Organic Dark Roast Yerba Mate Loose

Ugh… Monday already.

I have an appointment this morning, so I can’t go back to bed and take a nap. So, it’s Mate to the rescue!

This morning, I added a bit of cinnamon to the finished product… I like it a lot like that. Tasty! Rich and robust and I can already feel it starting to work it’s magic. Yay!

Backlogging. Last Wednesday morning. (Will I ever get through my tealog backlog? It just keeps growing!)

A generous sample of Dark Roast Mate was the second of two surprise inclusions in my tea swap with LiberTeas. I have never had mate before and the dry mate did not look or smell at all like I expected. It looks like dark dark brown chippies, much like rooibos or honeybush, and smells roasty, toasty, and slightly molasses-y. More reminiscent of coffee than I thought, given that some people on here had mentioned that it doesn’t taste like coffee.

I steep my husband up a mug the previous evening before he went on night shift. Steeped for five minutes, I thought it was a bit weak and could benefit from more steep time. I resteeped a second mug for him which was weak but still had plenty of drinkable flavor.

So, when I steeped mine that morning, I steeped it for two minutes longer. The mate was a dark dark brown and smelled similar to the dry mate but fainter. I enjoyed the first third of the mug but then the flavor turned overpowering to me and I gulped down the rest cause I needed the caffeine. I was put off by it and didn’t resteep. I haven’t had any since since I think I need to get the memory of the taste out of my head before I try it again. I did like the mug I made my husband so I know it was likely steeping it too long.

I’m rating this mate a 60, which is the beginning of my nice range (60-70), cause I liked it initially then messed up the steeping. I suspect it will change with further drinking and better steeping.

WOW!!!! I’m the first to log? Well, I won’t be as I have LOTS of this and am going to share!!!! :)

Dark Roast is RIGHT! Holy Yerba Mate! This is DARK!!!!

Kind of smells like Coffee Beans a little. It’s smoother than I expected and resembles a coffee-like taste, I suppose. This isn’t too bad!

SIPDOWN!

As the name suggests, this tastes like a roasted version of the green yerba mate I just drank. Wow, how incredible! The aftertaste does have a very coffee-like flavor. After trying it straight, I added milk and sweetener. Now it’s less like coffee and more like roasted mate tea.

I prefer the unroasted variety I think. But I’m very curious to hear what the husband thinks of it since he loves coffee the way I love tea. There’s just enough left to brew him a cup when he gets home. ;) Thanks to LiberTEAS for making this cuppa possible! This is the last overdue sample I had to try. Victory! :D

Since her reactions to coffee and creamer are worsening, my mother has finally relented in trying alternatives. I figured the caffeine rich yerba would be a good start. I can’t rate this quite yet as I don’t think I steeped it right. I used four table spoons in a two cup French press and forgot about it for twenty minutes. It came out with far too strong an aftertaste. I timed the second cup better and was surprised. Despite the dark color and list of toasty ingredients this tastes mostly like green yerba and a cacophony of extras. I’m going to give this blend a few more tries before I give up.

And the maternal unit’s reaction? “It’s okay. Too green. It needs creamer, though.”
Oh well. One problem at a time.

I got this tea as a bonus with my winnings from the SororiTEA sisters blog contest – thanks LiberTEAS !!!!!!!!!

I decided this would be a good tea to have with breakfast this morning. I like more plain teas in the morning and I wanted some energy to get some studying done – yay midterms :(

The only yerba mate I have had is malted chocomate from 52 Teas (ironically also won in a contest – haha) and I have been wanting to try more. This looks way different than the 52 Teas one! It smells roasty kind of like coffee beans, it also has this odd kind of salty smell to it.

It tastes very roasty and kind of earthy. It also tastes very healthy, which probably sounds negative but it was in fact quite delectable!!! Great way to start my Saturday!

Steep Information:
Amount: 2 tsp
Water: hot spigot water
Tool: kati loose tea system (my Review here.)
Steep Time: a little over 5 minutes (http://steep.it)
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: grassy, smoke
Steeped Tea Smell: roasty, molasses
Flavor: gritty, thick, roasty, smoky, woody
Body: Full
Aftertaste: astringent and bitter
Liquor: opaque dark brown, like coffee

A gift from TeaEqualsBliss.

I enjoyed this, I have found I only like roasted mate and not green mate.

I think a bit of cream and sugar would go well in this.

pictures: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/12/mate-factor-company-loose-leaf-mate.html

Much “brighter” tasting than I thought it would be. Yummy “roasted leaves” flavor. Kind of cereally as well. I can taste the barley…and the carob (which tastes like sour cocoa to me). Come to think it it, this sort of tastes like a health food store smells—kind of grainy, woodsy with lots of herbs…and carob instead of chocolate.

Also reminiscent of wet soil and evergreens. Brews up very dark and coffee-esque with the chicory.

Overall, I think this is tasty blend! I like toasty, roasty flavors. And I love that they added the roasted barley and chicory in here—I think it tempers the “pungency” of the mate making a very smooth, toasty cup.

Originally published at The Nice Drinks In Life: http://thenicedrinksinlife.blogspot.com/2012/09/organic-dark-roast-yerba-mate.html

Origins: Brazil
Type: Yerba Mate
Ingredients: Yerba Mate, Roasted Yerba Mate, Roasted Barley, Roasted Carob, Roasted Chicory
Purveyor: Mate Factor (all organic)
Preparation: One tablespoon put into an empty 10oz mug, rest of mug filled with approximately 150-degree water, sipped with bombilla

Now here is a keen angle. Mate Factor is branding its mate not as a tea, but as its own category of caffeinated coffee alternative. It really is a great job that they did. The package includes brewing instructions for a French press, a standard drip machine, even an espresso machine with a latte option. Very nice.

As for whether the product can actually work as an alternative to coffee, that depends. Someone looking for something that tastes like coffee will be disappointed; no tea or tisane will ever achieve that. But Mate Factor never sought to make something that tastes like coffee in the first place. They assembled a unique blend of ingredients, and what results is a rich, earthy brew with a flavor all its own.

The dry Dark Roast Yerba Mate, first of all, looks great. It is like looking at a fresh, prime, radiant example of pristine woodland earth in the springtime. Most of the mix is a bold, dark brown, and sprinkled about there are bright, deciduous greens and whites. The leaves smell sweet and chocolaty.

When brewed, the tisane switches gears and emits a strong scent of yerba mate. The other ingredients become quite peripheral to the aroma. The liquid is a dark brown, malty but translucent, rather like a black tea. There is nothing malty about the flavor though. The brew offers very smooth, even notes of yerba mate and chocolate. It is sweet but not so sweet that it starts to do a bad impression of chocolate milk. The barley gives it an extra dimension, a little depth and subtlety. But the principle flavor is definitely the yerba mate. This is good, because it lends credibility to the suggestion that it is meant to be brewed. Without the mate’s presence, one would wonder if it would not be better just as a shake or something.

Fortunately, the yerba mate does indeed predominate, and it tastes quite ideal as a brewed beverage. I can definitely see making a latte or cappuccino out of this; the flavor and texture would integrate with the milk perfectly. Of course, I enjoyed it just fine prepared in the traditional way. All in all, Mate Factor did a splendid job creating, as they put it, a “healthy coffee alternative.”

Absolutely delicious! I can certainly see why people use this as a coffee substitute, although this still tastes markedly different. Particularly with a little sugar and milk it has a similar warmth and fullness to matcha. I haven’t been able to find any information on its exact caffeine content, so that is a point I’d be curious about. Definitely recommend!