Not to be outdone by yesterdays snake snorting Chinaman, another Chinese man is trying to break the record for the world’s most expensive tea – by making it out of panda poo.
College lecture An Yanshi has collected five tons of panda excrement to create a new type of tea.
He believes the rich fertiliser will give rise to a unique aroma that will make his brew a connoisseurs’ favourite, which he will be able to sell for up to $80,000 per kilo.
‘Pandas have a very poor digestive system and only absorb about 30 per cent of everything they eat. That means their excrement is rich in fibres and nutrients,’ Yanshi explained.
‘It has a mature, nutty taste and a very distinctive aroma while it’s brewing.’
Yanshi, who collects the poo by the lorryload from the Giant Panda breeding centre in Chengdu, Sichuan province, southern China, aims to secure the Guinness World Record once his first batch of the expensive blend is ready for sale.
The world’s most expensive coffee is made from beans eaten, partly digested, then expelled by the Indonesian civet cat.
Kopi luwak, or Civet coffee, sells for up to $160 per pound.