Olive leaf and cistus
Two Mediterranean scrubland leaves drunk in the same countries, one bitter and plain, the other resinous and faintly sweet.
botanical
What is being compared
Point by point
| Aspect | Olive leaf | Cistus |
|---|---|---|
| Taste | Firmly bitter and green, with little aroma to balance it. The most austere leaf on this list. | Resinous and slightly sweet, with a labdanum note that is closer to incense than to a herb. |
| Aroma | Faint. What you smell is mostly the bitterness arriving. | Pronounced and unusual — it is the reason people drink it. |
| Brewing | Tolerates and rewards a long steep; the bitterness is fairly stable. | Better short. Long steeps push the resin into something medicinal. |
| Where it is drunk | Across the Mediterranean, and heavily marketed well beyond it. | Greece, Turkey and the Levant, with much less commercial push behind it. |
The short answer
Cistus is the more interesting drink and olive leaf the more available one. If you have tried olive leaf and found it plain, cistus is the better next step.
Not a ranking. TeaHQ publishes no ratings and does not know your occasion.