morningbus

It is amazing what a little roasting can do to yerba mate. Green, mate tastes like a strong green tea; Roasted, it is like a mellow, chocolaty black tea.

I’ve yet to try this tea iced, but I’m skeptical if the flavors will transfer over cold. I think it will probably work in a tea latte, though.

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This tea has grown on me considerably since my first tasting.

2nd infusion of the same leaves from my first tasting. The tea is a little lighter in color, but amazingly, no discernible loss of flavor has occurred.

It is surprisingly smooth and very drinkable.

First tasting of Guayusa and it is certainly unique. It has a smooth, herb and vegetal taste reminiscent of verbana and green beans. I prepared as directed, using 1 tablespoon (3 tsp.) of leaves for my cup, which made a strong, dark colored brew.

The first sip was interesting, but left me uncertain of whether I would like the tea. By the end of the cup, I had become accustomed to the unique flavor and ultimately found it to be pretty enjoyable. I expect that, much like yerba mate, I’ll have to have it a few times to really appreciate its nuances.

For next time, I would possibly use less tea for my cup and add some honey at the beginning. I’m also interested in seeing how this tea will perform iced. Suffice to say, I’m eagerly awaiting my next cup.

Usual compliments for the dark roast blend, but today I added some milk. It was a nice change of pace.

Just enjoying some iced yerba mate mixed with lemonade right now. It is hard to avoid this drink, even if it is kind of cold out.

This time I prepared my yerba mate in my espresso machine, pulled a long double shot (4 ounces), poured over ice in a pint glass, and filled to the top with lemonade. Delicious.

I finally decided to order some of this stuff off Amazon, as my experiments using regular rooibos in my espresso machine were working pretty nicely. If you are skeptical, let me assure you: this is a significantly different rooibos than you are used to. It is powdery and sort of hay-like and nothing close to using traditional rooibos you’ve ground yourself in a food processor (I haven’t tried using a coffee or burr grinder, though).

Anyway, the taste is like extra, extra strength rooibos. I usually drink this tea at double strength anyway, but red espresso is even stronger than that. Suffice to say, it is perfect for making specialty drinks. So far I’ve had made some cappuccinos, lattes, and even a couple Fresh Red drinks (red espresso poured over fruit juice; in my case I used white grape, but they recommend apple), with excellent results.

Before trying red espresso, I was hoping that I wouldn’t notice too much of a difference between it and traditional rooibos. But unfortunately for my wallet and the space dedicated to my ever-growing tea collection, this stuff is its own beast. I will probably have to keep a both it and traditional rooibos on tap, ready to go when the situation demands it.

A great breakfast tea that packs a punch. This tea brews up darker than most other black teas in just the first few seconds of steeping. This is CTC style tea, which means that the leaves look more like coffee grinds than tea.

Unbrewed tea smells somewhat like licorice, while brewed it tastes just like an incredibly strong black tea.

This is an interesting herbal tea I found while shopping in Montreal. Locally cultivated in Quebec, this tea is apparently a favorite cure-all remedy of the indigenous Canadian people.

You have to steep this tea for a really long time, at least 13 to 15 minutes in my experience. Eventually, the water will turn a pale yellow and take on the flavor of the herb. It is slightly minty, with an almost white tea style grassy taste to it. In many ways, it tastes like drinking a forest (but in a good way!).

Very disappointing. As a person that loves hot peppers (and is quite fond of chocolate, too), I was eagerly awaiting trying this blend. For my first brew, I followed the instructions closely and was seriously surprised at how flavorless a tea it brewed. For my second attempt, I used over 3 teaspoons and steeped for longer than recommended, but still no luck. Still surprisingly bland and watery.

I’ll probably use the rest with the bit of MateVana I have left.

A delicious blend that is sweet enough on it own. Tastes reminiscent of an ice cream sundae.

This is probably the best tea blend available at Teavana. It has a nice, chocolaty sweetness that could convert even the most hardcore yerba-hater. Unfortunately, it is pretty pricey, too. I’ll be trying to make a home-spun version in the coming weeks.

Great light fruit taste that helps to cut mate’s sometimes bitter flavor.

No notes yet.

Always the best on a cold day.

This is my first time using instant mate in a few months and I made it a little too weak. Usually pretty great, though.

The season for drinking this hot has arrived.

No notes yet.

A light, grassy/nutty flavor.

Best paired with honey. For some reason I only drink it hot and on cold days.

A great mellow taste with nice floral accents.

The best yerba mate I’ve had, bar none.

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