Goji berry vs schisandra
Two northern Chinese berries drunk from a flask and a jar respectively, one mild and sweet, the other the strangest thing in the catalogue.
botanical
What is being compared
Point by point
| Aspect | Goji berry | Schisandra |
|---|---|---|
| The plant | Lycium barbarum, a Solanaceae — a nightshade, which surprises people. | Schisandra chinensis, a forest vine of the northeast. |
| Flavour | Mildly sweet and faintly savoury, with little acidity. | Sour, then bitter and resinous, with a genuinely saline finish. |
| Preparation | Dropped into hot water in a flask and topped up through the day. | Cold water over twelve hours; hot water turns it harsh. |
| Where it is drunk | Across China, and in soups as much as drinks. | Korea as omija-cha, served chilled and startlingly pink. |
| Native range | Gansu, Hebei, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shanxi, Sichuan and Xinjiang. | Northeast China, Korea, Japan and the Russian Far East. |
| How it is marketed abroad | As a superfood on claims TeaHQ does not make. | Barely marketed at all outside East Asian shops. |
The short answer
Goji is the easy one and schisandra the one worth the twelve hours. Brewing schisandra hot is the commonest mistake with it and produces something nobody drinks twice.
Not a ranking. TeaHQ publishes no ratings and does not know your occasion.