Hard Time Letting Go of The Rinse

[wyardley]

Maybe someone else can chime in on the science, but I'm just not that convinced that a short rinse in hot water is going to get rid of that much bad stuff. If the tea is produced using pesticides (which a lot of tea is), some of that is likely going to stay in the tea. So maybe you'll get some low-hanging fruit, but I don't think you're going to make much of a difference. I do it anyway, however, I don't try to convince myself that it's somehow making a big difference in terms of health / safey.

So rinse if it makes you feel better, but I think the more important thing is to try your best (and you'll never be able to be completely sure about anything unless you pick it yourself) to get good quality tea, and then pay close attention to how it makes your body feel.

Just my $0.02.

[vibrantdragon]

I have never measured cleaning tea leaves, but I have been part of study that measured cleaning glassware. We wanted to clean glass ware and one rinse of water with the correct swirl I think (sorry almost 25 years now) cleaned more than 70% of the dirt out. The second rinse took another 10% or so out. This was glassware we use in the lab and mostly looking at ionics (salt and stuff) not organic material.

[Geospearit]

You've convinced me to always rinse first. I don't usually rinse oolongs because I use quality leaf and I *assume* that pesticides weren't used. I was assuming the same for the pu-erhs that I've been drinking, but I forgot about the toe jam and all.

Actually I usually flash rinse tightly rolled oolongs for an entirely different reason, it it wakes them up and gets them to start relaxing so the flavor and aroma come out the first brew better. Often I'll flash rinse, then let them sit for a minute or so. Try it, you'll like it.

I agree. I don't care for a flash dunked oolong rinse... but a flash puerh rinse ( I usually pour just enough to cover the leaf ) almost always is packed full of flavorful deepness.

[Geospearit]

I have never measured cleaning tea leaves, but I have been part of study that measured cleaning glassware. We wanted to clean glass ware and one rinse of water with the correct swirl I think (sorry almost 25 years now) cleaned more than 70% of the dirt out. The second rinse took another 10% or so out. This was glassware we use in the lab and mostly looking at ionics (salt and stuff) not organic material.

Interesting. More science pleeeease

[hop_goblin]

Maybe someone else can chime in on the science, but I'm just not that convinced that a short rinse in hot water is going to get rid of that much bad stuff. If the tea is produced using pesticides (which a lot of tea is), some of that is likely going to stay in the tea. So maybe you'll get some low-hanging fruit, but I don't think you're going to make much of a difference. I do it anyway, however, I don't try to convince myself that it's somehow making a big difference in terms of health / safey.

So rinse if it makes you feel better, but I think the more important thing is to try your best (and you'll never be able to be completely sure about anything unless you pick it yourself) to get good quality tea, and then pay close attention to how it makes your body feel.

Just my $0.02.

It may be just enough to rid a leaf of a dried booger

[Geospearit]

It may be just enough to rid a leaf of a dried booger

Mmmmm, aged China-man booger. Probably medicinal in itself.

[Geospearit]

I understand that the Chinese consider it bad manners not to rinse when you do a gong fu session.

Hrm, makes me wonder if this tradition stemmed from etiquette alone. I question the science of the tradition along with Wyardly. Where is the proof that it really sanitizes? We need more research. Or maybe we just need to relax and enjoy our tea. Forget about the high profile research. Just so long as we have our tea.

[Drax]

When cleaning our labware, we used to (at least) "triple rinse" everything with acetone (and that was once it was visibly clean of any salts or organic matter). The rationale was something about 99%+ clean at that point, but I don't remember the specifics of the argument.

If you just wanted to clean off the surface of the tea, you could do three extremely fast rinses (i.e. pour water on and immediately rinse). In fact, you could probably do the same w/ just cold water, or slightly warm water.

Then you run into the problem that with many types of pu-erh, the compressed chunks have interior parts that aren't reached until the leaves steam/heat apart. Of course, if they've been compressed this whole time, they hopefully don't have much debris on them and it's just the outer surface that really needs washing.

Regardless of all the surface stuff, it doesn't address anything that the leaves have absorbed (such as pesticides). To be honest, I don't think you're getting around this one. It depends (if pesticides are used) how much the leaves absorbed before they were picked, and how quickly they diffuse into water. I don't think you're going to be able to do any amount of 'timing' or selective extraction to remove pesticides vice tea-related stuff....

[tony shlongini]

Actually I usually flash rinse tightly rolled oolongs for an entirely different reason, it it wakes them up and gets them to start relaxing so the flavor and aroma come out the first brew better.

Same here.

[tony shlongini]

Do what you want.

Pu-erh can sometimes be just plain disgusting. I always rinse because of this.

For this very reason, I'll always wash a shu twice. Sheng gets a single rinse here, other than the good tasting but horrendous looking Xiaguan Tibetan brick, which gets a secong go around.

[JAS-eTea Guy]

Interesting discussion! I have been using two rinses because I thought it was what you are supposed to do but seems like I could at least cut back to one rinse.

[Wesli]

Rinsing is more for dirt/dust/loose molds and the like. I've never met someone who did it to get rid of excess pesticides, though it must do this to some degree.

[tjkoko_off]

If you rinse ...say oolongs, is the rinsewater temperature at boiling or brewing temperature?

[Wesli]

Well, I make all my oolongs with boiling or near boiling water, so I use the same temperature water for rinses. There is one oolong I've had that supposedly needs a cooler rinse to turn out right, but it's aged oolong, and they're picky anyways.