From where do the withered leaves all
Answers
Traditionally, there are a bunch of reasons why fresh plucked tea leaves are withered. Most of these reasons deal with the machinery & techniques involved in the manufacturing process. Let’s take a quick look at these.
Mechanically, withering is important because it reduces moisture content and makes the leaves flaccid. These two attributes assist in the rolling and drying process. They make the leaves easier to deal with. This then allows more consistent processing, and generally keeps the leaves from gunking up the machinery. For instance, many factories use a fluidized (vibrating) bedplate in their driers, passing the leaves through different drying regions of the machinery. Too wet a leaf, and it balls up and sticks to the machinery, gumming up the works. The same goes with factory rollers, with too-wet a leaf clogging the rotorvanes.