sandan said

Fishy Pu-ehr

Im new to Steepster, and didn’t find a discussion on this topic. But, its probably here somewhere. The subject is the fishy smell in pu-ehr. I received two samples. The first one a toucha that had some flavor but strong fish scent. The second sample, loose, had a little subtle fish scent but no flavor. Is it supposed to smell that way. How do I get and or steep one so that it doesn’t smell.

21 Replies
AllanK said

What you are smelling is the left over from the fermentation. There are effectively two things you can try. Air out your samples for two or three weeks, they may improve. Two, you can make the puerh now and throw out the first four or five steeps. Those are really in my understanding the only two things to try. Eventually you may get to the point where it simply doesn’t bother you. If the second sample had no brewed fish taste, just scent in the dry leaves I would just go for it.

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Hi sandan. I’m not one of the puerh experts here (though I drink, collect and enjoy it) and no doubt at least one of those folks will see your query and respond. In the interim, here is a good post (with accompanying responses/comments) that you should find helpful.

http://steepster.com/discuss/6747-fishy-pu-erh-taste

sandan said

Whiteantlers- Thanks for the link. Much appreciated!

You are very welcome, sandan. The 2 gentlemen who I was hoping would respond to you did, so you are in good hands. :-D LiquidProust is also pu savvy and very helpful. There are a lot of other folks here who are as well; I just haven’t met them yet. Welcome to Steepster!

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mrmopar said

What type of puerh is it? Is it big factory or a smaller producer? Big makers like DaYi and HaiWan often ‘hold’ their products for 6 months to a year to air them out like Allan noted above me.

sandan said

The loose puerh is from Teavivre. The second is from a well known tea retailer. Not sure how its made but it seems like its his own product exclusive tea called a mini tuocha. All his other products so far have been excellent. Sounds like there is hope in enjoying a no fish puehr. So should I stick with the two mentioned above. Yunnan sourcing seems to be the big retailer.

mrmopar said

The mini’s can be a bit rough. They are usually the leftovers after everything else is pressed. They are mixed a lot of times with herbs or flowers to take the edge off.

Shou can be tricky. I stick to the big factories most of the time. Although, as you mentioned, we have good retailers that visit our site. The top ones in no particular order are Crimson Lotus,Glenn has a good palate for shou, Yunnan Sourcing, Scotts Hui Run Bulang cakes are real nice with some age, Mandala, Garrets Phatty Cake is a legend on here, White2tea, Paul recently pressed some private labels that are being received well. This is just my list so don’t let it hold you back from trying others. AllanK has a good palate for picking out those with no fermentation or fishy flavor. His notes are really spot on in that.

sandan said

mrmopar-Thanks for the input. That’s all good info.

mrmopar said

Quite welcome sandan we are all about as close to family as you will find. We all learn from one another.

sandan said

Yes, I see that regarding the close family aspect. Also,really impressed with the extensive knowledge base.I am enjoying my membership on Steepster. My journey into the world of tea has been a short one so far, but each cup has been an experience and I’m learning more each day.

it’s pretty difficult to go wrong with Mandala. their puerhs are all excellent… :)

Dexter said

I agree with TeaBrat – Mandala pu’erh are all amazing, and non offensive to new pu’erh drinkers – they were the ones that made me fall in love with Shou and remain some of my absolute favorites. :)

AllanK said
I love Mandala’s puerh.

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AllanK said

If you want to try a shou without fermentation flavor, one that has cleared, I recommend the 2008 Song of Chi Tse from Berylleb King Tea on EBay. When I drank it I found no real remnants of fermentation left. This is unusual for a 2008 cake because usually it takes fifteen years or longer for a shou to completely clear. Yunnan Sourcing also has one that has cleared as I remember, the 1996 CNNP, I forget exactly what it’s called but it’s the only 1996 CNNP ripe on the Yunnan Sourcing website.

AllanK said

That is the same tea but I haven’t tried yours. I’ve been meaning to order a cake.

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Rasseru said

Also, it is something you get a bit used to.

Ive found 10+ year shou made me appreciate the taste and recently ive enjoyed some from 2015, even with the fermentation taste. It took me over a year to fully appreciate shou (I didnt drink it much in the beginning, now I look forward to some)

I have had one before that was really fishy though, its odd isnt it. It does get better :D

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Cwyn said

Just soak the fishy shou in cold water while you are waiting for the kettle to boil. Or just a good rinse in cold water. This takes out a lot of the fishy. Then do two boiling rinses and pour off. Should be fine to drink then.

sandan said

Thanks Cwyn, tried it and it was 99.9% effective. I just need to extend one of the cold rinses. Otherwise mine was pure mushroom and earthy. Very nice!

Cwyn said

You’re welcome.

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