Blackcurrant & Blackberry (Fruit Infusions)

Herbal and Decaf Traveling Tea Box, Summer 2025.
Blackcurrant & Blackberry. Basilur.
Who knows what’s in Basilur’s tisanes? I couldn’t find an ingredient list for this concoction anywhere. This was a string-tag paper teabag in a sealed, plasticized, foil wrapper. Steeped as directed: 5 min. in 8 oz. boiling spring water. Blackberry is one of my favorite berries, and I do love blackcurrants too, so I was eager to try this Basilur tisane. Hibiscus seemed to be the prominent flavor I tasted, with only notes of black-currant and -berry. Of course, raw blackcurrants and blackberries are also sour, so they may have aggravated the hibiscus sourness. And there was a chemical note throughout. The berry flavors came out of hiding once I added a tsp. of sugar, but I’m beginning to wonder if Basilur can do anything without hibiscus. It’s like the main organic base of everything is just hibiscus, then sprayed with whatever flavoring cocktail they decide to throw together. This tisane did have a nice finish and the overall flavor improved as the infusion cooled, so maybe another winner-when-iced? I have to admit to liking this infusion despite the above critiques, and I would recommend it to those who like sour berries, and rate it as a 77. Great to have been able to sample it, and thank you to Martin who contributed it to the TTB!

April Sipdown Challenge Prompt – a tea that was gifted to you

I knew this would be a favorite of the Basilur fruit teas sent to me by Martin for my birthday! Thank you, Martin!

Blackcurrant wasn’t a thing in the South when I was growing up. Since the plant was banished long ago it just isn’t that commercially available. I mainly was exposed to it when we were in Ireland and I loved it.

The berry flavors are distinct and tart in this, which made it just right for making a pitcher of cold sweet tea for our hottest days so far. (I drank this one a few days ago. We have cooled a little for now.) These fruit infusions are working out marvelously for our evening sweet tea!

I bought a few bags of this to the decaf/herbal TTB; and 2 of them I kept with myself.

I knew this was favorite of mine, but it has been a long time since I have tried it; so yesterday I picked this one to drink in the afternoon and I am very glad that I did!

Both fruits are present in aroma as well as in taste; really strong and jammy taste of both. A little tart, a little sour; exactly what I have been expecting from this tea. I was steeping it for really long, and the liquor was very mouth-coating.

As it is fall here already, with misty mornings; I wouldn’t prepare it as an iced tea, but I am pretty sure it would work marvelously.