
- HOME >
- Tea Processing
Making 4 times fired Phoenix Oolong Lao Cong Shui Xian
We just placed an order for very unique types of Phoenix Lao Cong Shui Xian. It is the Shui Xian collected from old tea tree, and undergoing four times baking. The entire baking process takes one year for production. I am only able to receive this tea in next year.
It is the baking that composes the unique characteristic of Phoenix oolong
The key process in making Phoenix Dan Cong oolong is baking the tea at lower temperature for a long time. Some people might associate the word “baking” to “burnt” or “roast”. For making Phoenix oolong, it is totally different concept.
The objective of baking is not to burn tea but to cause maturation and bring out the fruity flavor of tea. The skilled tea master manages the temperature below 100 degree C, and in order to produce tea with the ideal fruity flavor, the baking has to be conducted for a very long time. One may think that to set the temperature is just set the temperature once, and it’s so easy. This is only applicable if it refers to electric oven with control panel. In making Phoenix oolong, the ultimate Phoenix oolong comes from the baking with charcoal fire.
It is so hard to manage the consistent temperature with charcoal fire. As a result, a number of manufacturers intentionally or may be unintentionally use temperature above 100 degree, or they will choose to use the electric oven for baking. The electric oven does bring up quite nice flavor. But in term of tea taste, it is incomparable with outcome of the charcoal fire. The taste of tea baked with charcoal fire is very clear and long lasting.
Our Phoenix tea lineups are all baked using charcoal fire.
The above photo shows single fired Phoenix tea
Double fired Phoenix Oolong
Depending on the preference of the market and customers, the manufacturer will adjust the extent of baking. We usually select each type of Phoenix tea and we will decide the baking extent based on the market’s need and the characteristic of tea.
The Phoenix tea baked at shorter period of time is called Qing Xiang (in Chinese it means refreshing flavor). It gives floral and uplifting flavor. We also have the lineup called Double-fired. It is called Nong Xiang (in Chinese means Thick flavor).
Some people might think that the double-fired tea is heavily fired, and so tea has a scorched flavor or charcoal-like flavor. The fact is that the well-made double fired (Nong Xiang) Phoenix tea is supposed to give no burnt flavor, but it has strikingly thick fruity flavor like stone fruit, with a clear and sweetish drinking sensation on palate. In order to achieve this flavor and taste profile, it is essential to bake tea below 100 degree Celsius for long hours. It requires intensive care and attention during the long baking hours and the tea master has to closely monitor the temperature continuously. The well-managed baking process brings upon a clear fruity flavor without a hint of burnt or charcoal note, even after tea is baked for 24 hours.
Double Fired Phoenix Oolong
4 times fired Shu Xian loved by the people in Shantou city
There are two big cities located nearby the production area of Phoenix tea. They are Chaozhou and Shantou city. Generally, Chaozhou people prefer the thick-fruity flavor with double fired, while in Shantou traditionally people prefer three to four times fired tea.
To bake tea for four times, the tea manufacturer is unable to complete it continuously as the moisture content in tea is going to be too low. The tea will be baked once, and then it is kept away to rest for about three months before the next baking in order to let the tea reabsorb the moisture.
We placed the special order for the four times fired Shui Xian
Generally, the four times fired Shui Xian processed for Shantou market not very high grade. The high-end Shui Xian such as Lao Cong Shui Xian is fired one or two times and it is sold in Chaozhou city. Even if it is not the high grade Shui Xian, I was so impressed by its unique drinking sensation and the distinctive characteristic in flavor. It gives very mellow mouth feel like vintage oolong, with bold and thick-matured dried fruity note filled up our palate and its lingering sweetness lasts for a long time. When I tasted, I thought I did not mind buying it even if it was of lower grade. However, the lower grade Phoenix oolong is often collected from the garden that is located at the lower altitude. As a trend, the pesticide is often detected in the tea collected from lower altitude. I was also curious to experience how the flavor of high-grade Shui Xian will be if it is fired 4 times. I selected the Lao Cong Shui Xian mao-cha and placed a special order to bake it four times, which the whole baking process will takes a year to complete. This tea will only be ready when we visit them again in next year.
In near future, I am also wishing to run the baking experiment using Mi Lan Xiang. Out of my curiosity I am eager to find out how the flavor will be when this tea is baked three or four times.
Related Articles
How to get the latest update on HOJO Tea?
1. Follow Twitter, 2. Click "Like" on Facebook, and 3. Subscribe in newsletter. You can have the latest tea news from HOJO Tea.
Subscribe the Newsletter to enjoy the privileges
- You may receive a free sample upon purchase, or you may have the priority to purchase special products. So please remember to subscribe our newsletter as well as the social network.
