Eco Teas— 3.15 of 5 palos — reviewed 5/3/2012 Type: Traditional, Unsmoked Region: Misiones, Argentina Company: Mate Revolution Inc. Gourd Type Used: Ceramic Description: This was the first yerba that I purchased from a United States store after returning from my second tour in Argentina and Uruguay in Spring 2010. It was significantly cheaper than [...]
Mate Whisperings
I don’t get tired of drinking IT. IT’s sustainable. Maintainable. Free flowing. Growing. Sowing seeds. Some say IT builds electrical activity in the brain. Some say it helps wake you up. Deepens dreams. Improves the immune system. I bet IT does all of that, and more. More? Sure, infinitely more. We’re all a particle in [...]
La Esquina de Las Flores
La Esquina de Las Flores — 3.30 palos — reviewed 4/27/2012 Type: Traditional, Organic (con palos) Region: Argentina Company: La Esquina de Las Flores Corp. Description: This snappy, fresh, and lively Argentine yerba is quite pleasant. Someone dear to my heart first gave me a bag La Esquina a few months back, and we enjoyed [...]
The Super Rich Canarias, Edición Especial
Canarias — 4 of 5 palos — reviewed 4/19/2012 Type: Especial (Super Extra) Region: Santa Catarina, Paraná and Rio Grande, Southern Brazil. Company: Canarias S.A. Description: This Special Canarias yerba has been selected from the finest mate leaves grown in local mountain forests of Brazil. Just as tasty as the Traditional version, but perhaps a [...]
Around the World with La Vuelta
La Vuelta — 3.80 of 5 palos — reviewed 4/16/2012 Type: Traditional (con palo) Region: Obera, Misiones, Argentina. Company: S.A.N.E.S.A. Description: Beautifully crafted, La Vuelta hit the right chords with this melodious harmony of strength, sweetness, and just enough bitterness to create a well-rounded flavor profile. This is some of Argentine yerba at its best. [...]
Amanda Premium Mate
Amanda — 3.20 of 5 palos — reviewed 4/13/2012 Type: Premium (con palo) Region: Misiones, Argentina. Company: La Cachuera S.A. Description: This soft, pasty, and buttery yerba has never been a big winner with me. Its weak character and structure easily allows the astringency to cut through your palate like a razor—fast and sharply, leaving [...]
The Canarias Twin: Baldo
Baldo — 3.95 of 5 palos — reviewed 4/11/2012 Type: Traditional. Aged 4-6 months. 100% Natural, no chemicals. Region: Santa Catarina, Paraná and Rio Grande, Southern Brazil. Grown by Canarias S.A. Description: Produced by the same company as Canarias, Canarias S.A., this mate has virtually no distinction than the Traditional Canarias brand. In fact, the [...]
Sara, The Cowgirl Mate
Sara — 3.85 of 5 palos — reviewed 4/10/2012 Type: Traditional Region: Brazil. Carrau & CIA Description: “100% Organic” Brazilian grown yerba, similar to nature as DelC (Del Cebador) and Canarias, but is much flatter and smoother than both. Think of Sara as the soda that’s been left open for a few hours, less poppy [...]
The Ovaltine of the Mate World: Del Cebador
Del Cebador — 3.90 palos — reviewed 4/7/2012 Type: Traditional “Calidad Superior” (Superior Quality) Region: Grown in Brazil. Uruguayan based company, Molino Puritans. Description Drinking this mate here in Argentina transports brings me home, to New York, as if I were drinking my favorite brand there, Mate Factor (MF). Eerily similar to Mate Factor, both [...]
Yerba Mate in NYC with new & old friends
The simplicity of the gourd is overwhelming, yet it continues to attract people far and wide. The herb is heard for miles, and strangers transform into friends with each pull of the bombilla. A bond is formed, and a mutual feeling is established that screams “WE ARE BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN THIS MOMENT,” causing everything [...]
Urushop: How one shop is spreading Mate in the UK [interview]
I was recently given the opportunity to interview Renzo, co-founder of Urushop, via e-mail. Urushop is an amazing yerba mate and mate accessory store, based in the UK. Read on to find out how it all started, who the people behind the shop are, and where they’re going with it! What inspired you to start [...]
Bittery Mate, La Tranquera
La Tranquera — 3.45 of 5 palos — reviewed 4/4/2012 Type: Traditional (with Palos) Region: Los Helechos, Obera, Misiones, Argentina. Description This is a pretty strong yerba — very traditional tasting. Doesn’t have the rich robustness of a “Gaucho Mate,” like Kraus (Gaucho) or Canarias (traditional), but more on the astringent and bitter side. I [...]
Cachamate’s Hierbas Serranas
Cachamate — 2.95 of 5 palos — reviewed 3/00/2012 Type: Hierbas Serranas (Mountain Herbs). Con Palos (stems). Region: Misiones, Argentine and Worldwide locations. Produced by Cachamaí. Description This is a yerba company that has definitely taken a different tact. Mate doesn’t seem to be their official product, but one of many. Positioned as a “natural [...]
Playadito Yerba Mate or Green Tea?
Playadito — 2.55 of 5 palos — reviewed 3/16/2012 Type: Traditional, Con Palos Region: Colonia Liebig, Corrientes, Argentina. Cooperativa Agrícola de la Colonia Liebig Ltda. Description: This cooperatively grown yerba of Corrientes, Argentina, bordering Misiones,has some history to it. Upon immigrating to Argentina around the end of the 19th century, German farmers, with the combined [...]
Yerba Mate and Marijuana = Matejuana
I’ve mentioned it before in my mate diary — I even coined a name for it, “matejuana” — and I’m still inclined to explore it. What? The ridiculously intricate, profound, and magnificent marriage of mate and marijuana. Matejuana is the consumption of mate while smoking marijuana. It’s a pretty straightforward thing. You make some good [...]
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