Johns River
Johns River, Maine 🌎 See Oyster Map
Rare oysters slow-grown by former lobsterman Dave Cheney in the bottom of Maine’s Johns River estuary, not far from the famed Pemaquid lighthouse. Slow growing equals strong shells and firm meats. Hand-picked by diving. For lovers of big, briny bivalves. Dave Cheney also sells these as Colonial Selects and Colonial Cocktails, which have the same flavor in a smaller package.
- Species: Eastern
- Cultivation: Bottom Planted
- Salinity: Oceanic
- Size: Large
- Region: Maine/NH
Johns River (14 Ratings)
Submit a Rating
Sign up now to post your rating, or login here.
Awesome! Nice size and crisp brine.
Hard to believe, but here we are a year from my last posting, secluded in our Damariscotta condo in a near totally shut down little town. But, I picked up my usual supply (50) of John’s River Oysters which I will share with friends by dropping them off at their door! With the restaurant trade virtually gone, the oyster farmers are facing a real problem since they must start to get the new oyster crop with seed oysters which they buy….some rough business decisions coming for them: virtually no revenue but big expenses coming soon. John’s River continues to be my oyster of choice, nothing better!
Life is strange, we are now living minutes from Dave & Johns River Oysters. My first taste of these super Maine oysters was 4 years ago and the ones I had yesterday were still superb! Now I can get them the same day they were harvested which is about as good as it gets. Great clean, briny, meaty taste with absolutely clean finish. There’s magic in Dave’s waters being so close to Pemiquid Lighthouse and the open ocean.
Sweet and meaty in June. A standout in a ten-Maine oyster tasting.
Great shape with a nice deep cup. Large, firm meats. Briny and strong. Great oyster.
Here we are in May and able to have some of the best oysters imaginable while in Maine. Dinner in Rockport at the Oyster Grill with some John’s River oysters which were so good I nearly wept. Of course, I am partial to the Maine oyster taste, plenty of brine, meaty, rich range of taste and very clean finish.
Oceany, creamy, sweet – it was delicious
WOW! This is the second big batch we’ve gotten from Johns River & they were as amazing as ever! Deep cup, unbelievably fresh–THE BEST! I wish we could give more than 6 stars! Order some today–you will not be disappointed!
Our friends drove down from Maine with these GEMS. What a wonder and tasty suprise in the middle of winter to get such a treat from Maine. Will definitely have again! Really the best I have tasted.
I’ve had oysters in about every state on the East coast of the United States, and the John’s River oysters I order from Mr. Cheney are some of the best I’ve ever tasted. He seems to have mastered the development of a nice, deep cup, and the briney-sweet complexity of these oysters is remarkable. I generally eat no less than a dozen at one sitting. Save on the cocktail sauce – just bring a lemon wedge …. or nothing at all.
These are the best oysters I have ever eaten. If there was such thing as the perfect oyster, these would be it. I order them direct from Dave. They come in 2 days.
I love John’s River Oysters.
I jane eaten many oysters from many places around the world. These are simply the best. Sweet but not too sweet, perfect size, perfect saltiness. Obviously finished well. If you don’t love these, you don’t know oysters. Try them now
My god these are perfect right now. Big, briny, extremely heavy for their (significant) size, very firm and snappy, with a stone-fruit finish. Yet another 5-star oyster from the Damariscotta.
While on one of our summer visits to our Maine summer place, we got some of these along with Pemaquids: they were wonderful! Nice brine, lovely meaty body and simply a great oyster for our tastes. We bought ours from Jess’s Seafood in Rockland and I assume that they are available from other dealers.