Peppermint Yerba Mate

Now this is a great yerba mate blend for summer (and much better than that vile licorice-mate blend I had yesterday)…The grassy flavor of the mate dulls the sharpness of the peppermint and the peppermint dulls the grassy flavor of the mate. This is heaven and full of caffeine…perfect chilled

I really did not think I would like this as much as I do. I mean, I like peppermint ok. I like yerba mate ok. But these two are made for each other! The peppermint makes the yerba mate taste better and vice versa! The earthy and bitter qualities of the mate go together so well with the crisp flavor of the peppermint. There is a natural sweetness to this that is so pleasant.

I am drinking this in my Libre Mug, which has become my “gourd” and “bombilla” all in one.

I like this one! Then again, I don’t think there has been any tea/tisane that I’ve disliked from Samovar…

I’m not sure what to think about the new Steepster look… I’m typing in italics right now, first of all. ANYWAY… this is a sample I had from Rachel’s sale a while back! Thank you! I’ve got a headache so that means peppermint teas are the choice. I made a handy list of my peppermint teas yesterday, for that reason. After cooling the water for a half hour and brewing for a few minutes, there isn’t much of a mint flavor here, but the yerba mate is nice as usual, sweet and earthy. Hopefully yerba mate isn’t one of the things that likes to give me headaches. I had some of my Zen Chocolate mint rooibos yesterday (also headache) and even though the tea is kind of older, it still tastes as fresh as when I bought it!

Wow. Yeah, mate and I? Not gonna mesh. This is kind of like drinking a mint-flavored reed mat. This shows though how sweet Samovar’s Sweet Yerba Mate is. Because this? Not sweet. The tasting notes say bittersweet and I’ll agree. It’s not bitter like an oversteeped tea but there is a certain something to it that made me think of bitterness, maybe in a herbal/nature-y way. Nothing bad, just really unexpected.

I admit it, I made a face when I took the first sip (unexpected, you know). But each sip after that got easier and by the end of my cup, I was okay with this tea. Well, okay-ish. It still tastes like a mint-flavored reed mat but I will say that the mint is quite nice in this – and I’m saying that as a not so big fan of mint. So for those that mesh well with mate, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say this is a pretty tasty one, at least with how the mint blends with it. There’s no raw or rough herbal edge to it. So it’s a very smooth reed mat. I just notice it has eucalyptus in it so that might be contributing to the smooth blend. (And maybe it’ll help me with my stuffy sinuses.)

Anyway, certainly different but likable for a mate. Overall I prefer it more than the Sweet Yerba Mate because this doesn’t make me think of a commune with goats.

Steep Information:
Amount: 2 tsp
Water: 500ml filtered water 175°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 3 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: STRONG peppermint, then a little vegetal
Steeped Tea Smell: mild peppermint, hint of vegetal
Flavor: vegetal, sweet, peppermint
Body: Light
Aftertaste: tingly, vegetal
Liquor: translucent yellow-green

I do not like grassy teas or yerba mate, but this one I found drinkable thanks to the peppermint. It’s kind of soothing actually.

Images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/10/samovar-loose-leaf-mate-tea-peppermint.html

As part of the 4 Hour Work week pack of Yerba Mate, I’m trying out the Mate with Peppermint.
First sip and this tea made me smile – there’s something about the smell of peppermint that makes me smile – it’s so refreshing. The peppermint really cuts the haystack-like taste Mate naturally has. With the many benefits of mate paired with the peppermint flavor it’s going to be very difficult to not drink this everyday.

Wow.

Wooow.

I mean, I love peppermint and all, but this is crazy. This is my third (and final) Yerba Mate from Samovar, and what a way to top it off. I’m going to have to experiment with this more to get more of the Yerba Mate flavour out (the peppermint is overpowering, but I’m not chalking that as a complaint because I love the stuff).

That’s really all that can be said at this time. I’m just enjoying this one.

Soft texture, rising pepermint flavor to a smooth end. Naturally sweet but yet nothing similar to an overly sugared peppermint candy.

I must be crazy to be drinking this this late in the day but my work stash is dwindling and my curiosity has gotten the better of me. My one hesitation is my fear that I’ll like this better than the Kuki and then I’ll not look forward to the Kuki as much.

And guess what, I was right. But the spread isn’t really that far.

Both the green tea of the Kuki and the peppermint of this make the mate more tolerable in different ways. The green tea takes the edge off the mate. The peppermint pretty much subdues it.

I still taste the mate, but it’s really not that different from earthy peppermint tisanes I’ve had that had no mate in them at all. The Upton, as I recall, had a sort of dirt undertone which I didn’t really care for in a single note peppermint tisane. That’s what this tastes like, but it has the excuse of the mate.

It’s a relief to know that I prefer both the Kuki and the Peppermint to the plain because that’s what I’ll be drinking down at work for the next few weeks.

Meanwhile I need to start thinking about replenishing my work stock. I don’t have access to a full kitchen at work, though I do have filtered hot water and a place to rinse out cups and filters. No easy way to gauge temperature, though. I’d like to bring in lower caffeine teas if possible, so I don’t leave the office wired, but those are usually the ones that need more temp control.

Suggestions?