San Mateo Yerba Mate

amazing, a staple for breakfest. love the taste and experince of drinking from the gourd

I fell in love with yerba mate since I first tried their bottled and canned products. When ever I need the boost of coffee, the relaxation and taste of tea I go for yerba any day of the week!

great tasting Yerba. Brews a strong brew that is balanced energy and not overly stimulating as compared to pure leaf or Argentina cut

So this is my first experience with drinking loose yerba mate in the traditional style with a mate gourd. I ordered one and a bombilla finally and seasoned the gourd with this tea. I figured I’d like this kind more than regular mate because it is unsmoked and has a more green flavor than most mate.

The flavor is really intense with a gourd full of leaves and a narrow canal down the edge filled with water. The flavor is really foresty and green. There are hints of evergreens trees. When this yerba really reaches its pinnacle and is brewed its strongest, it has an incredibly savory umami flavor like a vegetable broth, and it’s also a little salty. It has some natural bitterness too that is not very present if you brew this more like a regular tea with a small amount in a cup rather than in the traditional “gourd full o yerba” method.

The intense savoryness of this tea really reminds me of gyokuro prepared in the traditional method. I imagine gyokuro lovers would enjoy this. I have to admit, I’m not used to that intense savory flavor and I cringe a little when I drink it (same with gyokuro), but I’m also kind of intrigued by it and drawn to it, and continue to drink it… so I have a strange relationship with it… not something I’d really go for often, but something that works in the right mood.

I really want to try roasting some of this in a pan and drink it that way… kind of like home-made houjicha but with yerba mate. That would be fun.

Using my gourd this morning! I love it :) the first few gourd-fulls are pretty strong but this is actually quite different than the regular yerba mate. It has a mellow flavor but has so much going on. It starts off kind of grassy but has almost a minty/pine flavor too. The finish is sweet with super light citrus notes. I almost like this better than the regular yerba mate. I want to go camping and take this and my gourd!

I guess I could get used to unsmoked yerba afterall… The leaves are surprisingly fragrant after adding a few drops of cool water to them. It smells piney, citrusy, and very woody. I guess I never could have noticed this sort of complexity until I let my palate reset itself after drinking only strong smoky yerba. Normally, smoke seems to meld all the flavors together in yerba, but I guess it makes the flavor more unidimensional. The complexity of this yerba, however, makes me think of walking in the woods and being surrounded by pine trees and fallen trees. Bright, piney, citrusy, combined with dark earthy and woody.

I got introduced to this tea by two Argentine in Mexico, talk about odd but it was love at first taste. Now it’s the first thing I reach for in the morning. Enough said.

This stuff is pretty good no matter what way you prepare it or drink it. The first time I had it I was very shocked at the difference in taste from traditional yerba mate. But, this isn’t a bad thing at all. San Mateo has a very youthful and bright flavor and is great for an afternoon perk up and especially great in the summertime as an iced beverage. I love this stuff!