Guayaki

I have no idea how long I steeped this. I kept the tea bag in the entire time I was drinking it during lunch. All I know is that it was really good and I am going to be really sad when my box runs out.

I woke up late this morning and in my sleep-haze, I just grabbed a teabag from my group of teas. It turned out to be this one. That has to say something that I grab the yerba mate instead of the Irish Breakfast tea.

This is the first time in a while that I broke out my tea tumbler to bring to work. So far, I’m glad I did because I was only able to get two cinnamon scones for breakfast. Our cafeteria was closing down for the morning. I still say that this is a very spicy chocolate. It reminds me so much of a spicy chai that I really wonder what the chai teabags from this brand tastes like.

It is official. I need a mate gourd and a bombilla to enjoy my mate. This is just so good and I am loving it. I do like it on the stronger side, so I think I would really like it done in the traditional manner. I think I need to get the water a little hotter though because the water is cooling down so fast. I’m still experimenting.

Since I have been on my mate kick that was spurred on my RoT’s Dark Chocolate Mate, I found where I could pick some of this up. I brewed this for 10 minutes in some quickly nuked water that didn’t really get that hot. Just hot enough to brew tea in.

It reminds me of a slightly spicy chocolate chai. I’m still not sure what real mate tastes like, so the chocolate is nice. I do know that compared to Rot’s chocolate mate, this one is really smooth and does not remind me of coffee at all. I am so glad I got a box because I am going to drink this one down fairly quickly.

It might have to become my morning tea because I feel a little more awake right now. Which is a good thing because I have to write at least half of a story for class tonight.

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!

Filled gourd part way. Shook out dust. Doused mate in cool water, making sure to slope the mate. Added hot water. Allowed to steep. Got some junk on the first pull (customary, but I’m thinking my terrible bombilla doesn’t help). Thought it was okay. :)

Yum. A little spicy, a little chocolate, a little mate. The perfect blend. A good dessert tea.

I’ve been drinking this stuff for almost a year DAILY, and to tell you the truth, I love it! I brew about 12 cups, and drink it throughout the day. It keeps my mind and body active. I notice no peak and no crash. That is what I love about it…Sustained energy :)

This is SO addicting. I’m kind of sad it’s $3 a bottle on campus but whatever. It’s worth a treat now and then. It’s subtle and sweet and has a deep mate taste as well, it’s not sickly sweet. It just has a deep, robust, earthy flavour you expect from a roasted mate. My favourite.

I am only giving 100 reviews so far and this is my second review. Gotu Kola at night and Yerba Mate in the morning and afternoon is about all I need to feel that all is right with the world. I love the taste of Guayaki Traditional Yerba Mate. I’ve tried the flavors and prefer the Traditional (yellow package) best of all. I tried the San Mateo version in the light green, which is just straight Yerba Mate from a different part of the world, and the taste is totally different. It’s acceptable, but I prefer the Traditional by far.

The energy and the mental clarity and overall good vibes this brew gives are really unbelievable. If you find yourself stressed out and often lethargic, considering the easiest way to kill yourself rather than go on with your daily drudgery, please consider Yerba Mate first (and Alvita’s Gotu Kola in the evenings). I’m really not exaggerating; it’s possible I’ve been clinically depressed most of my life. I’ve only ever self-medicated with drugs, booze, meditation and herbal remedies and never sought real treatment. As you may have guessed, the drugs and booze only made my problems worse in the long run, but over the past decade or so, I have found a few teas really work in turning your life around… and Guayaki Yerba Mate is one of them. BTW, I don’t advocate drugs or alcohol at all, but it seems to be a natural part of growing up for many of us. :-/ I’m over that.

Since this is a “tasting note” I want to reitterate that I love the taste of Guayaki’s Traditional Yerba Mate. It’s light and sweet and a little earthy. It’s got it’s own unique flavor with a slightly bitter aftertaste, but less bitter than most green tea. I suppose it would be good with some spearmint (Guayaki has many flavors to choose from), but I like it straight, Traditional flavor (yellow bag). And I often double-up on the bags or if I’m using the loose leaf, I sometimes add way more than I should, so I enjoy the taste even if I triple up on the mate/water ratio.

