I noticed once established they do better. I so prefer them to others as it’s so easy to harvest a bush. I would agree they are slow growers and fight establishment. Yet can take a lot of abuse. My Rovada plants are old enough to give me excellent yields. I started a new one too last year. It didn’t grow much at all.
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OK …good to know…that gives me some hope that they might actually be as labelled…I have some Red Lake and Jonkheer Van Tets that are the same age and younger than my Pink Champagne and they doubled in size in one year…the pinks just sit there…
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I feed them well to help, but it is what it is. I want to add Van Tets, another good one. I’m sure many good one exits.
Here is a photo of Rovada from Lee Reich from his most excellent book “The Pruning Book”
He made a cordon. I had two but recently removed them to try different cultivars for cordons. I want to make one with Primus White as it has such long strings of berries.
Here is a photo of my plant
I plan to take some cuttings to root a new plant for a fence cordon.
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Minaj Smyriou…is a variety I am trying to get hold of in Canada…haven’t found a source yet…for off the bush flavour so far, I like my Wellington, Magnus and Ojebyn…and waiting for fruit on my Blackdown which I just planted recently. Ben Connan is fine and very productive but not as sweet as the others I mentioned…Ben Sarek I have not had any fruit from yet.
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So did he send you a picture of the berries themselves? Reading through the posts here, I see nothing to exclude this from being a Crandall. That is unless he actually got some yellow/gold/orange berries. But this ID could have just come from leaves and flowers.
On a side note, living in Colorado and being an outdoorsman I see a variety of currants when I’m out and about. Most of the time there are no berries and sometimes there are a few, but almost always they taste not good or not flavorful. This elk season I finally found a patch of tiny Crandall type bushes with berries that were quite good. I already have Crandall, but at least I know where these were if I ever want to bring one home.
my perfection red currant is slow also. so unlike my vigorous blacks.
Maybe I am not a fan of true black currants, Ben Sarek was the only black variety I tried when I had a bunch growing at my old bachelor pad. Not for me, at all, eesh, yucko. Maybe processing into syrup or jam is the way to go? I never tried that.
jam or juice is the way to go with the older black currants. most find them too strong. the newer varieties are better for fresh eating. should be able to taste my Tiben for the 1st. time next summer. 
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He said he did not notice of any berries while he was out there which wasn’t very often. The plant is still small and does not have all day full sun. Or if there is any, the birds might ate them all too.
Sorry, I wish I could give you better answer. I think it is what you said, some berries and not great taste. Thank you for asking.
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If you have ever tried Cassis liqueur or Ribena juice then you would know whether you like black currant as it can be…personally it is my favorite jam…but yes quite different than off the bush…especially with certain varieties that are not very nice for fresh eating.
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I agree, but for me th old school currants rock, the muskier the better!
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I’m with you.
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Yeah I feel the flavor melds once processed into a delicious flavor that is very unique. I really like the syrup of black currants over a good vanilla ice cream. A special treat. I savor the syrup. Also with vodka and a mixer of your choice, soda, tonic, lemonade, etc. Makes an excellent unique cocktail. Probably would make great Margarita’s too. Used in an ice cream maker I bet would be awesome. On waffles and pancakes is great. I like to mix Crystal Light Liquid Strawberry lemonade and Blackberry lemonade and my syrup. Just a short squeeze of both and about an ounce or less of syrup in water I can drink all day. I consume most of my syrup this way but save black currant, raspberry, and blackberry syrups for other uses as these are the best. My blackberry is made with tayberries, wyeberries, and Newberry. Sometimes I also add Marion and Siskiyou, It’s not like other blackberry syrups. It is very unique tasting. Also fairly red in color. As tays are red, and wyeberries and Newbery had some red too. Newberry can be dark, but some red color can be seen.
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hopefully next year i get enough for syrup. your tibens should have a decent crop next summer.
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I added some bushes this year. I put three in ground, two in containers for now.
All black currants
Boskoop Giant
Belaruskaja
Risager
Crusader (Ribes nigrumX R. ussuriense)
Slitsa
I’m going to add one more black this year, Belaruskaja.
Some nursery descriptions.
Boskoop Giant -
Large to very large fruits have tender skin, juicy, rich, sub-acid and sweetish flesh and ripen early. Productive, vigorous bush is easy to pick. This Dutch variety has been grown since 1885.
Crusader (Ribes nigrumX R. ussuriense) -
Another excellent hardy, rust immune Canadian hybrid from the same breeding program as Consort. Vigorous and consistently productive of large highly flavorful fruit that is great for jams, juices and wine. Hi in vitamin C and other bioflavinoids. Needs another variety for a pollinator. Hardy zones 3-8.
Slitsa - Large, flavorful, sweet, jet black fruit. One of the first currants to ripen. This disease resistant and superior variety is from Holland. It is an easy to grow upright shrub, with heavy yields, and it’s very hardy – down to -40 degrees F!! Great for fresh eating and also makes the most delicious preserves. Extremely high in vitamin C and anti-oxidants, this is one of the most nutritious berries in our collection.
Belorusskaya, a Russian variety, is not well known but comes with excellent ratings from those who have tasted it. Disease resistant.
Kirovchanka - A compact moderately productive bush from Russia, noted for its excellent rich flavor. We got it from noted horticulturist and author Lee Reich who loves its flavor.
Risager - A very promising new high yielding mildew, rust and leaf spot resistant cultivar from the Netherlands.
All are doing well. I don’t have Belaruskaja yet, but will in the spring.
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thats great! I’ve been eyeing several of those.
I don’t recommend trying to smuggle cuttings. That’s how diseases enter the country.
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Yes, why I focused on newer cultivars, as it seems many of the old cultivars are susceptible. If I ever see WPBR on any I will remove them too.
Yeah whatever you want to try no problem.
I just ordered 3 ebony black currant cuttings( on line ). The fruit is twice the size of most currants and are sweet enough to eat off the plant.
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where did you get them from?