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“I was really looking forward to this blend. I love berry tea! Coming from Saskatchewan, I really like Saskatoons. And berries and oolong together….how can you go wrong!!?? Smells very Saskatoon...” Read full tasting note
“Well, I just got back from the dentist and let me tell you there’s quite a lot to be done. Right now everything is going through my Dad’s insurance which kind of concerns me – we don’t have the...” Read full tasting note
“Thanks raritea! I actually enjoyed this one today. Still not a fan of davids tea but ill take this one over blueberry jam any day :) I wouldn’t quite put the flavour as being close to saskatoons...” Read full tasting note
“Oops – I thought for sure I reviewed this one already! First of all, I’m a prairie girl (S’toon/Regina) and I loooove S’toon berries. Picking them off a giant plant was the best part about certain...” Read full tasting note
Berry home companion
Though you won’t find them at most supermarkets, Saskatoon berries are a big part of prairie life – in fact, the city is named after the berry, not the other way around. Somewhere between a cranberry and a blueberry, Saskatoon berries have been central to local prairie cuisine since well before the first settlers. And this fruity oolong blend is a celebration of the beloved berry. Jam-packed with Saskatoon berries and cranberries, and sweetened with maple syrup, it makes for a warm cup of prairie hospitality.
Ingredients: Oolong tea, cranberries, dehydrated maple syrup, Saskatoon berries, blue mallow blossoms.
DavidsTea is a Canadian specialty tea and tea accessory retailer based in Montreal, Quebec. It is the largest Canadian-based specialty tea boutique in the country, with its first store having opened in 2008.
I was really looking forward to this blend. I love berry tea! Coming from Saskatchewan, I really like Saskatoons. And berries and oolong together….how can you go wrong!!??
Smells very Saskatoon berry!
This blend is actually very good. I am certainly getting more cranberry taste than Saskatoon. I also like cranberries, so for me, this is all good. The maple syrup adds a subtle sweetness that makes this nice and fulfilling. The oolong taste is in the background. Too bad there is artificial flavouring, but overall, I really like this blend.
Edit: resteep 6minutes, boiling, just as good as the first!
Well, I just got back from the dentist and let me tell you there’s quite a lot to be done. Right now everything is going through my Dad’s insurance which kind of concerns me – we don’t have the best relationship and he goes through mood swings of “Let me be there for you however I can, whether that’s financially or otherwise!” (like right now), and “This isn’t my responsability at all – I don’t care what happens at all”. Getting everything done is going to take a while, so heavy chance of some mood swings coming my way…
For example, when I called him to summarize what the dentist said he blew up at me for letting things get this bad (I haven’t been to the dentist in probably three years). But, it’s not like I’m 30 or 40 and chose not to go: I’m 18 and this is my first year living on my own – getting check ups during those three years should have been his or my mother’s responsibility, in my opinion.
But here’s the total for things they want to do/pointed out to me:
- Remove all four wisdom teeth
- About six cavities ranging in severity
- Two = borderline in need of root canal (First step is temp. fillings)
- Prescribed two different pain medications in the meantime
That sounds like an awfully big bill…
But anyway, since they didn’t do any actual work today it looks like I get to enjoy some tea and food today! All the Saskatoon Berry excitement from last night gave me some crazy cravings for that delightful berry, so I’m starting off the tea drinking tonight with some yummy Saskatoon Berry tea to ease some of my dentistry concerns!
1 1/2 tsp. of leaf in 8 oz. of just under boiling water, steeped for four minutes. Dry, this is super Saskatoon Berry scented with a light maple syrup presence. Steeped up, the taste is sweet Saskatoon Berry puree with maple syrup and relatively strong notes of cranberries. It’s SO FREAKING GOOD.
I sort of get why it was discontinued though – Saskatoon Berries are definitely a very foreign fruit to some people (as evidenced by last night’s conversation) and also, apparently, are a bit of an acquired taste depending on your exposure to them. I grew up with them and, admittedly, it took me way too long to realize they were as well known as, say, a Strawberry.
