Blackcurrant leaf vs raspberry leaf
Two fruit-bush leaves, and the interesting thing is that one carries its fruit’s aroma and the other carries none at all. That difference is real and is not what most people expect.
botanical
What is being compared
Point by point
| Aspect | Blackcurrant leaf | Raspberry leaf |
|---|---|---|
| Aroma | Recognisably blackcurrant, with a green boxwood edge. Genuinely fruity on the nose. | Hay and dried leaf. No raspberry character whatsoever. |
| Taste | Astringent and green, with none of the fruit’s sweetness behind the smell. | Astringent and tannic with a hay note, closer to a thin black tea. |
| Where it is drunk | France as feuille de cassis, and across Poland and Russia domestically. | Northern and eastern Europe, historically as a tea substitute. |
| Fermentation | Not usually fermented; the point is the fresh aroma, which fermentation would cost. | Often fermented, which makes it noticeably more tea-like and rounder. |
| Drying | Aroma is in surface glands, so hot drying makes it dull. Buy on smell. | More robust; the character survives hot drying because there is less to lose. |
The short answer
Blackcurrant leaf is the one to try if you assumed fruit leaves never taste of fruit. Raspberry leaf is the one to ferment if you want something tea-shaped.
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