Is It Necessary to Rinse Tea Leaves?

Some tea friends often get this question, is it necessary to rinse tea leaves?

From my point of view, the phrase “rinse tea leaves” can be somewhat misleading. It sounds like all the pesticide residues and dust can be given a thorough cleaning. But actually, as long as the tea leaves measure up, it’s absolutely fine to drink the tea without rinsing it.

So, you don’t have to rinse the tea leaves for this purpose. The reason some people “rinse tea leaves” is for a better flavor. And “rinse tea” is often called “warm-up brewing”.

So, what types of tea require that process? For green tea, there’s no need for “warm-up brewing”. Similarly, yellow tea, black tea and white tea also don’t need it. For oolong tea, if it has tight leaves or rolled leaves like Tie Guanyin, it’s better to use warm-up brewing. But for loose leaf type it’s not necessary. Then for compressed teas such as aged white tea, aged Lubao and Pu-erh tea, it’s quite important to use “warm-up brewing”.