At least the Japanese chadao requires Japanese matcha. I think at a minimum a WuYi chadao should require a WuYi tea. I understand gongfu is anybodys idea of making tea with little pots and cups. If not then English tea is the ultimate gongfu. I dont mind arbitrary rules so long as it is presented upfront so people cant hide behind technique as a substitute for insight. Over the holidays I witnessed TEAVANA selling more gongfu sets than tea. The blogs are full of my tea setup occupies more counter space than yours. I think something is lost in formality for its own sake. I occasionally go to a Japanese dojo that serves food. It is part of student training for health and humility. You have to request a pot of tea. The pot is considered a conspicuous object that detracts from zazen. A bowl and chopsticks is the formal service. Over the years Ive reduced my conspicuous tea consumption to a Pavina with infused leaves. Heating water as in a kettle is part of nature. All my other tea objects are hidden. Minimalism is beauty, formalism is clutter. In Japanese zen as soon as I say, it is not so.
Jim
PS A zen practioner of the Japanese tea ceremony once told me it is the undoing of the doing. He said most schools teach it as the doing of the undoing which leads nowhere like a Koan.