“Tea washing” when making Oolong tea 泡茶中的“洗茶”之道

人们用茶壶冲泡乌龙茶时，习惯把第一泡茶水倒掉，称之为“洗茶”。《中国茶叶大辞典》“洗茶”条解释：“洗茶即洗去了散茶表面杂质，且可诱发茶香、茶味。”
When making Oolong tea, people always pour out the first cup of tea, which is called “tea washing”. According to the China Tea Dictionary, “tea washing is to wash away impurities on the surface of tea leaves and to express the aroma and taste of tea”.
据学者考证，“洗茶”一词始用于北宋，沿袭于泡茶饮用程式，原属于茶叶采制过程用语，后延伸至饮用过程中。
based on research by scholars, the term “tea washing” originated in the Northern Song Dynasty, and it was used in the producing process of tea leaves in the first place and was later extended to the making process of tea.
新鲜茶叶从茶树上采摘下来以后经过初制、精制，其中有多道工序如做青、釜炒、揉捻、烘焙、筛拣等，不仅获得茶叶品级，而且严格依照了卫生标准。其中偶有夹杂物如茶灰、尘埃，经注入沸水即倒掉，也立即去除。
After being picked, fresh tea leaves are pretreated and finished, including several procedures like drying, fixation, rolling, baking, and selecting. Selecting is the process of grading the tea leaves and enforcing hygienic standards. In case of any impurity, e.g. dust or dirt, it is removed by infusing boiling water and then pouring out the tea.
第一泡茶的操作，主要是进行浸泡，有利于茶叶的舒展和茶汁的浸出，使饮用者很快感觉到茶叶香味，而不是单纯为了洗去茶叶不卫生的东西。第一泡茶的有效成分较多，如茶多酚、氨基酸、醚浸出物等，不但对人体健康有益，而且尽显茶的美味。
The first infusion is to steep, to allow the tea leaves to stretch out, speed up the process of dissolving, and to make the drinker smell the aroma of tea leaves, not only for washing away impurities. The resulting tea contains lots of active ingredients, such as tea polyphenols, amino acids, and ether extracts, which are not only beneficial for your health, but also result in the flavor of the tea.
根据有关实验，茶的香味和有益人体的成分在第一泡后3秒即开始浸出，若超过3秒钟倒掉茶水，上述茶中的有效成分就会大量损失。所以，“洗茶”用语宜修正为“浸茶”或“温茶”较为确切和科学。
An experiment showed that the aroma and healthful ingredients of tea begin to dissolve in water after 3 seconds upon the first infusion, and that the said active ingredients will be lost if the first infusion is not poured out within 3 seconds. Therefore, it is better to amend the term “tea washing” to “tea steeping” or “tea warming”, which is more precise and more scientific.