“Washing the tea” is more accurately referred to as “awakening the tea.” This process is meant to awaken the tea leaves and stimulate their aroma, ensuring they are at their best for brewing so that the taster can experience the best possible fragrance and taste. Some aged Pu'er teas require two rounds of “awakening.” Green Tea, being a non-fermented tea, retains rich vitamins and amino acids, with the first infusion containing the highest nutritional value.
Why Don't We Wash Green Tea?
In fact, green tea does not need to be washed due to its distinct production process compared to other types of tea. During the making of green tea, the freshly picked young leaves undergo processes such as fixation, rolling, and Drying, which intensify the flavor and aroma of the tea. Other teas, however, require Fermentation and thus benefit from an initial rinse with hot Water to remove any off-flavors.
As for green tea, since it is not fermented, it has not been exposed to air or moisture during production, making a rinse unnecessary. If you enjoy drinking green tea, you can simply pour boiling water over it in your brewing vessel.
However, if you want to better appreciate the flavor and aroma of green tea, you can give it a quick rinse with water around 80°C before brewing, which will help bring out its characteristics.
Green tea does not need to be washed. Being a non-fermented tea made from fresh young buds, it is delicate and not resilient to multiple infusions or high temperatures. Washing would reduce the number of infusions, resulting in subsequent cups with a weaker flavor. Furthermore, about 50% of the extractable substances are released in the first infusion, and washing would lead to a loss of these valuable nutrients. Therefore, there is no need to wash green tea.