70

This is the second Prairie Berry blend I’ve ever owned, though this one is a fair bit different than the DT blend by the same name – for starters, it’s a tisane. Also, in addition to Saskatoon Berries I believe it has cranberry, chokecherry, blueberry, raisins, and elderberries among other ingredients. I’m honestly not looking right at the bottle or the ingredients list for this one or DT’s Prairie Berry though; so I might be remembering things a little wrong.

This one was a present from my Mom for Christmas which I just received today. She also gave me another blend by the same company that features Saskatoon Berries primarily, not just a whole bunch of local fruit/berries. Rather thoughtfully, her intention was for me to have something to add to swaps for the people who aren’t familiar with Saskatoons. And if you’re not, you should try them if you ever get a chance! I live in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – and the berries are so common and popular here that my city is named after the berry, and not the other way around.

This was the family’s second “Tea Soda” of the day. My sister wouldn’t try it because of the hibiscus though; she’s not a fan, and this honestly does have a lot of hibby in the blend. I did make the concentrated batch into a sweetened syrup first though; still, she wouldn’t try it! What a stubborn ten year old. Even floated in a litre of soda water, this was the colour of Doctor Pepper – basically black with a slight red tint. Maybe a little more of a burgundy for this one, though.

Hmm, taste wise this does have lots of straight hibiscus flavour; even sweetened and with all the other berries in the blend. I’m sad to say the Saskatoons are really hard to pick out; and I imagine it’d be even harder for someone not familiar with them in the first place. Other than hibiscus I think I taste chokecherry more than anything else? I do like chokecherries though (especially in jam), and this sweetened up it’s a little bit like a cherry soda? But with more natural tartness.

I’m very worried about trying this one hot; I know the hibiscus is going to be more than dominant; it’s gonna pull a Christian Grey and just fucking abuse this tisane. Yeah, I just made a jab at 50 Shades of Grey – I hate the series though, and I weep for everyone who goes to see it on V-Day and mistakes this abusive relationship for a healthy BDSM lifestyle. It’s so bad; even my ten year old sister today said she wants to see the movie. I mean, she wont because it’s rated R and there’s no way either Mom or her Dad are gonna let that happen; but the possibility of that kind of abuse being romanticized for her troubles me.

Yeah; that’s huge tangent – sorry. All that to say next up wont be a hot brew; it’s definitely gonna be a cold brew. Hopefully that keeps that gnarly hibiscus in check.

OMGsrsly

cackles My mom read 50 Shades and I had to have a BDSM 101 talk with her. Head, meet desk. My poor mom. “Is that really what your friends do? It doesn’t seem like fun.” No, mom. No. Consent matters.

Sil

1) 50 shades of the worst writing ever including twilight… 2) UGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH 3) jones…your mom is awesome.

VariaTEA

Sil, of course it’s worse than Twilight. It was originally Twilight fan fiction.

Sil

i didn’t know that… ugh. that makes everything 100 times worse

VariaTEA

Haha yep. She changed the names so she wouldn’t get sued but 50 shades of grey started as Twilight fan fiction.

OMGsrsly

My family is hilarious. :D And I read part of it when it made the rounds as fan fiction, because you know, BDSM and it might be interesting. No.

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OMGsrsly

cackles My mom read 50 Shades and I had to have a BDSM 101 talk with her. Head, meet desk. My poor mom. “Is that really what your friends do? It doesn’t seem like fun.” No, mom. No. Consent matters.

Sil

1) 50 shades of the worst writing ever including twilight… 2) UGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH 3) jones…your mom is awesome.

VariaTEA

Sil, of course it’s worse than Twilight. It was originally Twilight fan fiction.

Sil

i didn’t know that… ugh. that makes everything 100 times worse

VariaTEA

Haha yep. She changed the names so she wouldn’t get sued but 50 shades of grey started as Twilight fan fiction.

OMGsrsly

My family is hilarious. :D And I read part of it when it made the rounds as fan fiction, because you know, BDSM and it might be interesting. No.

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Hello! My name is Kelly, though many people in the tea community call me Ros or Roswell.

I am a mid-twenties tea addict, blogger, and all around nerd. I grew up in the Prairies, but a few years ago I relocated to Quebec to pursue a career with DAVIDsTEA in the tea industry! I’m still working on getting my French language skills down…

My first introduction to tea, in any form outside of instant and bottled iced tea, was about seven years ago when I happened to stumble upon DAVIDsTEA while looking for a birthday present for a friend! I tried their Birthday Cake rooibos blend, and I’ve been hooked on tea ever since! In those seven years; I was introduced to the online tea community, expanded my interest in flavoured teas to include a deep love and appreciation for straight teas and traditional brewing methods, got a tea themed tattoo, started reviewing teas, amassed a sizable tea and teaware collection, became a TAC certified Tea Sommelier, & even came full circle by beginning a career in the tea industry with DAVIDsTEA!

I consider myself a Jack of all Teas, and strive to have a knowledge and appreciation of all tea types, formats, and styles of drinking. I don’t like to feel boxed in to just being a “flavoured tea” or “straight tea” drinker – my expectations may vary depending on the type of tea or how it’s been processed/prepared but if it’s good tea, it’s good tea no matter how it’s been made!

You name it, I probably drink it- and I’ll absolutely try anything at least once.

My default method of preparation is hot, Western style, and straight – but I’m not opposed to additions if I’m in the right mood. If I ever add something to a tea or use a different method of preparation I will ALWAYS call it out in the tasting note though.

I like to listen to music when drinking tea, especially when I’m brewing a large pot at a time or steeping Gongfu. Often I curate very intentional tea and music pairings, and sometimes I share them here in my tasting reviews. Music is something that I find can deeply affect the experience of having tea.

I’m also one half of the “tea and fandom” podcast GeekSteep where, weekly, we discuss newly explored fandoms over tea as well as try to figure out the perfect tea to pair with each fandom. You can find us on Spotify and Apple & Google podcasts.

Favourite flavour notes/ingredients: Pear, lychee, cranberry, cream, melon, pineapple, malt, roasty, petrichor, sweet potato, heady florals like rose, hazelnut or walnut, sesame, honey (in moderation), and very woody shou.

Least favourite flavour notes/ingredients:
Lemongrass, ginger, strongly spiced profiles (and most Chai in general), mushrooms, seaweed, chamomile, stevia, saltiness or anything that reminds me too much of meat that isn’t supposed to taste like meat…

Currently exploring/obsessed with: Sheng from Yiwu, Yancha (Qilan in particular), anything with a strong sweet potato note. Also, I need to try ALL the root beer teas! Searching for a really good caramel flavoured blend, ideally with a black tea base.

Please contact me at the instagram account listed below if you would like me to review your teas.

Currently I’m employed in the tea department of the DAVIDsTEA head office. While I’m still sharing my own personal thoughts on new & existing DAVIDsTEA blends, I am no longer numerically rating them due to the obvious conflict of interest. Any comments expressed are a reflection of my own thoughts and opinions, and do not reflect the thoughts and opinions of the company. Any DAVIDsTEA blends you currently see with a numeric score were reviewed prior to my being hired there and have not been adjusted since becoming a DAVIDsTEA employee.

Location

Montreal, QC, CA

Website

https://www.instagram.com/ros...

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