All my pu erh is starting to taste bad

[rosenkraftlos]

I haven't drunk any of my pu erh for a while, but today I drank one that I have never tried before and it tasted horrible. I assumed it was just this particular tea, so I made another cup of a tea I have drunk before and really liked, but it had a similar taste.

It is really hard to describe this taste, but it is very unpleasant and extremely strong. I know I am not just imagining it. It isn't even subtle, it is very noticeable.

This taste wasn't there before.. so what could have happened? I have my pu erh in a cardboard box in my kitchen. Could it be that a new pu erh cake I purchased has this taste and has transferred it to the others? Could it be something in my house? Could it maybe even be something in my teapot or the pot I use to bowl the water? Or something else? And is there anyway to get the taste out?

Thanks

[hop_goblin]

I haven't drunk any of my pu erh for a while, but today I drank one that I have never tried before and it tasted horrible. I assumed it was just this particular tea, so I made another cup of a tea I have drunk before and really liked, but it had a similar taste.

It is really hard to describe this taste, but it is very unpleasant and extremely strong. I know I am not just imagining it. It isn't even subtle, it is very noticeable.

This taste wasn't there before.. so what could have happened? I have my pu erh in a cardboard box in my kitchen. Could it be that a new pu erh cake I purchased has this taste and has transferred it to the others? Could it be something in my house? Could it maybe even be something in my teapot or the pot I use to bowl the water? Or something else? And is there anyway to get the taste out?

Thanks

Yes, Yes, Yes, and Yes,

Although I don't know if it is just your taste that has changed but what you have wrote can all be contributing factors. Pu-erh 101 will suggests that storing pu in a kitchen is a big no no. Too many thing can contaminate pu. From flying oil vapors to general kitchen cleaners. It is possible that a beeng or another can be changing the profile of puerhs that are adjacent to it. However, I dont think that this could describe the changes you are experiencing. For instance, smoke, will make others taste smoky. Wet stored can make young sheng taste differently. etc. As for the teapot, if your teaware is also stored in the kitchen it can fall victim as well. Oil vapors and frying smells can coat the pot just like other things in the kitchen. When you pour hot water into it, the oils get infused into the water. As for water, if you are using distilled water or water that is highly chlorinated you may experiences some unpleasantness. Distilled water lacks the necessary hardness for the tea profiles to develop and lacks oxygen all important for making a good cuppa. Chlorine is self explanatory. However all of this may be unimportant if you are just experiencing a stronger cup. Try cutting back on the amount and cutting the time of your infusions. Also, you may want to rinse a second time if you are brewing gongfu. I do with some teas.

[rosenkraftlos]

there are ten billion reasons - You need to be very specific -

The first thing, is look at the tea - any sign of mold ?

No mold.

Smell the tea, same smell as taste ? Well stored pu'erh smells fantastic.....

The first one seems to have very little smell at all, the second smells good.

Brew with diffrent pot (you can even use a small bowl or measuring cup to test)

I will try that, but first I will just try washing the teapot very well. (it is a gaiwan)

Try breaking up a bit, let it air out in the sun and fresh air.

It's cloudy and windy today, but I will probably try that another day if nothing else works.

Some people think all pu'erh is like this - "It is really hard to describe this taste, but it is very unpleasant and extremely strong. "

No, most pu erh I really like.

[sp1key]

if you break it up, its a better choice to store them in a zhisha urn or porcelain pot and opening it once a week for a few weeks... out in the sun isnt advisable

[puerhking]

I kept a few in the kitchen and left them there longer than I planned which seemed to have a detrimental effect. I did remove them and put them with the rest of my pu's and they did recover after about 3 weeks.

[TIM]

I haven't drunk any of my pu erh for a while, but today I drank one that I have never tried before and it tasted horrible. I assumed it was just this particular tea, so I made another cup of a tea I have drunk before and really liked, but it had a similar taste.

It is really hard to describe this taste, but it is very unpleasant and extremely strong. I know I am not just imagining it. It isn't even subtle, it is very noticeable.

This taste wasn't there before.. so what could have happened? I have my pu erh in a cardboard box in my kitchen. Could it be that a new pu erh cake I purchased has this taste and has transferred it to the others? Could it be something in my house? Could it maybe even be something in my teapot or the pot I use to bowl the water? Or something else? And is there anyway to get the taste out?

Thanks

Try to break up 15g of it, store it out in open air (w/o sun light or Kitchen). Let it breath for 5 days. Then pick a rainy summer afternoon and taste 5g of it, then the other 5 grams for the next 2 days. If it still taste funny, post a pic of the dry/wet and brew pics here.

Good Luck!

[Ti]

Distilled water lacks the necessary hardness for the tea profiles to develop and lacks oxygen all important for making a good cuppa.

Since lack of O can be a problem then increasing it could possibly be a good idea? My days of keeping fish and knowing how well they did with increased O in their water has me wondering whether this might be a positive with tea as well.

[JAS-eTea Guy]

Air out your pu-erh tea in another room.
Never store it in the kitchen again.

[yee]

I guess it is a water problem. Just try to change water. Chosethe softest one.

[hop_goblin]

I guess it is a water problem. Just try to change water. Chosethe softest one.

The Softest water would be distilled since it has no minerals. Water needs minerals for the tea to taste round complexed. Spring Water

[sp1key]

I guess it is a water problem. Just try to change water. Chosethe softest one.

The Softest water would be distilled since it has no minerals. Water needs minerals for the tea to taste round complexed. Spring Water

agree with hop, I use mineral water

[yee]

Have fun then Just think about that waer is a solvent so the harder it is the worse it will work with tea. Then why you say that soft water is necessory distilled? you can get soft water with normal amount of minerals in it. Chemical elements which make your tea "round complexed" do not necessory affect waters softness... It is really a long story to tell.

[hop_goblin]

Have fun then Just think about that waer is a solvent so the harder it is the worse it will work with tea. Then why you say that soft water is necessory distilled? you can get soft water with normal amount of minerals in it. Chemical elements which make your tea "round complexed" do not necessory affect waters softness... It is really a long story to tell.

Yee, just that your comments can lead people to believe that soft water is the best water to use for tea. Neither too soft nor too hard of water is good for tea IMHO. Im not a chemist but I am a homebrewer and although most of water hardness has to do with breaking the amino acid chains in order to make fermatables, water hardness aslo affect the taste of hops. Without sufficient water hardness, hops will be flat and not crisp in the final product. It is essential for the calcium carbonate, or salts to be in the brewing beer to bring out the complexties of the hop profiles. Not to mention that distilled water is amost insipid without the minerals.

[Odinsfury]

Not to mention that distilled water is almost insipid without the minerals.

Strange, I think distilled water with no added minerals has the best flavor for drinking. Unfortunately, it doesn't make a good cup of tea.