Six months of individual study and guided practice in the art of Gong Fu tea.​​​

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The Empty Cup Mentorship is a six-month private study designed to help you establish, deepen, and refine your own Gong Fu tea practice through weekly individual guidance.

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What We Will Study

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The study combines practical knowledge, hands-on brewing, and the cultivation of the physical and mental qualities essential to Gong Fu.

Tea and Teaware

• Understanding the main categories of Chinese tea and their characteristics

• Selecting and working with the brewing vessel

• Choosing tea and teaware appropriate to your practice

• Understanding the relationship between the tea, the vessel, and the water

Brewing Skills

• Working with water temperature, leaf quantity, brewing time, and extraction

• Understanding the sequence of preparation and brewing

• Developing consistency while learning to adjust to different teas

• Refining taste, observation, and sensitivity to the changes between infusions

The Tea Ceremony

• Setting up a functional and harmonious tea space

• Learning the sequence and practical details of a Gong Fu ceremony

• Developing natural, precise, and economical movements

• Understanding the rhythm of preparation, brewing, serving, and completion

• Establishing a personal ritual and regular practice

Attention and Inner Discipline

• Meditation and breathing techniques to support concentration and presence

• Developing physical and mental steadiness during the ceremony

• Working with posture, hand positions, gestures, and mudras

• Cultivating awareness of movement, intention, and the surrounding space

• Exploring the energetic qualities of the Five Elements and their relationship to tea practice

The Art of Serving

• Preparing and serving tea for others

• Understanding the relationship between host, guests, and the shared space

• Developing attentiveness, sensitivity, and ease while serving

• Learning to maintain the quality and rhythm of the ceremony

 

An Individual Approach

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Each student comes with different experience, interests, and abilities.

We begin by assessing your current practice, discussing your goals, and identifying the areas that need attention.

For some, the first steps may involve selecting teaware, arranging a tea space, and establishing a daily ritual. Others may already have a well-developed practice and wish to refine their brewing, deepen their concentration, or explore more subtle aspects of the ceremony.

The study progresses according to your individual development. We return to essential skills as often as necessary, introduce new techniques when appropriate, and build upon what you discover through your own experience.

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Six Months of Guided Practice

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​The mentorship includes private online meetings over six months, with flexible scheduling tailored to your individual progress and practice.

During our meetings, we may brew tea together, examine specific techniques, explore different teas, practice meditation, review your ceremony, or work through questions that arise from your practice.

Between meetings, you will have opportunities to apply what you have learned through independent exercises and regular tea sessions.

The consistency of weekly meetings allows us to observe your progress, refine your skills, and gradually develop a practice that becomes increasingly natural and confident.

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The Art Develops Through Practice

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A skilled tea practitioner learns to recognize the character of the leaves, make thoughtful choices, maintain attention, and adapt to changing conditions. Over time, individual techniques begin to work together. Movements become more precise, decisions more intuitive, and the ceremony more fluid.

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This is the cultivation of Gong Fu: knowledge becoming skill through dedicated practice.

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Begin Your Private Study

Duration: Six months
Format: Individual online study
Approach: Guided practice, personal instruction, and independent exploration

Price: One-time payment $2400

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