TeaChat

Hey,
I recently bought some loose leaf Pu Erh tea and it smells fine whilst dry, the earthy tones which I have heard it described by. However once I have brewed it and poured it out it smells like fish and is rather unpleasent. Is this supposed to occur? I think it is a bit better once I have sipped it, btu it still has a bit of a fishy taste.
I was thinking of returning it (if it isn't too much bother) and getting a new batch sent out, so is it likely to be a 'spoiled' batch, or is this what it should be like?
Thanks in advance.

Apex wrote:Hey,
I recently bought some loose leaf Pu Erh tea and it smells fine whilst dry, the earthy tones which I have heard it described by. However once I have brewed it and poured it out it smells like fish and is rather unpleasent. Is this supposed to occur? I think it is a bit better once I have sipped it, btu it still has a bit of a fishy taste.
I was thinking of returning it (if it isn't too much bother) and getting a new batch sent out, so is it likely to be a 'spoiled' batch, or is this what it should be like?
Thanks in advance.

Yes, the smell is normal in the case of inferior "wet stored' or "cooked puerh. I would really encourage you to purchase samples of dry stored puerh. Dry aged puerh should have a very pleasant smell of sandlewood, camphor, earth, floral 'slightly aged', dried plums and many other nuances. Properly stored puerh is a wonderful thing. I would also shy away from loose puerh when you are first venturing into puerh. It has been my experience that compressed puerh is far more pleasant and consistant than loose stuff. Although it is important to say that puerh creates a dicotomy with those who drink it. You either will love it, or hate it.

A good vendor is www.houdeasianart.com

Thank you for your prompt reply!
Ah ok, yes it must have been " inferior "'wet stored' or 'cooked puerh'". What dry puerh would you reccomend whilst keeping price in mind as I have had a look at that site I and I am not yet ready to spend $355 on an aged batch haha. I am very intrigued about puerh now, it sounds incredibly good.

Apex, you should check out my thread titled "Where to start" where puerh sages Bearsbearsbears and Hop helped me get started on tasting some proper samples. You can also see my notes on what I have tried so far.

Thanks Bhale, I forgot that your previous post had some nice recommendations.

Apex, most of HouDe samples are reasonably priced. It is very rare for a vendor to offer such a wide selection of puerh. If you look under the "Tea Sample" section, I am sure you will find tea in your price range.

Hop

Fishiness comes from a process that basically composts the tea. As you might think, a little mishap could get serious. I prefer sheng/uncooked/raw pu-erh, as most do.

Do go for some stuff that bears recommended in the "Where to start" thread, I am.

hop_goblin wrote:

Apex wrote:Hey,
I recently bought some loose leaf Pu Erh tea and it smells fine whilst dry, the earthy tones which I have heard it described by. However once I have brewed it and poured it out it smells like fish and is rather unpleasent. Is this supposed to occur? I think it is a bit better once I have sipped it, btu it still has a bit of a fishy taste.
I was thinking of returning it (if it isn't too much bother) and getting a new batch sent out, so is it likely to be a 'spoiled' batch, or is this what it should be like?
Thanks in advance.

Yes, the smell is normal in the case of inferior "wet stored' or "cooked puerh. I would really encourage you to purchase samples of dry stored puerh. Dry aged puerh should have a very pleasant smell of sandlewood, camphor, earth, floral 'slightly aged', dried plums and many other nuances. Properly stored puerh is a wonderful thing. I would also shy away from loose puerh when you are first venturing into puerh. It has been my experience that compressed puerh is far more pleasant and consistant than loose stuff. Although it is important to say that puerh creates a dicotomy with those who drink it. You either will love it, or hate it.

A good vendor is www.houdeasianart.com

Thats what i was saying about the richpuer teas. they arent "wet stored" and dont give off that fishy smell the poster described. I would seriously recommend their teas. just give it a try. my uncle swears by that stuff. they have samples available as well.

I've had many a pu-erh that smells like damp earth before infusion, and something akin to wet dog and fish afterwards. However, the taste is absolutely delightful. It tastes of rich earthy flavors. So that's to say it tastes like dirt and wood, but I love it. None of that fishiness should be present in the flavor profile. Then again, it is possible that I just don't notice the fishy flavor, but I would doubt it. If possible try to get your hands on a young pu-erh. The flavor of rich dirt should pervade most of the characteristics, but it is still rather smooth. If in north america I would recommend visiting taooftea.com. They have a nice selection of pu-erh at reasonable prices (at least, I think so).

I've only been drinking pu erh twice but I still consider it to be my favorite tea. Both the pu erhs I had smelled really bad but I didn't mind, I saw it as part of the experience. For me, pu ehr should be something very special and not onlu pleasant. I think I simply wouldn't appreciate my pu as much if it didn't smell rotten mushrooms

Sources tell me, shu or cooked puerh smells like a fertilizer with a hint of sterilizer. Avoid a puerh that smells like a mold and unconfortable to your throat.
It also says 20-yr-old puerh smells like a camphor tree and 30-yr-old smells like a lotus root under best condition of storing, whatever that means