• HOME >
  • How to enjoy tea

Why do we rinse tea leaf?

[2015.11.22] Posted By

プーアル茶
We often rinse tea leaf before we brew it. Do you really know the reason for it?
Some people say it is because Chinese tea is often contaminated by pesticide and the rinsing is cleansing process to get rid of it. Of course it is not true. If pesticide is used, it is applied in late spring or summer when weather becomes warmer and pests become an issue. The farmer will not apply pesticide on freshly geminated leaf in spring. The pesticide applied in late spring or summer is absorbed by tea through its root and it stays inside the cell. Technically, there is no way to remove pesticide by rinsing even if it is really used. So what actually is the reason to rinse tea?

3 reasons for rinsing tea leaf

From my point of view, there are three reasons why we rinse tea.

  1. To unfurl the tea leaf
  2. Maintain high brewing temperature
  3. For short time brewing

1. Open tea leaf

Some oolong teas, such as Taiwan oolong and Anxi oolong like Tie Guan Yin, are tightly rolled into ball shape. While Pu-erh tea is often compressed very hard into disc or brick shape. If we brew these teas without rinsing, water may not penetrate inside but only moisten the surface. This will result in very inconsistent brewing.

烏龍茶
With rinsing once or twice, these teas will be loosen and unrolled. Usually, the better the quality, the faster the unrolling speed. We need to adjust the rinsing time according to the quality of tea.

2. Maintain high brewing temperature

The flavor and taste of fermented tea such as oolong and black tea are composed of substances like terpene and conjugated poly phenol. These substances are produced as a result of enzymatic oxidation. These substances have lesser affinity than poly phenol exists in non-fermented tea like green tea. Hence, it is important to get higher temperature to efficiently extract the substances when brewing fermented tea.

Many people would think that the temperature of boiling water is at 100 degree C. However, if we measure the actual temperature of hot water right after we stop heating, it is at about 95 degree C. Once it is poured into teapot, the hot water temperature drops about 10 degree C in summer and nearly 20 degree C in winter. In addition, dry tea leaf also contributes in cooling the water temperature to another 10 degree C. If no rinsing is carried out, you are actually brewing tea at 65 or 75 degree C. This is not hot enough at all to bring out the flavor and taste of fermented tea. Therefore, it is very important to warm up teapot with boiling water for 10 seconds, and again rinse tea leaf with boiling water for a few seconds. Usually, it is not very common to rinse black tea. However, some people rinse it if they practice Gong Fu brewing technique.

3. For short time brewing

The naturally farmed tea contains a lot of poly phenol or its oxide. Also as I mentioned above, the main taste component of fermented tea is also poly phenol oxide. In order to brewing these teas well, the key is how to extract these substances. Since these substances have lesser affinity with water, it is important to use water at higher temperature.

工夫式
However, tea may be damaged if water temperature is too high. To minimize the damage, we ought to practice “high temperature and short time” brewing technique. It is said that high temperature and short time brewing gives lesser damage compared to lower temperature and long time brewing.
In order to achieve high temperature and short time brewing, we need some preparation. Firstly, warm up the teapot with boiling hot water for about 10 seconds. After pour in the tealeaf, rinse tealeaf once or twice swiftly, tealeaf will then unrolled and easier to extract its flavor and taste. Usually, after rinsing I put the lid back on and leave the tealeaf for about 10 seconds. The hot steam will remain inside the teapot. This steaming further helps tea leaf to be ready for subsequent brewing. With this method, we can get sufficient flavor and taste even if we keep entire brewing time in less than a few seconds. We can also practice the same technique for green or black tea. But the rinsing must be carried out as quickly as we can.

Related Articles

How to get the latest update on HOJO Tea?

1. Follow Twitter, 2. Click "Like" on Facebook, and 3. Subscribe in newsletter. You can have the latest tea news from HOJO Tea.

