MateVana

I’ve had this for awhile as part of a purchase where I was trying to see what mate was all about. Its okay, but I’m not wild about it, but that’s probably because it has a strong presence of red rooibos in it which I’ve learned is not a favorite for me. Some Teavana teas that I enjoy quite a bit are Peachberry Jasmine Sutra and Lemon Lime Kampai, which have green rooibos in the blend rather than red. As far as Mate, I love Teavana’s Raspberry Riot Lemon Mate iced, and it has no rooibos in it. Samarai Chai Mate as I recall is pretty good, but it has green rather than red rooibos in the blend. I need to try more Mate without red rooibos.

I needed something strong this morning, so I figured I’d try this. This is the first tea I’ve tasted that comes close to the feel of hot chocolate. Of course it tastes like a roasty, hickory-flavored, kind of fake milk chocolate. I like dark chocolate better. But this definitely gave me a jolt this morning, so it did its job.

Well, this isn’t the worst tea I have had. It was decent, actually. All the Teavana teas I have had have been alright, but not amazing. I definitely want to try this as a latte with chocolate syrup as the fellow suggested today, but I am on a budget now, so I had it only sweetened with the rock sugar.

Teavana was my first experience with tea and as much as I hate the “big store” mentality associated with them, overall I am pleased with most of the teas I have tried. I am transitioning from coffee drinking to tea, so this tea is still a fav for the morning!

I bought an entire pound of this at the Heavenly Sale. I just couldn’t help myself.
I need this stuff.

I was never a coffee drinker. The reason I fell in love with this tea is because it tastes like I always imagined coffee ought to taste like, and Teavana claims that it has about as much caffeine as a cup of regular coffee.

I wouldn’t know what kind of energy a cup of coffee gives you because I’ve never liked the taste of coffee enough to drink more than a sip, but I can’t face an early morning without it.

The aroma is not unlike coffee, but not spot on. It smells more like cocoa and less burnt.

The first thing that one tastes is a beautiful, roasted (some say “bran”) flavor and then a strong, undeniable, chocolate flavor. The tea is not astringent or fully as burnt tasting as coffee in the least. It’s not a very complex tea, at least to my taste buds, but it is much more satisfying than the flavor of coffee.

This stuff is amazing.

I received some of this from Doulton in the huge box o’teas that she sent me recently – thank you so much, Doulton! You rock!

This is yummy. Chocolate-y and nutty. Earthy and sweet. Creamy without adding milk (although milk is good in this too, I prefer it without though). A really tasty mate blend.

This tea has really grown on me. The first time I had it after my daughter’s recommendation, (she said it was her favorite). I thought ok but not great. Now, it is one of my favorites. I love the kick it gives me in the morning. It was interesting that they list rooibos first since rooibos has no caffeine. But, wow, that mate really comes through. I’m wide awake. It has a nutty favor and the mate part has the slight chocolate flavor I always sense in mate. The taste is great and very full bodied.

This smells really good, but the taste? Ugh. Not so much. I’d like more chocolate and less whatever the rest of it is, please.

It’s a “tea” you need to doctor up like a coffee from Starbucks. Sugar and soy milk, please!

I’ll drink the rest of the 50g I got, but definitely won’t be buying this again. For a coffee substitute I prefer other chicory based teas.

I’m not sure what I think of this one yet. You can definitely taste the Cacao. It’s got a smoky taste to it that i’m not sure I like. Smoky like a fire, not like a cigar. It says it’s like coffee but i’ve yet to find a tea that actually lives up to that promise. When you drink coffee you WANT coffee, not tea that tastes like cacao. *ok, end rant. I think it’s the rooibos in the tea that is making me rethink steeping time, i steeped for 4 minutes, and it is a bit too long as i’m getting a real earthy/clay taste to it. Will try again.