Red clover vs linden
Two soft honeyed flowers with almost no bitterness, and both are easily erased by anything assertive in a blend. One is a fodder crop and the other a street tree, and both are harvested as by-products.
botanical
What is being compared
Point by point
| Aspect | Red clover | Linden flower |
|---|---|---|
| Where it comes from | Clover leys sown to restore nitrogen between grain crops; the flower is a by-product of seed. | Lime avenues planted through European cities for shade and timber since the seventeenth century. |
| Flavour | Gently sweet and hay-like with a faint vanilla note that develops as it dries. | Distinctly honeyed and slightly mucilaginous, with real mouthfeel. |
| Standing | No tradition regards it as a speciality. It is bulk and colour in most packets. | Ordered by name in French cafés and in Turkish street stalls. A named drink. |
| Steeping | Six minutes is reasonable; it is mild and forgiving. | Seven minutes and beyond, and it genuinely improves. |
| Quality signal | Heads still pink rather than faded brown, which indicates fast drying. | Flowers rather than mostly bract, and a honeyed rather than hay-like smell. |
The short answer
Linden is the better drink and the one with a tradition behind it. Red clover is worth knowing as what is often filling out a packet sold on something else.
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