When drinking tea, people habitually rinse the leaves before brewing. Most people believe that rinsing the tea removes 'dirt and dust' or 'pesticide residues', whilst others regard it as a psychological ritual, believing that doing so cleanses the tea leaves and allows them to be consumed with peace of mind.
This perception is not limited to ordinary tea drinkers; even within academic circles, some have included 'rinsing the tea' as a standard practice in the art of tea, listing it as an essential step in many tea-ceremony procedures. This is because the act of 'rinsing' implies that the tea is not sufficiently clean, which may leave a negative impression on guests and dampen their enjoyment of the tea-tasting experience.
Consequently, in modern tea ceremony, the term 'washing the tea' has gradually been replaced by 'moistening the tea' or 'awakening the tea'. In everyday tea-making, however, there are few strict rules, and the terms 'moistening the tea', 'awakening the tea' and 'washing the tea' are used interchangeably; in colloquial speech, 'washing the tea' is used more frequently.
What exactly does rinsing the tea wash away?
1. Washing off dust?
In current tea production and processing, processing plants of any significant scale generally meet the requirements for clean production. Even for relatively small-scale farmers or workshops, the tea production process is generally carried out without the tea leaves coming into contact with the ground.
The 'dust' on tea leaves consists mainly of tea downy hairs and dust-like particles formed during the production and processing stages; it is not soil or dirt.
2. Washing away pesticide residues?
As a beverage closely linked to the daily lives of the vast majority of Chinese people, the safety of tea is a matter of great concern. Tea of standard quality that is legally available on the market naturally meets all national safety standards, including those for pesticide residues and heavy metals. Even if trace amounts of pesticide residues are present in the tea, these are predominantly fat-soluble, and the resulting brewed tea is safe to drink.
As soon as tea leaves come into contact with hot water, certain substances dissolve into the water in large quantities within a matter of seconds. The first to be extracted are vitamins, which impart a refreshing flavour, amino acids, which impart a savoury flavour, and alkaloids, which impart a stimulating flavour.
If we rinse the tea for too long, the tea liquor that is poured away will contain large amounts of nutrients such as vitamins, amino acids and alkaloids.
What exactly is 'rinsing the tea'?
According to historical records, the term 'washing the tea' originated in the Northern Song Dynasty and has been an integral part of the tea-brewing ritual ever since, with a history spanning nearly 700 years. The *Encyclopaedia of Chinese Tea* explains 'washing the tea' as follows: 'Washing the tea removes impurities from the surface of loose tea leaves and helps to bring out the tea's aroma and flavour.'
It can thus be seen that rinsing tea serves two main purposes:
• Firstly, it removes dust and particles from the surface of the tea;
• Secondly, it allows the dry tea leaves to absorb heat and moisture, causing them to unfurl and become more supple, which facilitates the dissolution of flavour compounds and enables the tea's aromatic compounds to be released more effectively.
Essential points to bear in mind when rinsing tea
• When rinsing the tea, the water temperature should not be too high; it may be slightly lower than the temperature used for brewing.
• It is important to time the rinsing correctly; it should not be too long, otherwise too many nutrients will be lost and the flavour will be poor.
• Whether or not to rinse the tea should be determined by taking into account a range of factors, including the maturity of the tea leaves, their shape and compactness, the degree of rolling, the level of fermentation, and the temperature at which the tea's characteristic aroma is best brought out.
