My husband loves drinking green tea. It’s just packed full of magical good stuff for your health and body, and I’ve started drinking it as well.

We often spend too much time and too much money buying and discussing the taste of various brands of green tea. We’re always on the look out for some excellent tea.

So far our favourite is the freshly plucked, whole, still pale green, baby shoots of the green tea plant. They unfold like soft flower petals and dance in the sweet green water at the bottom of your cup. It’s simply gorgeous.

However, in direct contrast…

One day my husband came home after visiting a specialty tea shop.

“Check it out! Compressed balls of tea that look like sheep poo!” he joked.

I have never seen sheep poo. But I was instantly suspicious.

Exactly what KIND of tea is it? Where did the tea come from? It doesn’t smell like tea! Where did you buy it? Was it a Chinese shop? Why did it come in an unmarked paper bag?? Why is it such a weird brown colour? And why is it so hard?

I drilled him to no avail. He only laughed.

They sit in a bottle in our pantry. They always seem to make their way out during dinner parties.

It’s kind of a joke in our house now, to ask our guests, “Would you like a cup of tea? Normal tea? Peppermint tea? Green tea? Or maybe you’d like to try some of our special Sheep Poo Tea?” (Said fast enough so it sounds Chinese.)

…

[Edit : My husband corrected that a sheep poo actually looks like an olive – not a speckled ball of grass. He did not in any way wish that his knowledge in farm animal faeces appeared misguided.]

…

A number of my readers told me to infuse a ball in a large glass of hot water. I tried it! And the results were breathtaking!

Stumble This!