Do you rinse oolong tea

[BW85]

I was wondering... traditionally, the first steeping will be discarded. Does that include rinsing? Or is rinsing the actual first steeping that is being discarded?

The rinse would be the discarded first infusion.
I also think of it more as blanching the leaves rather than rinsing

[Poseidon]

For me it depends on the tea. If it is organic, I'll let the tea sit in the hot vessel for an extra long time. Then drink the first steeping.

For everything else, I'll discard the first and drink the second.

[BioHorn]

+1
Generally all for rinsing.
If it is super-premium yancha, I will quaff round one. The open rich stuff sometimes seems to give a great brew #1.

Some balled oolongs seem to do better some times with lower quantity. Try brewing 8 grams and 4 grams side by side. Sometimes the smaller amount opens up better and winds up tasting more complex.

[chrl42]

Some people do drink the first rinsing if it's high-end teas although I prefer to discard it

[bilochun]

saw one of the guys over at teadb do a rinse with cold water for green tea. i wonder has anyone ever tried that with oolong and what were the results?

[BioHorn]

Some people do drink the first rinsing if it's high-end teas although I prefer to discard it

chrl42. Why is that the case? Am curious if it may be for health or aesthetic reasons. Thank you.

[chrl42]

Some people do drink the first rinsing if it's high-end teas although I prefer to discard it

chrl42. Why is that the case? Am curious if it may be for health or aesthetic reasons. Thank you.

Which do you mean? Drinking or avoiding the rinsing?

[BioHorn]

Some people do drink the first rinsing if it's high-end teas although I prefer to discard it

chrl42. Why is that the case? Am curious if it may be for health or aesthetic reasons. Thank you.

Which do you mean? Drinking or avoiding the rinsing?

Sorry. I meant discarding the first rinse even if high-end.

[chrl42]

Some people do drink the first rinsing if it's high-end teas although I prefer to discard it

chrl42. Why is that the case? Am curious if it may be for health or aesthetic reasons. Thank you.

Which do you mean? Drinking or avoiding the rinsing?

Sorry. I meant discarding the first rinse even if high-end.

Totally health reasons, since I've never thought discarding looks good.

I normally rinse twice for Shu or wet-stored Pu, some people even recommend rinsing green tea since many of farmers over-use pesticides.

[BioHorn]

Some people do drink the first rinsing if it's high-end teas although I prefer to discard it

chrl42. Why is that the case? Am curious if it may be for health or aesthetic reasons. Thank you.

Which do you mean? Drinking or avoiding the rinsing?

Sorry. I meant discarding the first rinse even if high-end.

Totally health reasons, since I've never thought discarding looks good.

I normally rinse twice for Shu or wet-stored Pu, some people even recommend rinsing green tea since many of farmers over-use pesticides.

I also double rinse some rough Shu Pu and HeiCha. Thank you for the explanation. I will think about this matter for special teas...
Good day!

[Stephane]

I see that everybody's rinsing! Let me provide a different perspective: I don't. And I have been drinking Oolongs like this for over 10 years (and that's also how Taiwanese tea book author Teaparker teaches his students).

There are many reasons why I think it's not necessary to rinse. Here are some:

1. Logic.
Nobody is rinsing a green tea or a tea bag. Why? Because the best/lightest flavors are those that come out first. If you did this with these teas, you'd loose a high portion of what's most valuable in these leaves. The fact that Oolong is slower to release its flavors because of its rolled shape means you won't loose as much as with green tea or a tea bag, but it's still a loss.
And if even (cheap) tea bags are OK to be brewed without rinsing, why would Oolong be any different? During the production process, Oolong leaves are already subjected to temperatures above 100 degrees Celcius that kill any germ or bacteria.

2. Psychology
I believe that people rinse because they want to feel relaxed about drinking something clean and healthy. I share this concern, which is why the selection of the tea is so important. If a tea looks dirty or smells bad/artificial/tainted, then I prefer not to drink it at all. It's important to feel comfortable with the leaves. To have suspicion that they might be dirty creates a distance between you and the leaves. That's why I prefer to consider them clean in the first place(= Innocent unless proven guilty).

