"Smoky" is the best, IMO. I planted about 4 different kinds 15 years ago, one or two of each variety. Most were either too sour, too bland, too poorly producing, or some combination of those traits. The smokies were full of flavour, sweet, and produce a heavy crop every year. I've gradually been cutting out the other varieties and replacing them with more Smoky. Really, you can't go wrong with Smoky. I usually pick about half the berries, the robins take the other half. Sometimes we pick them at the same time :-)

I quote here Ecological Fruit Production in the North, a book from the early eighties by Burt Hall-Beyer and Jean Richard. I haven't had a chance yet to taste the berries from my bought bushes (last year was their first), so I can't tell you whether I agree with their assessments.

"Forestburg is a very large fruited variety of mediocre quality. Honeywood produces abundantly when very young. Pembina is a full-flavoured, sweet berry that grows on a 3 m tall bush. Smoky has a large, fleshy, round and quite sweet berries. They are a bit on the bland side. The bush reaches 2 to 2.5 m, and is thus quite easily picked. Thiessen produces large fruit of outstanding quality."

Last year I bought Pembina, Thiessen, and Smoky. Then I discovered that there are wild saskatoon bushes carpeting at least a couple of acres on and around my land. I hadn't spent a berry season here yet! So now I have these tiny little bushes that cost $20 each, and hundreds of large, established, lovely bushes that are absolutely free. Furthermore, no-one else seems to pick them (well, except for the bear). Anyway, I thought that was funny. I hope you find one you like!

I agree that 'Smoky' does taste very good and is reliable and productive. I also have wild saskatoons on my property, some of which taste every bit as good as 'Smoky', though do not have the other good traits of this particular variety.

Terry