Organic Mocha Mint Yerba Mate

OK… as most of you probably already know, I am a tea artist… or I used to be. That is, it was my occupation (self-employed) to flavor teas. I don’t do this on a regular basis anymore, so that is why I say “used to be”…

Anyways… amongst my collection of successful flavors was a flavored yerba mate. It was one that I created to taste a lot like my favorite mocha – because, well, I can’t drink mocha coffee drinks anymore. They’re just too harsh on my stomach. The flavor was a chocolate almond toffee blend… or what I called almond mocha mate… basically, it was a mocha version of Almond Roca – one of my favorite candies.

And it was yummy.

All of this really has very little to do with the mate drink I’m consuming at the moment, except that they have this in common – over the top yummy-nummy-ness. Well… that and a rich chocolate-y flavor.

The green yerba mate is earthy and deep in flavor. The roasted carob gives this a chocolate flavor, but not so much a sweet, chocolate-bar kind of flavor, but more of a rich savory cocoa (or mocha) kind of flavor. The mint is balanced well with the other ingredients and does not overwhelm the flavors… I am getting a nice mint-chocolate-y flavor that is absolutely delightful.

I’m loving this!

I love the colors in this box/logo/packaging! Beautiful!

As for the yerba mate itself…

It’s alright :)

I think there is a bit more minty-flavor than carob and that is ok with me. There is a hint of bitterness to it…but it’s matched with an earthy-type flavor. Not woodsy or floral or grassy but EARTH. The mint really helps even the EARTHINESS out. The more I drink this the more I like it. It does ‘brew’ dark, very dark. The carob flavor seems to come out more as it cools! This is pretty good.

Sometimes I lead with the negatives. Maybe that’s a fault, but instead I’d like to think it prepares the taster for the experience, letting them look past the bad to the delightful. In that spirit, the bags smell like stale herbs and there’s no individual wrapping. As someone that likes to sniff teabags as well as someone who appreciates freshness in something portable like an individual tea bag, it’s hard for me to look past those petty things.

The brewed mate itself is tasty, especially with a little sweetener. The carob is subtle and the yerba mate provides littles more than body, so one is left mostly with peppermint, but if you enjoy peppermint tea, I could easily see this becoming a daily staple. If you’re more interested in the mocha, I’d look elsewhere.

The primary flavour I get from this is the peppermint, with an underlying fresh/green flavour that I assume is the yerba mate. The carob is there, but quite mild. I like this tea plain, but I like it even more with a bit of sugar. I tried adding a bit of milk as well, but I’m not really a fan of that.

Delicious tea. I buy it on campus (or used to). It tastes like a mocha/coffee drink without the repulsive overbearing coffee taste. Actually it tastes closer to a minty hot chocolate. Either way, it’s a delicious treat especially for the winter months. I don’t think I can drink this in the summer. It’s really good with cream and sugar mixed in.