Daniel Scott

Daniel Scott drank Yerba Mate by Teaopia

My first time drinking a mate on its own – I knew I’d be at school late tonight note-taking, so I decided to get a cup of this to pour into my Timolino and then ordered a London Fog. I polished off the Fog before I even got to school, so I broke this out in the lab.

And guys, I don’t know what to say. I’ve never had an un-flavoured mate before, and I didn’t know what to expect or how to compare it. This tea has no reviews, either! I should note that I poured a fair amount of honey into this, because that is my fall-back when I’m nervous about the taste of a tea. (Ha, the manager nearly tried to pull the bottle out of my hand before I was done, which should probably tell you how much I used.)

It’s…hmm. I’ve heard mate compared to coffee before, and I kinda see that. It’s a wee bit bitter and a wee bit astringent, but it really has nothing on coffee in those departments (thankfully). It’s also been compared to green tea, which is odd, like…how can something taste like green tea and coffee? But I also sort of see that too, there’s an earthiness to it.

It’s very drinkable, anyway, and Teaopia’s cheapest wall tea (according to the staff member who recommended I try it, and the site says 50g/$4), so if you’re looking for a cheaper pick-me-up to fall back on, this seems like a good way to go.

2012-03-26 19:56:09 -0400

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Ian 2012-03-26 20:55:38 -0400

This is probably green mate. Unroasted mate has a lot more of the coffee flavor that you’ve heard of. I personally like green (also called fresh or simply unroasted) mate more, but it all depends on your taste.

Daniel Scott 2012-03-26 21:02:41 -0400

Thank you, note taken. I will ask about that next time I’m in the store.

Ian 2012-03-27 06:50:46 -0400

Oops, up I my comment I meant ROASTED mate has a more coffee like flavor, not unroasted. My bad!

Ptkelo 2012-03-27 11:34:02 -0400

I really like to add straight green mate into other teas because the flavour of mate isn’t going to overpower the favour of a strong herbal/fruit infusion. Sometimes caffiene free tea makes me feel a bit shafted regardless of how tasty it is, so it’s nice to be able to add a bit of energy in where I can.

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I’ve always been a tea drinker – I grew up drinking Tetley’s Orange Pekoe and their Chai, and considered myself to really like tea.

I’ve been working various retail jobs to put myself through higher education. One day at my store, a customer left a newly purchased bag of loose-leaf behind. We waited for three days for said customer to return, but they (likely not realizing where they had left their bag) did not return to claim the would-be brew. Too bad for them; lucky for me! I claimed the bag, took it home, and awkwardly made my first cup of loose-leaf tea with the only strainer we owned which was small enough.

I haven’t bothered with Tetley since. For the most part (and due to convenience), my patronage is limited to David’s Tea and Teavana. I also order from 52teas and Verdant Tea.

My rating system – hah, I don’t have a rating system. I rate teas a lot like Ebert rates movies. Everything’s relative.

I may often forget to mention it, but you can safely assume everything I drink is sweetened in one way or another – most rock sugar, or honey for green and white teas. I have not yet achieved drinking most tea clear. The few teas I drink unsweetened include milk oolong and genmaicha so far.

The guy in my avatar can be bought at Teaopia or here: http://www.jas-etea.com/products/Jingdezhen-%22Easy%22-Gaiwan-%22Blue-on-White-Phoenix%22-100ml.html

I currently work for Teavana. But I just work there, and my opinions about any of their teas are entirely my own and not meant to be reflective of the views of the company.