Prairie Berry

bleh!
It’s not often I say that about a tea. In fact, I can’t recall the last time I rated one so low. but this… well it certainly is not for me!
The taste is sharp on the tongue, faintly berry like with an aftertaste of plastic.
Was there black tea in this? I certainly couldn’t taste it.
Overall, I’m having trouble finding any redeeming qualities about this tea. Not just that, but it has artificial ingredients?! enough said in my books.
Steepster won’t allow me to rate this at the moment… so let’s just say I gave it a 45.

This is SO much better as a cold-brew! I steeped it for about 36 hours since I wasn’t home last night. A looooong steep!

The berries are actually the strongest flavor- MUCH stronger than in the hot brew. I also get a maple flavor, which I tasted none of at all before. I get a slight oolong taste, not enough to really discern the characteristics of.

So this second time around I poured my whole bag into a bowl and made sure the teaspoon I got wasn’t heavy on fruit with no tea.
It’s definitely not as tart as it was when I first made it. But I didn’t really get any sort of definite oolong taste from it either. No hint of maple sweetness that I could tell, but I wasn’t really expecting much from that to be honest.
It was just a kinda fruity/berry, lightly tart-ish tea. With sugar it was a bit better, but kinda meh overall.
Going into the swap bin…which I really need to empty out soon. Lol.

Dry Leaf Nose: Juicy berries with dark berry notes.

Liquor: Classic brown tea colour.

Flavour: Darker-coloured berry notes with a rich, full flavour – like a very strong blueberry. Black tea is present and is sweetened throughout by the maple syrup.

I’m definitely getting more oolong than berry here, but I am getting some berry juiciness and tart undertones in this brew. I added sugar, but not a lot, and no milk, though as the oolong is a little on the darker side, it could hold up to one, but I don’t think this one will benefit from any milk. But maybe. There is an astringent taste that might be more mellow if I add milk.

In the Prairie Berry vs Blueberry Jam war, I think it is no contest…Blueberry Jam is the clear winner to me. This is another one that I think will make a nice cold brew iced tea.

Hmm, what will my next tea be? Something else from indigobloom or something I already have?

Have I not rated this yet? Oops.

I’ve had a couple of cups of this, a first steep, then the second steep of someone else’s from my Steeper. Just delicious every time. Love the berries, and the mix is really nice. Its my first exposure to Saskatoon berries, and a great decision it seems!

The oolong base adds a lovely mix into the tea. It compliments the berries, but there’s still a disctinct oolong flavour there too.

I really like this one. Next stop, iced!

Life has been a little hectically crazy right now: my sister needs surgery on her gallbladder (we have the same issues, just apparently hers are so bad she needs it out!), my sister-in-law’s baby shower is approaching (expecting twin boys), and my husband & I just got news of our own… we’re pregnant with baby #2! It’s kind of early on to announce anything to family, but I had to let someone know! It’s strange, with pregnancy #1 I was so nauseous and tired that the slightest smell of meat or coffee sent me running for the bathroom. This time around I’m actually craving coffee! Fingers-crossed the nausea decides to stay away for good.

It’s also Saskatoon Berry season here in Saskatchewan, with berry-laced pie, preserves, and cinnamon buns at nearly every Farmer’s Market stall. I can’t have any of the baking and my mom makes her own jam, so I usually opt out of the bounty. This tea, however, was an exception.

From the moment the sales-girl opened it up for me to sniff, I knew I needed some in my possession. Today, I finally brewed up a cup to drink with breakfast and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s thick and flavourful, with the Saskatoons complimented perfectly by the maple. Much more dimensional to me than Superberry. Now, let’s see if we can get multiple steeps out of it…

Last half of the sample pack. So yummy, while still tasting strong enough to be breakfasty. :D

Cold steeped my 10g sample of this beauty, and while it was very good, I don’t think it’s one I need to stock up, especially considering I have a tin of Blueberry Jam. Of the two, I still prefer the blueberry, though if this one was offered, I certainly wouldn’t say no! I love berry teas and this one is very, very good at being just that.

I couldn’t resist anything that has Saskatoon berries in it – they grow wild around here although they tend to be a bit small and seedy, but they’re wonderful in pies and jam. You can smell the berries right away in the dry tea and the flavours meld very well with the dark oolong base which has a complimentary fruitiness. The maple syrup also adds a touch of sweetness without being too cloying. The resteep (@ 5 minutes) was lighter with less of the toasted dark oolong flavour and more of the berry sweetness coming through. I love that they went with a berry that was a little bit unusual, but quintessentially Canadian, for this tea.