We are like tea, we don’t know our own strength until we’re in hot water: Jingle
[ Marina Dai ]
ITANAGAR, 4 Aug: In a country like India where tea is hugely popular and is considered to be the most widely consumed drink next to water, it is a considerable achievement when people start to refer to someone as ‘tea expert.” The 38-year-old Jingle Daulagpu hailing from the state of Assam, who currently resides here from 2014 onwards, has acquired this status by serving different varieties of organic teas in the capital which he calls the ‘Gongfu-Cha.’
He has even established a tea community, named after the Gongfu-Cha as the ‘Gongfu-Cha Club,’ wherein he conducts an enlightening and therapeutic session on varieties of organic teas of China, Arunachal, Assam and from other states and countries.
Jingle says, “Gongfu tea is referred to as kung fu in China and it is a type of Chinese tea ceremony involving preparation of tea.” Like any other therapy session,
Gongfu Cha is also one of a kind, where an individual can enjoy the brewing of different teas that will help to relax the mind and one can also learn about organic tea and its importance.”
It could also enhance the experience of drinking tea as Jingle quotes “nobody deserves a bad tea, stay out of those tea bags.”
The tea session that he conducts usually takes about 90-120mins and in it he offers 6 different teas which are white tea, green tea, yellow tea, oolong tea, black tea, pu’erh tea. Each tea is served 5 times in small traditional Asian cups to the guest during the session. He hosts the tea session at a café and patisserie named My Cup of Tea in Itanagar which is run by his friend.
“I also conduct sessions whenever there is a request from my guests and usually it is done for the group of tea lovers,” said Jingle. Other than just attending the tea session what is intriguing, is to see the beautiful and eye-catching setup of Gongfu-Cha table, integrating – brewing vessel, tea pitcher, hot water kettle, brewing kettle, brewing tray, tea knife, tea cups, timer etc which is placed attractively on the table.
Jingle shared that he started learning the art of serving tea that is Gongfu-Cha in 2020, when the whole world was battling covid-19 pandemic. It was the year when he ran into one video about Gongfu-Cha brewing which drew his interest towards the process of brewing tea. Jingle also says, “other than Gongfu-Cha brewing, I was really attracted to the elegant look of a Gaiwan, the three-piece tea ware which is the oldest brewing tea ware. You can also drink directly from it.”
He further shared that the Gongfu-Cha brewing started to grab the attention of people when he started to post his daily practice of drinking tea in a Gongfu-Cha Style online. Seeing the excitement and zeal of his friends and others about the Gongfu-Cha, he started an online tea page community in 2022. He shares that through the club he is able to connect with other tea enthusiasts and also encourage the tea culture of the Far East. “We are like tea, we don’t know our own strength until we’re in hot water,” he sums up.
