Chai Spice Mate

Thanks so much, CharlotteZero for this one! For some reason I assumed with this being a chai, that the yerba mate would be roasted. I can tell pouring the water and it turning a lovely shade of sea foam green that it is not roasted. I’m glad I didn’t use boiling water then, or it would have burnt the yerba mate. I taste tested after brewing for five minutes, but I thought it needed some more and brewed another five. I’m also not sure how the spices can be their best if I didn’t use boiling water. It’s a conundrum… use boiled water and you ruin the yerba mate. Use cooled water and the spices aren’t as pronounced. I don’t know. I like this, but I could be wrong… it seemed there was some stevia here. Not the Celestial Seasonings pumpkin ridiculous level of stevia though! A good yerba mate and some nice spices, but I kept noticing that stevia.

Not sure how I feel about this one. I have yet to find a chai that is “it”…and after drinking this one, I still haven’t found it.

I need to steep this one for a long time to bring out the flavors. That said, it holds the delightful greenness that I hope for from mate tea. There’s a sweet aftertaste that is almost medicinal—that’s the part that gets me in the wrong way. Still not a bad cup! Warm on a cold day, add a wee bit of milk—what more could you ask for, in the end?

This tea was less than mediocre. While it can warm someone up and it light in taste, it hits with a hard sluggish feeling afterwards. It was not spicy, nor did it really have the “chai” flavors. Rather, it tasted like a generic, herbal tea dust that had been forgotten about for a few years in the back of someone’s pantry. Additionally, it left a thick layer or residue along the bottom of my teacup from dusting along the tea bad and that which had escaped it. I was not at all impressed, but I hope to find someone who can enjoy it.

Very tasty. Mate + chai = win.