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 bit richer and slightly more depth in flavor. That deep malty burst of flavor that we’ve come to love from Canarias is right there, pitching a tent on your palate. It’s a fierce yerba that lingers with chocolate, cinnamon, nuts, and, dare I say, fruit punch.
Cut 3.90 palos
Finely ground Gaucho cut. Very uniform. Intense amount of polvo, but works with a Brazilian yerba. Perhaps more polvo than Traditional version. Some splinter palos. Good dusty green color for aged yerba of this region.
Body/Texture/Taste 4.25 palos
Full bodied. Super rich and agreeably dank. Dark, deep, bold profiles. Espresso. Black coffee. Cacao. Malty and nutty. Fruit punchy. Cinnamon. Smooth and forceful. Velvet consistency. Earthy.
Nose 4.00 palos
Smells like you’re walking on the dry forest floor. Sawdusty. Powdery dirt. Forest duff. Rich humus. Freshly cut oak and pine. Clay. Sweet fragrance. Very springy.
Finish 4.00 palos
Smooth and stable: no harsh kicks and astringent surprises. The dark chocolate dominates the maltiness.
Cycle 3.80 palos
Good strong long cycle. Flavor tapers off sooner than you may expect from such a strong yerba, but there’s a good green-teaing transition nonetheless. Flavors becoming more subtle, soft spoken, and elegant, hinting at finer notes not so obviously recognized during the first few cycles.
Overall: 4.00 palos
Recommendation
Excellent rich, complex yerba with bold flavor profiles. Anyone interested in Gaucho Mate needs to try this Special edition of Canarias. This is some of the finest Gaucho mate in the world, hands down. It’s not as tasty as Del Cebador, but overall, it goes noes-to-noes in everything that makes up an exquisite Gaucho experience. This yerba is a welcome addition to any mate shelf. Jump into the rich, earthy forest with this Canarias expression. I highly recommend it.
I’ll say thanks for the blog! My first mate came in January 1981 – and a constant since then. I’ll also paint a picture a little different on the ratings. If your scale puts Canarias at a 4 and Union at a 2.+, we are on the exact opposite wave length. Not a bad thing, but the truth none the less. I “grew up” on Yerba grown in Argentina, worked for several months in Eldorado, Misiones, and my favorite Yerba over the past few years was a “special” Cruz de Malta with Green aluminum foil around the packaging. My last kilo showed that it came from the Cooperative in Eldorado – by chance. So, if anyone is following the scale – and thought that if you didn’t like the Canarias then Mate isn’t for you – keep in mind that it’s flavor is nothing that I would chose, if presented with another option. I look for brands packaed “in origin” in the Misiones Province of Argentina – and then keep track of the dates on the packages. If you find a good batch – buy up a bunch and store it with confidence. I wish I would have purchased 100 kilos of the green bag Cruz de Malta – but I thought it was merely a “marketing” ploy… And don’t get me started on the price jump imposed by middlemen. Yerba growers have not seen any of the windfall profits.
Hey Stan,
The thing about Unión Suave is that it’s very weak and becomes lavado rapidly. My 25 point rating system is comprehensive, not only focusing on taste, but overall experience of drinking the mate. Hence, a mate such a Canarias has a high rating, because it does well across the board.
I’d love to try Cruz Especial…I wonder where I can find it? Do you still live in Argentina? We should chat. Email me when you get a chance.