- Discover the long-lasting flavor profile of 2023 Shi Feng Long Jing
- We have launched the 2023 harvest of Shi Feng Long Jing tea. Shi Feng Long Jing tea, also known as Shi Feng Dragon Well tea. It is one of the most famous and highly regarded teas in China.Shi Feng Long Jing tea is characterized by its flat, spear-shaped leaves that have a vibrant green colour. …
- Rare Jasmine Tea Uniquely Crafted from Ripe Pu-erh
- Instead of sourcing finished jasmine tea, we specialize in producing custom-made jasmine tea by bringing our carefully selected raw materials to jasmine factories. Over the years, we have created numerous unique jasmine tea varieties that are not available elsewhere, such as Pu-erh jasmine tea made from raw Pu-erh tea leaves, Jasmine Silver Needle made from …
NEW ARTICLES
Discover the long-lasting flavor profile of 2023 Shi Feng Long Jing
- We have launched the 2023 harvest of Shi Feng Long Jing tea. Shi Feng Long Jing tea, also known as Shi Feng Dragon Well tea. It is one of the most famous and highly regarded teas in China.Shi Feng Long Jing tea is characterized by its flat, spear-shaped leaves that have a vibrant green colour. …
Rare Jasmine Tea Uniquely Crafted from Ripe Pu-erh
- Instead of sourcing finished jasmine tea, we specialize in producing custom-made jasmine tea by bringing our carefully selected raw materials to jasmine factories. Over the years, we have created numerous unique jasmine tea varieties that are not available elsewhere, such as Pu-erh jasmine tea made from raw Pu-erh tea leaves, Jasmine Silver Needle made from …
Introducing 3 Varieties of Phoenix Dancong Oolong Tea
- We have released new types of Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong Tea that are finished with more rounds of roasting with traditional charcoal fire by skilled tea master. In Phoenix, the locals called it Nong Xiang style, meaning that tea is giving more intense matured flavor. Nong Xiang tea refers to tea that has been roasted …
Exploring the Taste Diversity Within a Tea Tree: Apical Buds vs. Lateral Buds
- Do you believe that all tea leaves have the same taste as long as they come from the same tree? I would like to explain that the taste of tea can vary significantly depending on the plucking position, even when harvested from the same tree. The Difference in Flavor Due to Different Harvesting Parts of …
Hidden Costs of High Valuations of Old Tea Trees
- Over the past decade, tea enthusiasts in China have been captivated by teas harvested from Ancient Tea trees, particularly those from Yunnan province, Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong Tea and Wuyi Rock Tea. However, as Ancient Tea trees are rare, the prices of teas harvested from them have skyrocketed. As a result, some farmers who possess …
Discover the Unique Taste of Wu Jia Ping Zhang Ancient Tree Raw Pu-Erh Tea
- We have released Wu Jia Ping Zhang ancient tree raw pu-erh tea for 2020 and 2021. This tea is grown in tea gardens located around 2100 meters above sea level in the southwestern part of Lincang City, Yunnan Province of China, just a few dozen kilometres from the Myanmar border. Single-origin tea Wu Jia Ping …
Introducing 3 High Grown Darjeeling First Flush Teas Produced Using Sustainable Methods
- We have released three types of Darjeeling First Flush, all of which are grown sustainably. The tea gardens are maintained using natural farming methods, and the use of fertilizers is limited when growing the tea trees. As a result, the tea gardens closely resemble their natural state. Unlike common Darjeeling tea, these teas grow slowly, …
New Release of Tsuge Zairai Sencha from Sustainable Tea Garden
- Tsuge Zairai Sencha 都祁在来煎茶 is made from “zairai” tea plucked in spring, from the naturally farmed tea garden located in Tsuge, Nara City, Nara Prefecture. The tea garden of Tsuge Zairai Sencha is maintained in sustainable manner applying neither pesticide nor fertilizer. Tsuge Zairai Sencha has a subtle and refreshing floral scent with a hint …
New Release of Da Xue Shan Wild White Tea Cake 2021
- Da Xue Shan Wild White Tea 2021 is available now. This tea is always very popular in our shop. In Japan, we brought in loose tea this year, and for Malaysia we produced 200g cake. Mao cha before compressing into cake Very limited resources This tea is made from the wild tea, called Camelia taliensis. …
New Release of 2 Types of Darjeeling 1st Flush
- We have released two types of Darjeeling 1st Flush Tea. The reason why the Darjeeling 1st Flush is greenish In Darjeeling tea, the 1st flush refers to the first-plucked spring tea. Usually, the Darjeeling 1st Flush tea is greenish. From the outlook, it looks like a green tea. Many people misunderstand that it is green …
Shop Info

Address:Lot No. T-215, 3rd Floor, The Gardens Mall, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603-2287-4537
Business Hour: 10am to 10pm
Category
- New Arrival at HOJO Online Shop
- Featured Articles
- Newsletter
- Types of Tea
- Origin of Tea
- Teapot and Tea Equipment
- Tea Column
- How to enjoy tea
- Tea Processing
- How to choose quality tea
- Tea constituents and functional effect
- Safety of Tea
- Foods
- Tea Business Operation
- Hobby and Outdoor Activity
- Ranking of Tea
- Video
- FAQ
- Media Release
Profile

- AKIRA HOJO
- I invite you to experience my tea selections.I was born in Nagano, Japan. In university, I studied agricultural chemistry, and I have the master degree in food science. I worked in Japanese food industry for 10 years. I involved in R&D, QC and QA. As a factory manager, I implemented ISO9000 series and managed the factory.
- The Art of Tea Magazine
- We posted the article on “The Art of Tea Magazine No.9, the magazine is published in Taiwan. We featured some scientific view about the tetsubin
- New Straits Times
- The Malaysian National Newspaper, New Straits Times featured HOJO Tea on 17-Oct-2007.