Scent Contamination from Humidor

[umijoshi]

Hi guys,

I was gifted a really special raw Pu'Erh from a customer of mine. I decided to attempt to age it so we can drink it together far into the future. It has been sitting in a humidor for approximately 4 months. Propelyene Glycol which is used for keeping the humidity in check has a subtle aroma to it, but I feel it has concentrated itself in the tea and essentially ruined it.

I can't drink the tea without getting a blast of chemical flavor.

Any advice on 'repairing' this tea?

[Cwyn]

Propylene glycol is a humectant which draws and holds moisture. It is a common ingredient in cosmetics like moisturizers because it pulls water from the cream, the air or within skin and holds it. So the skin stays moisturized.

To some extent what you choose to do with the tea depends on how attached you are to the pressed shape, if it has one, and the wrapper if there is a wrapper. I would remove the wrapper and keep it someplace apart from the tea, first of all. Next is finding out whether there is actually propylene glycol in the tea, or if only a small amount of scent is really the issue, if the two are really separate issues. I don't know because I don't know the product you are using.

You can get rid of odor by airing the tea, and perhaps airing in the sun for a day or two. But if the issue is permeating a cake you may need to break it up to even try airing the tea properly.

Propylene glycol is actually water-soluble. You could try rinsing the tea in cold water. If I had this issue, I would steam apart the cake, rinse the leaves in cold water and then either press the cake again or leave the tea loose. This would affect the comparison with your friend, but the tea is already affected. So maybe the comparison will include this difference at the start.

[stevorama]

If the problem is due to odor perhaps you could set the tea aside (outside the humidor, away from smells) for a while and check it periodically for odor (every week perhaps.) Or like Cwyn said, break it up for better airing. If the chemical spilled on it then no idea what to do!

[umijoshi]

Propylene glycol is a humectant which draws and holds moisture. It is a common ingredient in cosmetics like moisturizers because it pulls water from the cream, the air or within skin and holds it. So the skin stays moisturized.

To some extent what you choose to do with the tea depends on how attached you are to the pressed shape, if it has one, and the wrapper if there is a wrapper. I would remove the wrapper and keep it someplace apart from the tea, first of all. Next is finding out whether there is actually propylene glycol in the tea, or if only a small amount of scent is really the issue, if the two are really separate issues. I don't know because I don't know the product you are using.

You can get rid of odor by airing the tea, and perhaps airing in the sun for a day or two. But if the issue is permeating a cake you may need to break it up to even try airing the tea properly.

Propylene glycol is actually water-soluble. You could try rinsing the tea in cold water. If I had this issue, I would steam apart the cake, rinse the leaves in cold water and then either press the cake again or leave the tea loose. This would affect the comparison with your friend, but the tea is already affected. So maybe the comparison will include this difference at the start.

Thanks for your advice, I'll try your recommendations and post results eventually.

[umijoshi]

Well Cwyn and Stevorama, you saved the day.
That was much faster than expected, but basically I slightly steamed the cake, broke it apart, scattered it on a baking sheet and placed it in the sunlight for 2 days. The chemical aroma is completely gone, and the tea tastes delicious again.

So if we talk about reforming the cake, how would I go about doing that? Besides saving space, are there any particular benefits from recompressing it?

[Cwyn]

Well Cwyn and Stevorama, you saved the day.
That was much faster than expected, but basically I slightly steamed the cake, broke it apart, scattered it on a baking sheet and placed it in the sunlight for 2 days. The chemical aroma is completely gone, and the tea tastes delicious again.

So if we talk about reforming the cake, how would I go about doing that? Besides saving space, are there any particular benefits from recompressing it?

Not especially, except that you mentioned a plan to compare your tea with that of a friend. Loose tea will age faster than compressed, so you'd lose the comparison aspect. Maybe your friend could consider taking apart his cake too?

All you need is some cheesecloth, a metal coffee can and a large rock. Place the tea in the cheesecloth and then in the coffee can. If the tea is still wet, you don't need to re-steam, just heat it up and press. Otherwise, set the can in a shallow pan of boiling water to re-steam it. Tie the cheesecloth bag into a knot over the tea, and place a large rock over it. Ideally the rock should be shallowed out a bit. You could try looking at landscaping or paving stones at a garden center shop to find something.

[Tead Off]

Well Cwyn and Stevorama, you saved the day.
That was much faster than expected, but basically I slightly steamed the cake, broke it apart, scattered it on a baking sheet and placed it in the sunlight for 2 days. The chemical aroma is completely gone, and the tea tastes delicious again.

So if we talk about reforming the cake, how would I go about doing that? Besides saving space, are there any particular benefits from recompressing it?

Not especially, except that you mentioned a plan to compare your tea with that of a friend. Loose tea will age faster than compressed, so you'd lose the comparison aspect. Maybe your friend could consider taking apart his cake too?

All you need is some cheesecloth, a metal coffee can and a large rock. Place the tea in the cheesecloth and then in the coffee can. If the tea is still wet, you don't need to re-steam, just heat it up and press. Otherwise, set the can in a shallow pan of boiling water to re-steam it. Tie the cheesecloth bag into a knot over the tea, and place a large rock over it. Ideally the rock should be shallowed out a bit. You could try looking at landscaping or paving stones at a garden center shop to find something.

When you break up a cake for aging, I would think that you will actually subject the cake to a higher oxidation rate vs the compressed cake. It may continue the fermentation process faster than the cake, but I would think it would lose more flavor and aroma through the oxidation process just like exposing any other tea over time to the environment.

However, I don't think I would want to re-compress a broken up cake. I would try to store most of it with as little exposure as possible, like in a sealed ceramic jar. This should allow the fermentation process to proceed and minimize oxidation.

[Cwyn]

When I saw you had posted, I was worried there are new things in Dropbox. My poor, poor wallet...

[Tead Off]

When I saw you had posted, I was worried there are new things in Dropbox. My poor, poor wallet...

I understand that feeling!