It is typical for the pot to acquire a general smell of food, but it is not an obvious smell unless you stick your nose in the pot. Because it is an unglazed porous pot, it takes in some of the fragrances from the food. However, this does not cause any mixing of flavors while cooking other dishes in any way!

When seasoning a new pot, small bits of meat in a soup is fine, but larger chunks of cooked meat can leave a residual smell.

To help get this smell out, steam cleaning the pot will help. To do so, first fill the pot 1/4 way up with water. Set the pot on the stove at low heat, cover the lid, and let steam build up for 10 minutes. Add either a a cinnamon stick or a lemon/lime wedge for fragrance. Cover the lid and steam for another 10 minutes on low heat.Turn the stove off, open the lid, and let the water cool down for 10 minutes. Pour the water out while it is still warm.