Oh god. It is good you got in there when you did and now have pain meds to deal with the pain. I had a tooth cracked open for months and was in immense pain and then they fixed the tooth only for me to be in even more pain for a while. When I finally went back it turned out I had nerve damage from the tooth cracking and when they fixed the tooth they just ended up compressing the nerve so I ended up needing a root canal. So I definitely get the pain you are in with teeth that are at the point of needing root canals. Hopefully you are able to get everything fixed before your Dad has a mood swing.
I think you’re doing the right thing in taking care of your mouth. A lot of people don’t realize how many things can stem from not doing so. Don’t worry about your dad though, water off the back ;)
Once you get your teeth back into shape, it will feel so much better. I know my bf didn’t do anything for quite some time and once I made go to my dentist, he started to feel much better about the whole thing!!!
I love Saskatoon berries, I think it’s a Canadian thing :)
saskatoon berries rock.
oh poor you with the teeth! i would advise considering being fully out for the wisdom teeth: i was awake. really, better to be asleep. but that’s just an unsolicited opinion. maybethey can do it all at once while you’re out?
JustJames – I totally agree. general anesthesia for the win!!! I woke up not knowing what happened for the hour of my treatment. And then proceeded to cry because apparently waking up from it can make you feel that way even if you aren’t sad or in pain.
I am afraid of the dentist. I haven’t gone in years also. I’m considering one nearby that offers free nitro for office visits.
Oh, Saskatoon Berry pancake syrup! My favourite.
Best of luck with the dentist. When you get your wisdom teeth out, make sure there is someone to take you home. I had to convince a friend she couldn’t fly, and no, we weren’t going to drift home on the wind or take a bus, I ordered a cab. ;)
Good lord. I went 10+ years between dentist visits until Husband forced me to go last year. I kept saying that I would go when something was hurting and nothing did so I didn’t go. Then Husband made the appointment for me, so I had to go. I was SO scared I nearly cried while I was there, but the dentist was really sweet and kept explaining to me what she was going to do before she did it and reminded me constantly to just signal her by lifting my arm if I needed a break or felt ill or started panicking or whatever, and she took some time at first to talk to me about why I thought it was frightening. Of course it didn’t help the fear that I had imagined all sorts of things being wrong and nearly started coming to terms with needing false teeth at age 34 before going, but in the end there was one cavity, which she fixed right away, and two smaller ones which she thought I could probably stop myself by thorough flossing. Now that we’ve moved to another town, I’ve told Husband that I think we should stay with this dentist. It’s close enough to not be super inconvenient. I know her now, and I can’t face starting over with an unknown quantity again.
Thanks raritea! I actually enjoyed this one today. Still not a fan of davids tea but ill take this one over blueberry jam any day :) I wouldn’t quite put the flavour as being close to saskatoons but that could be my taste buds or a mis recollection from when I was little.
To me, it didn’t quite taste like Saskatoon berries either. My bag has way more cranberries than Saskatoon berries too.
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it! I felt that the berry flavour was kind of artificial tasting. I agree with you on choosing this one over blueberry jam too.
Oops – I thought for sure I reviewed this one already!
First of all, I’m a prairie girl (S’toon/Regina) and I loooove S’toon berries. Picking them off a giant plant was the best part about certain campsites. I would just stand there with a bunch of other kids and just shovel them in.
S’toon berry pies can be amazing or really bad – depends on the quality of berry. The big juicy berries make an amazing pie – the small hard ones make a crunchy/chewy type pie.
I digress! This tea smells soooo good – like a sweet, mapley berry pie! Sadly I can’t get the berry taste to come out in the steep. It tastes like a sweet, maple drizzled dark oolong – dry in texture, maybe a Taiwanese?
I’m definitely missing out on the berry flavour I get in the smell.
Okay now the important part! (lol) My birthday is next weekend and I’ve invited some new (non tea obsessed) friends for a tea party! I’m cooking and baking, trying my hand at some gluten-free treats as well, but I was kind of hoping for some tea party advice. I’d like to set up a little matcha tasting bar, I only have one big teapot, any advice or fun ideas on how to sample a bunch of fun teas? Thanks friends!
you might be able to pick up some tea balls at the dollar store so that they can make small cups of tea. ponders I’ll see if i can come up with some other creative things to do.
Happy Early Bday! Sorry no advice from me here – I have never had a tea tasting or party. :(
Thanks Azz!
