I think it must be. Where did you source it?
Everyone I’ve ever given them to has enjoyed them, including people who are skeptical or incurious about unusual fruits. That’s more than I can say about many of the fruits I grow. It’s not very good for processing, IME since the flavor is way less concentrated. But out of hand it has a nice sweetness and balanced flavor.
I started an order with Lucile a few months ago and got sidetracked. Maybe it was a good thing if I end up with newer varieties to trial! I don’t think I’ve heard of those you mentioned until this thread, I’ll check for more details.
Thanks for the info- I may call Lucile myself for those. They looked promising. My last post did not post, I was holding off to next year since there was only one variety available in flats.
I should get to do some more taste tests this year. Should have several additions to get a taste of this year. (I’ve not found any blacks particularly tasty for fresh eating yet…though a very ripe Rovada red currant tasted great.)
Most currants have recently bloomed…I did see several berries sizing up on some variety.
Gooseberries are farther along.
I will have another 6-8 new varieties to try this summer… so far titania, hedda and noiroma are my winners for tastes. Although it is likely you won’t have access to the varieties of Europe I will try to come back and share my taste assessments.
I’ll report back in the summer as far as tasting goes, but I’m in 6b and have Crandall, Consort, Titania, Blackdown, Red Lake, Rovada, Jonkeer Van Tets, Pink Champagne & Imperial growing…lots of lovely little blooms.
Think this is Rovada:
Have you noticed wasps paying a lot of attention to your currents? I have even seen hornets crawling around on the flowers. I checked and have no infestation. Often they are sunning themselves on the leaves. It is a little weird, but they also pay a lot of attention to our laurel hedge.
My favorite for flavor is Titania. The Minaj Smiriou is the most vigorous, but (to me) doesn’t taste as nice as Titania…
I like Titania
If Titnia proves to be the ‘best’, then all my black currants probably go into jam jars, or the birds get them. I think my first ripe ones probably going to be Black September. (That variety seems pretty variable in bloom time…have several plants, and there’s variation.)
I like Swedish Black for eating fresh. But the berries aren’t big and it isn’t super productive.
It’s good to hear real experiences…the nurseries all brag on good points of a cultivar and are quiet as a mouse concerning it’s limitations.
I’ll have Tiben for the first time later on…and a better sampling of Black September. Have maybe 3 other blacks but have not looked closely but don’t think there’s fruit this year…at least not much. Ben More and Ben Sarek have not impressed me except that they are easy to raise from that point of looking at it. Expecting fruit for first time from at least 2 reds. And Pink Champagne tastes nice but has been stingy producer first couple years.
Some probably aren’t self-fruitful, so having enough plants and enough insects may explain lack of productiveness in some varieties.
To quote me from earlier 
:
I got the order from Luicile at Whitman Farms today. It took 12 days in shipping, but that looks to be Fedex’s fault. For those considering her vs buying 25 plugs in bulk, here is a pic of the plants I got.
I got 10 plants (7 Tahsis and 3 Black Comb). They are $9.50 each, plus $23 shipping for the order. They aren’t massive, but they look to be big enough to get started without much issue and are a much better deal than buying small plugs ($9.50 vs $8 for a plug…).
This year noiroma and cherny j bumer are the winners, very little to no sour even when under ripe (purplish) and sweet, cherny has more taste noiroma more so just sweet.
Image below: (first year) Cherny j bumer left, (someo fthe largest i could find) Titania on the right.
I am looking forward to see Cherny j bumer in 2nd and 3rd year.
i wish that was available here. i grow Tiben. one of its parents is Titania. not quite as big fruit as yours but close. its not as sweet but i can eat it off the bush. makes great juice and jam with very little sugar added.
Montana State worked with black currants a bit in their small dark fruits program. in the end the unofficial decision was that almost all black currants are used in the kitchen and they were all good for processing. I have Ben Sarek, Ben Hope, Ben Conan, Consort, Belarusakaya, Risager, and Minaj. If I go down to two varieties it will be Ben Hope and Ben Conan. Both are good producers and large berries so somewhat easier harvesting. Ben Conan unfortunately ripens with Carmine Jewel here. So I missed much of the Ben Conan harvest. It’s calving time as well. So those are my excuses. Consort has a pretty good hang time and is tall and easy to see the fruit. I’ll eat Conan and Hope for fresh but mostly use in the kitchen.
I’m hoping next spring is the one I can finally have a bigger spread for a ‘tasting’ using black currants from my plants.
Titania and Ben Sarek I don’t much like fresh. Tiben I am undecided as only had 3 or 4 berries. Ben More is ok but not great. Black September is ok. Should have 4 or 5 additional varieties to sample in the coming year.
Jam/jelly … all are good for this apparently. (Edit: Just had black currant jam and fresh biscuits for a late breakfast. Satisfying.)
For growth habit and productivity I love Tiben and Titania. Flavours are pretty much identical. Bit sharp to my taste for fresh eating unless bordering overripe but makes fantastic jams and fruit meads (needs tons of residual sugar).
I also grow Ben Cowan and Ben Sarak. Ben Cowan when fully ripe is probably the least acid in my soil but I’d still not be eating handfuls fresh.
So for cross pollination I’d plant Titania and Tiben. Be agressive with your thinning of shoots as good sun exposure gets the berries big.
No disease issues other than watching for current worm eggs in the early summer.
Can someone who’s had “Bonne Maman Black Currant” jelly say how representative it would be of processed black currants in general? I could definitely taste the brown sugar and lemon juice in the background.
I haven’t bought commercial Black Currant jelly or jam. I was once told that Consort produced a jam/jelly product like the Bonne Maman.
