Making 4 times fired Phoenix Oolong Lao Cong Shui Xian

We have placed a special order for a very unique Phoenix Lao Cong Shui Xian. This Shui Xian is harvested from old tea trees and will undergo four rounds of baking. The entire baking process takes one year to complete. The tea is scheduled to be ready around this time next year.

It is the baking that shapes the unique character of Phoenix Oolong

The key process in producing Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong is long-duration baking at low temperatures that do not scorch the leaves. When people hear the word baking, they often associate it with burnt or heavily roasted notes, similar to hojicha or coffee. However, in well-made Phoenix Oolong, baking at a low temperature that does not scorch the leaves slowly transforms and matures the tea components, forming a sweet, fruit-like flavor. Temperature control is extremely difficult when charcoal is used as the heat source. For this reason, many producers in Phoenix Town bake at temperatures high enough to scorch the leaves, which is similar to the conventional method used for Wuyi Oolong. When baked at such high temperatures, roasted or scorched notes are produced. After resting for some time, these notes become less noticeable, and the tea develops the characteristic profile commonly associated with Wuyi Oolong. In rare cases, some Wuyi tea masters also bake at low, non-scorching temperatures in a style similar to Phoenix Dan Cong. In recent years, more producers have adopted electric drying machines. Although electric baking can produce a pleasant flavor, it lacks clarity and may introduce undesirable notes in the taste. For this reason, we commission custom production specifying charcoal baking. The above photos show Qing Xiang style, single-fired Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong.

What is Double-Fired

In Phoenix Oolong production, tea baked for a shorter period with a lighter profile is called Qing Xiang, or single-fired. In contrast, tea that is baked more thoroughly to develop a richer, deeper flavor is called Nong Xiang. It is also known as double-fired, because it was traditionally baked in two rounds. When people hear double-fired, they may imagine heavily roasted tea such as Japanese hojicha, charcoal-roasted Taiwanese Oolong, or Anxi Tie Guan Yin. However, tea baked over charcoal at a carefully held, non-scorching temperature, when managed with high technical skill, produces no burnt character. Even after such thorough baking, the tea develops a dense yet transparent fruit-like flavor. To bring out the sweet fruit character of Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong, baking at low temperatures that do not scorch the leaves is essential. Double-fired Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong

Four-Times-Fired Shui Xian Preferred in Shantou

Near Chaozhou, there is a city called Shantou. Historically, people in Shantou have preferred heavily baked Phoenix Oolong processed with extremely long baking times. This style is known as four-times firing. Because continuous baking would reduce the moisture content excessively, the tea is baked once and then allowed to rest for approximately three months so that it can reabsorb moisture. This cycle is repeated, resulting in a total of four baking sessions over the course of one year. Tea commonly produced for the Shantou market uses relatively lower-grade Shui Xian. Higher-grade Shui Xian is typically processed as single-fired or double-fired and sold in Chaozhou. Although four-times-fired tea is often made from lower grades, the result is highly distinctive. It exhibits a texture reminiscent of vintage tea, along with an intense Shui Xian flavor and a sweetness that spreads across the palate. Because of the unique and compelling character of four-times-fired Shui Xian, I decided to commission a custom production using high-grade Lao Cong Shui Xian, baked four times at low, non-scorching temperatures. As the entire process requires one year, the finished tea is expected to be available around this time next year. In the near future, I am also interested in experimenting with triple-fired or four-times-fired processing using aromatic teas such as Mi Lan Xiang. Triple-fired Phoenix Oolong

For more on where Phoenix Dan Cong comes from, what Dan Cong and Lao Cong mean, and how it is made and brewed, see What Is Phoenix Dan Cong?.