You can supposedly keep pouring water onto yerba mate and get more of the minerals, etc. out of it, but I rarely do that. Mate works either with regular or hot water, but it does not (and shouldn’t) be boiling, as that destroys the mate. Water does not need to be hot in order to infuse; you can drop some in a jar with water and shake it up, wait about 10 minutes and you have mate ready to drink.

I received this from someone quite some time ago, although I don’t remember who it was! I think it was Mel? Anyway… whomever sent it, thanks, and I’m sorry that it took me this long to try it.

This is alright, although I must admit that it is made considerably better by the accompaniment of these incredible butterhorns (and I have a feeling that these would make anything taste better): http://hungryinportland.wordpress.com/2011/05/01/cicis-italian-butterhorns/

It’s a little thin, in my opinion, but it isn’t horrible.

Agua con super poderes. Energia estelar. : Super-powered water. Stellar energy.

This was my first time trying yerba mate. I was careful not to use too hot of water since I was warned that would make the tea too bitter. The result was pretty good, but not something I’ll turn to regularly. Good, but not my cup of tea.

So, it’s me ’n my Yerba against another day of sore throatiness.
Made an infusion this morning. It was… good. What else?

But then I decided to try something….
crazy.

Hot chocolate mix.
So, second-infusion yerba mate (thus, a little weaker) with about half a packet of cocoa powder:
I’ve definitely had worse ideas!
Much worse ideas, in fact.
It’s not half bad.
The flavor is a bit weak, but the chocolate overrides the mate flavor.
Worth a try, you guys.

Maybe I’ll talk to some friends into holistic medicine about what else I could mix in with mate to make a good cold-fighting brew.

Special remedy for a slight cold?
A pot of Yerba Mate.
Learned how effective YM was when I was really into Matevana from Teavana…
but hey, the plain stuff is just as effective.
In any case, yeah, I got a sore throat, and I’m a little phlegmy. But when I got my mate, I’m just phlegmy.

Sorry about never actually following through on my previous posts about the iced teas…
Here’s the story:
They all turned out awesome.
I’ll post about them in a sec.

Oh, and I was the only one that brought anything to the potluck.

I had to bump this down… I used up the rest of the yerba mate, but it isn’t as great as it used to be for me. The flavor was just meh. Plus, it reminded me of my surgical rotation, which was horrible. I also think that my palate has been spoiled by the yummy teas I’ve tried! :)

Backlog from this morning. I needed something quick this morning and probably the subsequent mornings. I have to be at my rotation at 6am everyday, and it takes 40 minutes to drive there. UGH! It is such an adjustment from 9am. Yerba Mate – Thank you. You were so easy to steep and drink.

I’ve always liked yerba mate since I first tried it many years ago. Thank you AmazonV for sending this to me in a swap! I really enjoyed this one. It is earthy and nutty but has a sort of tobacco or roasted perhaps scent and flavor to it. Delicious.

SIPDOWN!

Love this brewed strong with a splash of milk. It’s sweet and spicy and a bit mysterious — just so different from everything else in my stash. But I won’t be buying more anytime soon, because I still have too much tea! That being said, I am now down to 120 teas!!! and 20 of those are single servings (samples, or one-off teabags). If I were really disciplined, I would vow to have one a day for the next 20 days so I can get down to 100. And I would do it. But I know myself. I’m not that disciplined. I did put them all in their own basket on top of my kitchen table though, so maybe I will reach for them first. Except the Constant Comment. Blegh. That one’s for when my mom comes over (although thankfully even her tastes have graduated beyond Bigelow).

(NOTE: This “only 120 teas” total is also due on part to having taken a dozen or so out of my cupboard and put in a box to give away a couple months ago. I have yet to actually give them to anyone. I guess I should list them on here? It’s mostly 52teas partial pouches, and some Lupicia samples. I will try to post them on the giveaway thread soon.)