Oh that’s a good idea Sil – dollarstore teaballs would save on waste from using a bunch of tea sacs – I will definitely look for those!
I’ve planned like 30 huge parties in my lifetime, I don’t know why planning a tiny tea party is proving to be hard lol
Although it’s not just that – I want to hear ideas from my tea friends!!
Happy almost bday! What a fun idea! If you only have one teapot maybe just have water available for people to brew their own tea? Just present basic brewing parameters and paper tea filters and they could do their own thing. Or! Get some pitchers or bottles and prepare a bunch of iced teas, which might be more appealing depending on the weather.
It’ll be great! Have fun with it!
happy birthday in advance! shooter glasses, if you have them (they also carry them at the $ store) you could prepare cocktails with tea base and serve them that way, I’ve done it this summer, green tea mojitos at it was a hit! Have fun!!
ah thanks so much for the ideas!
Wonderful wonderful, I’m so excited :D
Daisy, if you trying gluten free, take a look at this recipe:
http://alpineberry.blogspot.com/2006/08/amaretti.html
I replaced the cocoa with some caramel matcha from red leaf. So good! also, no added fat! Tell that to your diet conscious friends. :)
Happy Birthday in advance! Sorry to read you have to restrain from gluten as well. Here’s some recipes/inspiration http://cookingwithtea.tumblr.com/
I can’t wait to try this tea! Like you, I grew up gorging on Saskatoon berries in the summer :)
Does Halifax have a Chinatown? You could get a bunch of little teapots for cheap, then give them as a thank you gift/“encouragement to continue drinking tea” gift.
oh i like that idea missmylin
Personally this is was I would do. Depending on how many people you are having you could always do the gung fu steeping (there is a cute teapot at DAVIDsTEA for that) then that way you can make a bunch of different teas everyone could get a sample and then they could make a cup of the one they liked the best.
THANK YOU so much everyone!
Such awesoem ideas, I’m looking into all of them! (Oh, I’m not gluten free, but a new friend is! Also my SIL is, so I desperately want to make treats for them! Thanks for the suggestions)
And I have the wee little gong fu style teapot from Davids, so that should help.
This has all been very helpful – I actually have NO idea if Halifax has a china town, I’ll have to ask around :) yay!
Jeez who would say this is better than Blueberry Jam, that’s not right.
I had no idea there were things called Saskatoon berries before this tea, but I figured berries are usually all pretty delicious so this will probably be good. So I had to try a couple of them after the tea steeped since I don’t think I’ll be going out anywhere and finding these berries, though I know of a store that would probably try.
I didn’t read the description recently so I didn’t see the part where it tastes like a cranberry/blueberry, but that indeed sums it up. Maybe just a little bit blackberry too.
It really just isn’t berry enough in the tea. I steeped it for four minutes. It mainly tastes like a roasted oolong and maple syrup. It’s there though, but it comes off more like the cranberries that are more present than the Saskatoon berries. As it cools, it gets more of a berry flavor, so it isn’t bad. I just wouldn’t drink it while it’s still pretty hot again because it did not taste good then.
I think I’ll have no problem finishing it though. Thanks for picking up some of this for me, Kittenna!
Oh!!! And most exciting news ever: my grandma gets to leave the nursing home for an overnight stay at home this Saturday! I was planning on going up to visit tomorrow or Wednesday for the rest of the week but now it’s for sure!
That’s awesome for you and your grandma!
Awee have a lovely visit! :)
Thank you! I know my mom and my grandpa were able to take her out to eat lunch or dinner up there outside of the place, but it came as a complete surprise to learn she could leave that long for once!
Happy times with your grandma:-)
I haven’t had this tea in a while, so I had a few cups this afternoon. Yum. It’s very good, I should drink it more often. SO MANY TEAS.
Anyway, I love the maple-y taste combined with the berries. It gives this tea a little more depth than lots of other fruity teas. Delightful.
Sample #2 of the day. This one comes to me thanks to Faith!
Not being very familiar with the Canadian prairie, I have never had Saskatoon berries. But I am always up for a new and interesting fruit!
