Chrysanthemum</a></span> &amp; <span class="tea-link"><a href="/products/rose">Rose</a></span></h2>
<p>As entrepreneurs, after-dark conversationalists, and avid late-night gamers we often find ourselves on the wrong side of midnight. At least an hour or two left before we&#39;re ready to call it quits and in the mood for tea-- but we still have to wake up early the next day! What do you do in those situations? Chrysanthemum &amp; Rose. This is technically <em>two</em> teas we carry blended together, but one that works as a great caffeine free alternative that still soothes and satisfies.</p>
<p>Many a night here at Great Lakes Tea has been spent nursing liters at a time of our Chrysanthemum and Rose over conversation / work / anime marathons, and we&#39;re quite fond of them both as the last stop before settling down for the night.</p>
<h2>Buy Some Tea!</h2>
<p>Enough talk, time to put theory into practice! Interested in buying some of these teas yourself? Check out our <a href="/category/tea">Tea Varietals</a>!</p>


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Friends, and Why We Keep Them

April 27, 2024

On The Topic of Gongfu Tea

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