3. A simpler brewing process
Rinsing adds one more step to the brewing. And if you use a charcoal lit kettle, you'd feel it's a waste of boiled water. Besides, if you consider that the rinse is not good to drink because it's dirty, then you should rinse the emptied cup a second time with clean water. Nobody does that, I think. This shows it's more a ritual, a habit than something very logical.

The important is to feel comfortable and at ease during the brewing, so I understand that habits are hard to change. But if you are starting with tea, you can go ahead without rinsing.

[Tead Off]

+1. I'm not sure if it is just perception, but Taiwan teas just seem cleaner than some Chinese teas. I also never rinse gaoshan and never rinse green teas and Indian teas. I do rinse puerh and some Wuyi teas.

[BW85]

For me it's never been about cleaning the leaves, but waking them up. With puerh and oolong, the first infusion doesn't necessarily taste bad, but I like the results more if I blanch the leaves quickly then let them rest for a minute before proceeding with the actual first infusion. I've done personal experiments with and without the blanching and get more satisfaction with.

I also like the simple ritual aspect of the rinse, it gives me a chance to feed my teapot

[Stephane]

+1. I'm not sure if it is just perception, but Taiwan teas just seem cleaner than some Chinese teas. I also never rinse gaoshan and never rinse green teas and Indian teas. I do rinse puerh and some Wuyi teas.

I don't rinse my puerh or Wuyi teas. When they are high quality they taste and look just as clean as Taiwan Oolongs. (But when they are not, then I prefer to abstain from drinking them completely).

For me it's never been about cleaning the leaves, but waking them up. With puerh and oolong, the first infusion doesn't necessarily taste bad, but I like the results more if I blanch the leaves quickly then let them rest for a minute before proceeding with the actual first infusion. I've done personal experiments with and without the blanching and get more satisfaction with.

I also like the simple ritual aspect of the rinse, it gives me a chance to feed my teapot

I agree that it's not so easy to get a good first brew for Oolong (and pressed puerh). On October 11th, I've written about it on my blog in more detail. A thorough pre-heating of the teapot or gaiwan is essential for success. Sometimes, when the room temperature is low, the vessel requires a long pre-heating time or even 2 pre-heatings (for vessels with thick walls). The rinsing provides this added temperature and this is maybe why you feel there's an improvement. However, I think you can get an even better result if you pre-heat well and wait long enough to allow for the rolled leaves to open up.

[BW85]

For me it's never been about cleaning the leaves, but waking them up. With puerh and oolong, the first infusion doesn't necessarily taste bad, but I like the results more if I blanch the leaves quickly then let them rest for a minute before proceeding with the actual first infusion. I've done personal experiments with and without the blanching and get more satisfaction with.

I also like the simple ritual aspect of the rinse, it gives me a chance to feed my teapot

I agree that it's not so easy to get a good first brew for Oolong (and pressed puerh). On October 11th, I've written about it on my blog in more detail. A thorough pre-heating of the teapot or gaiwan is essential for success. Sometimes, when the room temperature is low, the vessel requires a long pre-heating time or even 2 pre-heatings (for vessels with thick walls). The rinsing provides this added temperature and this is maybe why you feel there's an improvement. However, I think you can get an even better result if you pre-heat well and wait long enough to allow for the rolled leaves to open up.

I definitely preheat my teapots very well. I still think the first brew is more enjoyable after hiting the leaves with boiling water then letting them steam for a minute. I enjoy the first brew more, rather than waiting for the second brew. And i use pretty high leaf ratios so there will be 8 or 12 more quick brews following. Granted I don't drink much gaoshan or green oolongs in general. my oolong consumption is primarily yancha and high fired anxi, you don't really loose any delicate notes in the rinse with these. Even dancongs I've compared and prefer the rinse.

It's all a matter of how you brew. If I used smaller amounts of leaf and longer infusion times then I probably wouldn't rinse.