Banana Cherry Green Yerba Mate

I have a love-hate relationship with banana. Mostly I hate it. Fresh banana grosses me out, and I dislike banana-flavored candies. But I do like it in baked goods (banana oatmeal walnut cookies, oh yeah!). I was really contemplating putting “please no banana!” in the notes on my grab bag but I’d already requested no rooibos and didn’t want to be too demanding. And there was only 1 banana-flavored tea, what were the chances that I’d get it? Funnily enough I got 3 teas I had been hoping for and… this. Ahh, my luck is both wonderful and terrible.

This smells like runts. Banana runts. I was all ready to swap it away instantly, but the bf saw it and wanted to try it. Funnily enough, I showed him the Banana Foster blend since it seemed like something he’d enjoy and it was met with a resounding “no.” I was thinking “oh we’ll make one cup, then I’ll swap it.” However, it was not to be, and I am officially adding this to my cupboard because it was a huge hit! Well, not really with me—I think it’s okay and tolerable (which is saying a lot, since the smell of the dry leaves totally horrified me), but it’s not something I am gonna be “oh I want more of this right now!”

The bf LOVES it. I mean, almost as much as Paris. I can see why: the grassy, earthy notes of yerba mate are right up his alley, and the banana is subdued enough to not be overwhelming. There’s just a hint of cherry which makes everything else pop. So I’m actually pretty happy I wound up with this: it’s always great to find a tea for someone else in your life I think.

This sample comes to me via Ian – so thanks for letting me try it!

I’m fairly new to mate blends so I don’t have much to compare this to. The dry leaf smells a bit banana like but I’m not picking up on any cherry.

I steeped this via regular infuser mug method. The brewed tea is very similar to my inital impression. I’m picking up on lots of mate and the banana but where is the cherry? I thought this needed a little… something so I added some soymilk to it and I liked it better that way, now it reminds me a bit of chunky monkey. I liked this fairly well, not sure if I would buy any for the personal stash, but if I had it around I would most certainly drink it.

I did manage to get a 2nd steep out of this, although it is much lighter in flavor and mostly tastes like mate…

Thanks again, Ian!

Hmm. I can really taste the yerba mate in this blend. A very strong vegetative and earthy flavor. I can also taste the banana very well. Less of the cherry, but it’s there. It’s tasty, but, not my favorite yerba mate blend I’ve ever had. I think I may hold off on rating this one until I’ve had another cup.

I drank this last night after browsing through my box that LiberTEAS sent me and I decided I needed some caffeine.

I did two steeps (I did the first iced) and I enjoyed the second one (hot) waaaay more. The first tasted (and smelled) sort of like bubblegum, and I was kind of turned off. I made the second one hot, however, and I liked it a bit more! It tasted less artificial. I still couldn’t pick out a solid banana or cherry flavor, but it was still pretty good.

This is my first yerba mate. I only used 1 tsp in 8 oz. of water because I read that online somewhere for steeping instructions. I’m not sure if it would be better or not with more leaf. It definitely isn’t too watery.

But that’s probably because I’m tasting A LOT of banana in this cup. I don’t really like banana flavorings, let alone in tea. I believe I’ve said this before. I also am left wondering what yerba mate really tastes like. All I can think of is…tea. Hello, Captain Obvious! But alas, descriptive words are eluding me today.

I’m not getting much in the way of cherry either. I think I’d like a pure cherry flavored yerba mate over this. Overall, I don’t fault the tea as much as I fault my own taste buds. I’m afraid the last few 52teas blends have been a bust. This is just not my thing. But if you like banana, this is your tea!