Bizarre TikTok hack claims to improve taste of tea: ‘I’m converted’

An unusual hack that claims to improve the taste of your cuppa has gone viral on TikTok as people debate its efficacy. Sports broadcaster Cindy Poluta took to the app to share her newfound discovery of rinsing tea bags before brewing, which allegedly makes the tea taste better.

In the video, which has been viewed more than 330,000 times, Poluta said she heard about the “hack” through a colleague and was sceptical at first.

“I was like never, not in a million years,” she said. “I came home and I tried it, and I now rinse my tea bags before I use it. It’s not a long rinse, it’s a very short rinse …it just tastes so much better. I’m converted.”

Poluta demonstrated the hack by briefly rinsing a tea bag under water before placing it into a mug, adding boiling water and stirring, before brewing it “as strong as you normally have your tea”. She ended the video by imploring her 18,000 followers to explain the science behind the bizarre phenomenon.

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TikTokers test out tea bag hack

In the comments section, one follower said that when rinsing a tea bag with cold water, it moistens the tea leaves and washes away any small particles, dust or residues that might affect the flavour.

“This process prepares the leaves for steeping, allowing them to release their full flavour profile more effectively when brewed in hot water,” the commenter wrote. “Additionally, rinsing can help to reduce bitterness and astringency in the final cup, resulting in a smoother and more enjoyable tea experience.”

Another commenter noted that while boiling water burns tea leaves, rinsing the tea bags stops it from burning, making it taste “less bitter”.

“I’ve been influenced,” a third follower wrote in praise of the hack.

“Tried it and it really tastes better,” a fellow commenter chimed in, while another said they “don’t taste the difference”.

Before going viral on TikTok, however, the method has long been used in Chinese cultures, particularly as part of a tea brewing process called ‘gongfu’ – where rinsing the tea is seen as a way of ‘awakening’ the leaves in order to release more flavour, before steeping several times in short increments.

What is the science behind rinsing tea bags?

Despite this, Food Safety Plus food scientist Edward McCartney told Yahoo Lifestyle Australia that there was actually no scientific basis to the tea bag hack, or the claims made online.

“Tea bags are typically packaged in high tech manufacturing facilities with strict environmental controls,” McCartney explained. “Rinsing the tea bag before soaking will not enhance the flavour of the tea, in fact it may rinse away some flavours.”

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He added that rinsing your tea bag also won’t reduce its caffeine levels, eliminate or reduce pesticide residues, or reduce or eliminate foreign objects.

“In short, there is no basis to these myths,” said McCartney. “However, consumers should prepare tea in accordance with their preferences.”

Maybe it’s simply a placebo effect after all.

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