Subscribe the Newsletter to enjoy the privileges
You may receive a free sample upon purchase, or you may have the priority to purchase special products. So please remember to subscribe our newsletter as well as the social network.
HOJO TEA Malaysia online Shop

HOJO TEA Online Shop NEWSlist

Special Release Limited Set of Ancient White Tea from 5 Gardens
The ancient white tea is a very popular tea in our store. We produced this tea in spring. Following production, it was stored in an oxygen-free environment for several months to further enhance its flavor, achieving the expected maturation. The production of ancient tree white tea is limited in quantity per day, resulting in small …
The New Arrival of Da Xue Shan Wild White Tea Loose 2023
We have released the 2023 harvest of wild white tea from the Da Xue Shan. Fresh Green Colour of Leaves Achieved Through Custom Production Da Xue Shan’s wild white tea is an incredibly rare type of white tea, and it’s made from a unique plant called Camellia Taliensis that grows in the wild in the …

NEW ARTICLES

We released Lapsang Suchong Qi Zhong Classic: Premium Lapsang Souchong
Lapsang Souchong is one of the earliest known black teas distinguished by a unique production method and flavour profile. Its origins are often linked to the Wuyi Mountains in China’s Fujian province, where Lapsang Souchong is traditionally crafted. Black tea production in the Wuyi region has a history dating back several centuries. Lapsang Souchong tea …
Regular Consumption of Umami Seasoning Can Influence Taste Preferences
Excessive consumption of artificial condiments, such as umami seasonings, is believed to influence one’s taste and preferences. I’d like to share my own view to explore how an overabundance of condiments can indeed influence one’s palate. Umami Seasonings Are Prevalent in Asian Countries I spend half of the year living abroad, particularly in China and …
Special Release Limited Set of Ancient White Tea from 5 Gardens
The ancient white tea is a very popular tea in our store. We produced this tea in spring. Following production, it was stored in an oxygen-free environment for several months to further enhance its flavor, achieving the expected maturation. The production of ancient tree white tea is limited in quantity per day, resulting in small …
The New Arrival of Da Xue Shan Wild White Tea Loose 2023
We have released the 2023 harvest of wild white tea from the Da Xue Shan. Fresh Green Colour of Leaves Achieved Through Custom Production Da Xue Shan’s wild white tea is an incredibly rare type of white tea, and it’s made from a unique plant called Camellia Taliensis that grows in the wild in the …
5 Years Aged Wu Liang Shan White Tea from 2018
In 2018, we introduced the Wu Liang Shan Ancient Tree White Tea. It became an instant hit, selling out quickly due to its exquisite taste and captivating aroma.Fortunately, we had the foresight to store half of the tea in Malaysia, where the consistently high temperatures create the perfect conditions for aging. Over the past five …
Grand Reopening of Gardens’ HOJO Store: Exciting Promotions Await!
We are delighted to announce that HOJO tea shop at The Gardens Mall will be reopening after renovation on Tuesday, July 11th, 10am to 10pm. To celebrate the store’s reopening, we have prepared some special promotions for the entire month of July: 1. For every RM1000 purchase on single receipt, you will have the opportunity …
Discover the long-lasting flavor profile of 2023 Shi Feng Long Jing
We have launched the 2023 harvest of Shi Feng Long Jing tea. Shi Feng Long Jing tea, also known as Shi Feng Dragon Well tea. It is one of the most famous and highly regarded teas in China.Shi Feng Long Jing tea is characterized by its flat, spear-shaped leaves that have a vibrant green colour. …
Rare Jasmine Tea Uniquely Crafted from Ripe Pu-erh
Instead of sourcing finished jasmine tea, we specialize in producing custom-made jasmine tea by bringing our carefully selected raw materials to jasmine factories. Over the years, we have created numerous unique jasmine tea varieties that are not available elsewhere, such as Pu-erh jasmine tea made from raw Pu-erh tea leaves, Jasmine Silver Needle made from …
Introducing 3 Varieties of Phoenix Dancong Oolong Tea
We have released new types of Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong Tea that are finished with more rounds of roasting with traditional charcoal fire by skilled tea master. In Phoenix, the locals called it Nong Xiang style, meaning that tea is giving more intense matured flavor. Nong Xiang tea refers to tea that has been roasted …
Exploring the Taste Diversity Within a Tea Tree: Apical Buds vs. Lateral Buds
Do you believe that all tea leaves have the same taste as long as they come from the same tree? I would like to explain that the taste of tea can vary significantly depending on the plucking position, even when harvested from the same tree. The Difference in Flavor Due to Different Harvesting Parts of …

PAGETOP