Buying Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong in 2015

The quality and characteristics of Phoenix Dan Cong oolong vary greatly from batch to batch. As this tea is one of the most important groups in our lineup, we only purchase it by visiting the production site after tasting many different batches. This is the 6th time I have visited there.

The reason why we are not visiting Phoenix town in April

The plucking of Phoenix Dan Cong oolong is carried out in April. Fresh leaves are plucked and withered, and undergo a series of fermentation steps to be processed into mao-cha. The mao-cha of Phoenix Dan Cong oolong gives a green grassy or herbal flavor. The mao-cha is collected by the master who conducts the firing process. Each round of charcoal firing takes about 6 to 10 hours. For firing Phoenix Dan Cong oolong, the temperature should not be too high. Once tea is baked at too high a temperature, it causes a scorched flavor. In other words, the firing of Phoenix Dan Cong oolong requires extremely high skill, a lot of patience and careful attention to each tea. Thanks to this highly skill-required firing process, the flavor of tea changes from a green celery note to a sweet fruity flavor. I visit Phoenix town in June or July since it is the right timing when the firing of tea is generally completed. For some special tea, we also discuss with the manufacturer about further firing. Depending on the type of Dan Cong tree, some tea produces a more attractive flavor with further firing. We can discuss with the manufacturer and decide what to do on the spot when we visit there.

Oolong tasting marathon

As in previous years, we bought more than 20 types of Phoenix Dan Cong oolong this year. On that day, I arrived at the factory around noon, yet I only managed to finish our tasting at around 3am. For tasting tea, it is not necessary to drink. Just like wine tasting, we can judge the taste once we put tea in our mouth. However, we did not dare to do that since Phoenix Dan Cong tea is so expensive and I was not comfortable doing it in front of the master. After tasting tea for nearly 12 hours, I tasted and drank more than 100 rounds of tea. No matter how good tea is for health, too much tea is not appropriate. The next day, I felt extremely tired as if I had come back from mountain climbing.

We have bought around 20 types of Phoenix Dan Cong oolong. They will arrive in September or October since we need to conduct a series of pesticide analyses. However, I always suggest tea from last year or even older. Tea usually matures very well and produces a very intense fruity flavor if we keep it in an environment with low moisture and no oxygen.

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?.