I must commend them on this blend. The tea bag smelled good, packaging was fresh, the tea bag looked large like a Mate Factor portion, and I really loved how simple the ingredient list was. Ingredients: Roasted Mate & Black Tea.
I enjoyed this because many companies try and hide behind ingredients such as chicory, cinnamon, etc. This blend seemed like mostly Roasted Mate, possibly a 60/40 blend, Mate to Black Tea.
Off first taste, it was smooth. I only used one teabag but it was stout enough for me. My bias toward roasted mate kept me from loving it, but I love the idea and the smoothness. It gave me a good buzz as there is probably quite a bit of caffeine in there. The stringency of the Black Tea was nice. I enjoyed this blend. This would be a very good intro to Mate for someone totally against the idea of Mate. I feel made into an espresso blend, and made into a Morning Thunder Latte, that could be amazing. The round, smooth taste of this blend was very pleasant and could be a once a week staple.
I commend Celestial Seasonings for the simplicity of this drink, and its attempt at a Mate blend. I had emailed them many times about bringing in Mate not knowing this blend existed.
For people that are die hard CS drinkers, this is for you. If you get your buzz from CS, then this is where to go. Good drink Celestial Seasonings!
