Rose geranium vs rose
A leaf that tastes of a flower against the flower itself. Rose geranium was grown at Grasse precisely because it substituted for rose oil at a fraction of the cost, and it is not quite the same thing.
botanical
What is being compared
Point by point
| Aspect | Rose geranium | Rose |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A South African pelargonium leaf, grown around the Mediterranean for perfumery. | The bud or petal of a cultivated rose, principally the damask. |
| Aroma | Rose with a green leafy edge no actual rose has. | Rose without the green, fuller and rounder. |
| How it is used | One leaf dropped into Moroccan mint tea, and into Greek spoon sweets and syrups. | Drunk alone, blended into black tea, and distilled into rose water. |
| Fresh or dried | Fresh is what the traditions use; drying costs much of the rose note. | Dried buds are standard and hold their aroma reasonably. |
| Naming | Not a geranium — Pelargonium and Geranium are different genera, and bedding geraniums are neither. | Rosa damascena and Rosa rugosa are both sold simply as rose. |
The short answer
For a rose-scented drink, the flower is more reliable. Rose geranium’s place is as a single leaf in something else, which is exactly how Morocco and Greece use it.
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