6 Tips to Brewing Gongfu Outdoors

While we all thoroughly enjoy drinking the teas we love at home, why not take your tea session to the next level and take it outdoors? You've got to take advantage of the gloriously warm weather while it lasts! An outdoor gongfucha session surrounded by nature with the fresh air blowing and the shining is something every tea lover should experience at least once in their life!

If you haven’t done it before, knowing what to pack can be really intimidating. But, don't you worry - here's a quick guide full of great outdoor tea session tips and tricks.

1. Bring a Flat Surface

Before you jump straight in, be sure that you find a flat surface to set your teaware on, like a tea tray. This will prevent any spills from the cup and any possible accidents that could happen from things not being balanced properly.

2. Pack Fragile Items Carefully

Teaware without a spout is usually your best bet to avoid breakage so something like a gaiwan would be a good choice.

Should you have a bag or picnic basket that you know will keep things secure, then you can take classic teapots (these are better if you plan on taking a pu-erh, oolong, or black tea that is at it's best when prepared in a Yixing teapot).

Also consider taking a small towel to help to dry off teaware when you are done with the session. Drying off on the spot will protect your teaware from staining and gets rid of any residual water or leaf particles from destroying your bag or basket. The towel can also help add a little extra padding to your bag and prevent breakage.

Another item to consider packing is a small zip lock bag or air-tight reusable container to discard spent tea leaves into if there's no place to dispose of them at your location.

3. Choose a Forgiving Tea

Because you won’t be able to be as precise with water temperatures, you do have to put a little more thought into the kinds of tea you want to take. Consider the timing needed and how quickly the water might cool from when you leave your house to when you'll actually be brewing your first cup.

The great thing about oolong is that no matter your favorite kind of oolong, they are all remarkably forgiving teas when it comes to steep time and temperature. Teas like oolong are always a safe bet as they are usually prepared at around 170-195 degrees F. Because these don't need boiling water, you’re more than likely going to be in the perfect temp range for oolong.

A hardy green might be a great choice as well.

4. Measure At Home

Pre-weigh your tea leaves and put them in a small container or tin. Always store tea in an airtight container that will prevent it from going stale too quickly; also pick one that protects your tea from sunlight! Measuring at home stops you having to take the whole bag or pressed cake of tea out with you, limits the extra weight you would otherwise have to carry, and also free up space in your bag or basket. It also means you don’t have to take any scales to accurately measure tea out on the spot. If you are wanting to prepare matcha outdoors, pre-measuring and sifting your matcha before leaving will mean that you don’t have to sift matcha into the wind. Trust, that is not a fun time.

5. Get a Thermos

It's likely that you won’t have access to a kettle outside (unless where you are going allows outdoor fires or camping stoves) so you won’t be able to heat your water on the spot. To keep water as warm as possible for as long as possible, heat the water to a rolling boil just before you leave your house. Then decant it into a thermos like the ToasTEA.

Remember to preheat the thermos before you put the hot water in, this will help the water stay hot for longer.

6. Match Your Teas to Your Surroundings

Outdoor tea sessions surrounded by nature take tea back to its roots. Brewing outdoors becomes something much more special than your usual session at home. It becomes an all encompassing experience, factoring in every single one of your senses.

A great way to add an extra level of immersion to that experience is to try and match the teas you take outside to a number of different things including environment, season, and weather.

For example if you’re going somewhere like the beach, take a vegetal tea with minerality and marine like notes within its aroma and flavor profile. If you’re going somewhere where you know you’ll be surrounded by forest, take a tea that has those woody, earthy and ever so slightly vegetal notes. This is not an essential step to take for your outdoor sessions but so enables you to fully immerse yourself and experience your teas in a different way.

For spring and early summer greener oolongs like Anxi Wulong Low Fire are perfect as they are refreshing and their flavor profiles matches the surrounding nature. For late summer and early autumn you can transfer to roasted oolongs like Muzha Tie Guan Yin that provide a nice coziness; both sweet and roasted notes that are to die for.

Follow all the tips and tricks in this guide and you are sure to have the most perfect outdoor tea session that will have you planning your next one before you’ve even left. Be sure to tag us in your outdoor tea session pictures on instagram @adagioteas and use the hashtag #myadagio, we would love to see your adventures.