The latest fruit infusion to find itself in the Flaneur tasting laboratory is Clipper’s wild berry – ’20 bags of refreshing organic infusion’. Clipper say they use only the highest quality ingredients and add nothing artificial, so this one should be worth trying. The ingredients are hibiscus, liquorice root, rosehip, nettle, pineapple, natural flavouring and bilberry.
The mix of ingredients is naturally caffeine-free. The packaging is attractive, matt cardboard which is biodegradable and recyclable. The pack also carries the Soil Association Organic mark, and a ‘Great Taste 2010’ gold award.But enough dallying, let us to the drink itself!
The infusion’s colour will of course depend on how long you allow the bag to steep in boiling water. I prefer a stronger flavour and left it in for five minutes. It soon showed a rich dark purple colour which was actually appealing – which in the world of tisanes is a definitely plus point. There was little nose, and a taste that I wouldn’t have categorised purely as berry, more an overall sense of hedgerow. This may have been the liquorice cutting though – it is second on the list of ingredients. As you sip you can almost imagine yourself waltzing through the Alps, picking mushrooms and stopping to smell wild flowers. The aftertaste disappears quickly and dries the mouth slightly, a cunning ploy to make you drink more!
Try Clipper Wild Berry infusions here
The second infusion being tasted was also from Clipper – blackcurrant and acai berry. This has a similar dark, thick appearance, just right for an autumnal drink. It has a riper, slightly spicy bouquet.
Its ingredients are similar to the wild berry drink, having a basis of hibiscus, rosehip, liquorice root, nettle and pineapple. It also has dried acai berry powder and blackcurrant. Of these the blackcurrant is immediately noticeable. Indeed the drink is blackcurrant with a twist. What exactly is acai? It is the fruit of a palm tree from central and south America. It is pronounced assa-eye and tastes something like a raspberry or blackberry or even dark chocolate. As such it is an ideal partner for blackcurrant and together they make an interesting drink, an unusual taste following on from the hit of blackcurrant. The aftertaste is longer lasting than the wild berry infusion and leaves the mouth invigorated.
Verdict: I preferred the Blackcurrant & Acai berry over the Wild berry.
Leave a Reply