<]T[Q WITHERING: A QUEST FOR THE PERFECT MOISTURE LEVEL
Though withering seems an odd term to apply to a fresh, soothing beverage, the process is vital to ensuring a high-quality end product. In black tea manufacturing, in fact, many consider withering the most critical factor in determining taste. "Withering is an essential process for tea manufacturing," says Jonathan Sims, owner of Tea Embassy in Austin, Texas. "It is the drying of the fresh tea leaves plucked from the tea bush, before they are rolled, crushed or manipulated to become a black, green or oolong tea." Beau Bernstein of Rishi Tea, a Milwaukee-based loose-leaf-tea supplier, says withering
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