magical tea balls

i'd seen these mysterious bomby balls of tea in shops before, and knew they were special, but it took a post from food nerd to convince me that these were worth buying. food nerd does a much better job at describing them than i can, but basically, they are long green tea leaves tied together, formed and dried around a flower center that "blooms"--just put one at the bottom of a pot, then add hot water and enjoy the show.



the green tea leaves unfurl, and a lovely "tree" made from painstakingly tied jasmine flowers surrounded by orange leaves emerges.



here's a different ball, called dancing snowflakes.



here the leaves surround an orangey-yellow flower--chrysanthemum?--but as the ball opens up, little bits of jasmine petals are unleashed and swirl in the water like snowflakes.



or dandruff.



as you can imagine, these aren't cheap unless you buy them in china, where they are made, or in asia in general. i saw some here that were reasonably priced (fiddycents) but a bit measly, so i ended up buying these from harney and sons, and it worked out to just under a buck a ball. however, it provides mighty fine if genteel entertainment along with lovely flavour, so these would be great for a special occasion or tea party.