The the tea smells very berry-ish, definitely the tart, sweet kind. I also smell the warm, roasted oolong base underneath that seems like it goes pretty well. I am getting quite a lot of tart berry from the flavor, cranberry for sure and perhaps Saskatoon berry, though I don’t know that I would be able to identify it. The oolong base is a touch roasty but not very strongly so. As opposed to several other reviewers, I get basically no maple syrup, and I would hvae liked some maple syrup. Still, this is a pretty tasty tea and I enjoyed it.
Sipdown! 205/365!
I really wanted to like this tea, because – Saskatoon berries! Oolong! Maple syrup! But alas, it wasn’t meant to be. It’s too old now for me to really pinpoint what needs fixing, but probably all aspects. I’d love a juicy Saskatoon berry tea, though (the key here being tea, not tisane).
Tell me about Saskatoon berries! (Never heard of them down here!)
I understand that they have some alternate names, so you might be familiar with them by a different name, like serviceberry. I’m from Saskatoon, though, so I always call them Saskatoon berries! They are tasty – generally not amazing for fresh eating, as they can be quite seedy, but they make an absolutely delicious pie, and I’ve had some yummy jams as well. It’s kind of an earthy-sweet rich berry flavour, not particularly tart (nor particularly sweet).
Also from Saskatoon; I’ve never heard them called by anything other than Saskatoon Berries (fun fact; the city is named after the berry and not the other way around!) – I usually describe them to people as a blueberry and cranberry mix. It’s not a perfect descriptor, but it’s close-ish. My favourite Saskatoon Berry food was always Saskatoon Berry Milkshakes.
We have wineberries around here. Look like raspberries but grow in a husk almost like a tomatillo does.
@mrmopar – Sounds neat! I haven’t heard of them before.
sample pouch brewed in my timolino.
nom nom nom
gonna leave work a little early today.
yay yay yay
actually i made this 8 hours ago and am just drinking it now because timolinos keep your yummy oolong warm FOREVER!
i’m also watch Wallander and preparing to go on a hike tomorrow. hello mountains!
p.s. Tom Hiddleston is simply too handsome.
(i think i’m tea drunk.)
Aren’t Timolinos awesome?! :P
Timolinos ARE awesome! team timolino foreverrrrrz!
saskatoon berries and maple syrup are the reason i tried this tea. it being delicious is the reason i continuously reach for it over most other berry teas. i am thinking i am going to try mixing it with pineapple oolong and see what happens…
I realllly want to try this one. Which Oolongs should I get at the Davids Family and Friends sale Tea? I was going to get 50 grams of the skinny, 50 grams of vanilla oolong, and 25 g of milk oolong. But this could also be a contender. Any idea what the next tea of the month will be?
vanilla orchid is absolutely amazing, it’s the tea of the month this month and i absolutely love it. it’s lightly floral, just perfectly vanilla and the oolong is absolutely exceptional. i also love pineapple oolong. it’s juicy pineapple awesomeness. and it’s wonderful iced. also, i went for like two whole weeks drinking it every single day, often a few times. what else are you getting?! i do know but unfortunately i’m sworn to silence.
I already have/love pinapple oolong! I think it is the best tea of the month that they have done in the last little while.
I am planning on getting: 50 g of vanilla orchid (corrected, I always forget their are 2) 50 g of the skinny, 25 g of milk oolong, 100 g of read my lips, 100 g of mothers little helper, 100 g of chocolate chili chai, 100 g of cocomint cream, 100 g of brazillionaire, 100 g of Kanpe, 100 g of Pink Flamingo, and 100 g of Sleigh ride. I really need to restock on herbals.
have you tried Alpine Punch? it’s so immensely satisfying in the evening when I want something with a richer mouthfeel than an herbal.
Yes I have, I had it a while ago at a friends house as she still had some from last year. I wasn’t overly impressed then, but I tried it the other day in store and thought it was better. We’ll see, I’m really just looking to replenish my caffeine free selections since all I have atm is Birthday Cake and Strawberry Ginger.
:p Aww man, I’m so jealous of you guys. All that tea!!! But then if I worked at DT they would get half my cheque. That’s what happened when I was at chapters.
you kind of luck out though cuz unlike most jobs, you also get to consume the product all day at work. I mean I do spend a lot of money, but I’m lucky enough to also get to try everything new for free and also can drink whatever I want all day at work. That being said, my collection got out of hand so I’m on a hiatus.
