Fresh Berry, Citrus & Mint Tea Recipe

I like this tea for its balance of sharp berries, fragrant citrus and fresh mint. Sea buckthorn brings a bright, tart flavour; raspberries soften it, while blackcurrants give the infusion a deeper berry aroma.

I leave out black tea so the fruit stays at the centre of the drink. This is a fruit and herbal infusion, made without tea leaves or flavoured tea bags. I serve honey separately so each person can choose how sweet they want it.

Use fresh fruit and mint. The weights below are prepared weights: berries without stalks, mint leaves without tough stems, citrus wedges with peel but without seeds, and rosehip flesh after cleaning. A 900 ml teapot needs room for the fruit, so the water quantity is approximately 750 g rather than 900 g.

Rinse the berries and mint gently under running water. Remove stalks and damaged fruit. Wash and scrub the orange and lemon thoroughly before cutting, because their peel goes into the teapot.

Cut the citrus into small wedges and remove the seeds. I keep the lemon portion small: sea buckthorn, cranberries and blackcurrants already bring plenty of acidity.

Trim the stem and blossom ends from food-grade rosehips. Halve them, scoop out the seeds and all the fine hairs, then rinse the cleaned flesh carefully. Weigh out 30 g after cleaning. Do not put uncleaned rosehips directly into the serving teapot.

Chop the flesh and place it in a small saucepan with 250 g water taken from the total quantity. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave covered for another 10 minutes.

Pass the infusion through a paper coffee filter into a clean jug. Let it drain without forcing the solids through. Measure the strained liquid and top it up with boiling water to 225 g. This keeps the final water quantity consistent.

Fresh rosehips give a subtler colour than a rosehip-and-hibiscus blend. I let the fresh berries provide the colour rather than trying to reproduce the deep red of a tea bag.

1. Warm a heat-resistant glass teapot with hot water, then empty it.

2. Add the sea buckthorn, cranberries and blackcurrants. Press them lightly with the back of a spoon, just enough to break their skins and release some juice. Add the raspberries.

3. Add the orange and lemon wedges. Gently bruise the mint leaves between your fingers and add them to the pot.

4. Pour in the 225 g strained rosehip infusion, followed by approximately 525 g freshly boiled water. Stop at the teapot’s safe serving level, even if a little water remains.

5. Cover and leave to infuse for 5–7 minutes. Stir gently, taste and pour through a tea strainer into cups. Leave the berries and citrus in the pot for presentation.

I want the infusion to taste fruity and fresh, with enough acidity to keep it lively. The sweetness of the orange and raspberries changes with the season, so I taste the first cup before deciding whether it needs honey.

Serve honey on the side. If the infusion is too sharp, add a little honey to the cup or a splash of hot water. If citrus peel begins to dominate as the pot stands, remove the wedges.

Serve freshly brewed in a glass teapot with cups and a small strainer. This quantity is intended for one 900 ml pot; the amount poured into the cups will be lower because the fruit takes up space and holds some liquid.

Fresh sea buckthorn and blackcurrants can be difficult to find. Unsweetened frozen berries are an alternative when fresh ones are unavailable; follow the supplier’s preparation and cooking instructions before adding them. Keep any released juice.

The fresh rosehips in this recipe replace the packaged infusion as an ingredient in their own right. Their weight is not a gram-for-gram conversion of dried rosehip and hibiscus.