So far, it's uncommon for people to drink ripe pu'er without first washing it.

Unless you experience it yourself, it's hard to believe drinking ripe pu'er without washing based on anyone else's experience.

The reasons boil down to the following:

Ripe pu'er has a heap flavor, and washing the Tea helps quickly remove this flavor. Of course, some heap flavors cannot be washed away no matter how many times you try.

Many ripe pu'ers have dust, which can be removed by washing the tea.

Aged ripe pu'ers often have storage and miscellaneous odors, and washing the tea helps volatilize these odors and awaken the tea's true nature.

In some cases, during the process of raw materials, production, storage, and transportation, it is impossible to ensure 100% dust-free conditions, hence washing the tea is necessary.

If one drinks ripe pu'er without washing it, the tea must be “clean.”

During this period of Steeping tea, I found that if you drink ripe pu'er without washing, the tea must be “clean.”

This “cleanliness” means there are no other impurities apart from the intrinsic substances naturally present in the tea from the soil.

If there is water taste, dust, pesticide residues, or any other foreign substances, the tea cannot be considered clean.

Let alone heap or storage odors.

If the tea is clean, for middle-aged and aged ripe pu'ers over three years old, the fermentation-induced water taste and heap flavor should have completely dissipated. If they have been stored cleanly and hygienically without any contamination, they can be consumed without washing.

What is the purpose of washing tea?

The first infusion of tea usually tastes relatively bland because the dry leaves have just come into contact with water and their internal substances have not fully interacted yet. Therefore, washing the tea also serves as a way to wake up the tea. Under high-temperature hot water, the tea leaves begin to unfold, facilitating the release of their internal substances. This process is also known as a pre-infusion. For older teas, waking them up is particularly important, and they typically require two rinses to fully awaken the tea.