> I always got the impression that's mainly something they do with Pu Errh tea (which has to "age" for years and is thus dusty) = because they don't trust that the leaves are clean.
Isn't it also the normal chinese method for oolong? "Wash" brew once for a short time (a few seconds) to open up the leaves, then rebrew with small steeping increments (probably depends on the specific but the teas I got suggested 20~30s initial brewing — after the wash — and 5~10 seconds increment).
With the Chinese method, you also have to use large amounts of tea - as in, the cup should be full of leaves, at least after they're opened from the brewing.
I believe that’s the official line but I can’t help noticing that it also gets the little bits of tea leaves that would be missed by the traditional straining method.
Isn't it also the normal chinese method for oolong? "Wash" brew once for a short time (a few seconds) to open up the leaves, then rebrew with small steeping increments (probably depends on the specific but the teas I got suggested 20~30s initial brewing — after the wash — and 5~10 seconds increment).