Tanyang Gongfu
坦洋工夫 · Panyong Congou
Black
For a while this was the most expensive black tea in the West.
In the 1850s a family named Hu in Fu'an refined a local leaf into a tightly kneaded congou, and Tanyang village grew rich shipping it to British and Dutch buyers. Whole fortunes were built on one village's leaf, and then the trade moved on and the village did not.
The craft is patient and every step is judged by hand, which is what gongfu means in a tea name. The reward is a bright red liquid rimmed in gold, malty and smooth, carrying the dried longan sweetness that made its reputation.
- longan
- malt
- sweet
- Origin
- Tanyang village, Fu'an, Fujian
- Water
- 95°C / 203°F
- Ratio
- 4.5 g / 100 ml
- Caffeine
- Medium
- Rinse
- Yes · 5s
First of the three Fujian congous; once priciest Western black
How much leaf
Gong fu brewing is leaf-heavy and short. Set your gaiwan or pot size and this is what to weigh out.
Vessel volume
100 ml
Recommended dose
Use ~4.5g of tea
The session
6 infusions after the rinse, about 4m 25s of total contact time.
- Rinse5sWake the leaf and pour it away — this one isn’t for drinking.
- Steep 115sMalt and something sweet, unopened.
- Steep 225sLongan fruit rises, warm and dark.
- Steep 335sThe malt deepens into honey.
- Steep 445sA floral note threads the sweetness.
- Steep 51mRoundness holds, astringency absent.
- Steep 61m 20sSweet red water, gold at the rim.
Also sold as
Panyang Congou, Tan Yang, Tanyang Congou, Tanyang Gong Fu
Steaper times this session for you
A countdown per infusion, a gong when each one is up, and the whole library in your pocket. Coming to iPhone.
Get notified at launchThese numbers are a median of independent gong fu sources, not a law. Leaf age, vessel and water all move them. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.