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 a few hours of quality cimarrones. Everything that you’d expect from a medium bodied, traditional yerba is here: good structure, pleasantly bitter, not too soft, and a good lingering taste after each cycle. And not to mention, it’s certified organic by “Argencert.” The exact region of Argentina where this yerba was grown is unknown, but most likely in Misiones where most Argentine yerba is cultivated. It’s good to know that companies like La Esquina, Kraus, Eco Teas, Guayakí, Canarias, and a few others, are going the extra step to produce quality organic yerba. I was recently informed by a local Argentinian Environmental worker, that most yerba grown in the country contain non-organic fertilizers, which is a bummer. Though I drink dozens of brands, I always feel safer knowing that what I’m ingesting is organic.
Cut 3.00 palos
Very safe, traditional Argentinian cut with broad leaves and lacking healthy amounts of polvo. Very Nobleza Gaucha and Amanda-esque. Decent PPL-R, but too many palos, which overly smoothens-out the taste. However, what’s lost in taste may be made up for in the increased amount of “feel good” chemicals (theobromine) that are said to be most highly concentrated in the palos. Some monster palos.
Body/Texture/Taste 3.60 palos
Light/Medium body. Good stable flavor. Good character. Snappy fresh bitterness that’s not overwhelming, but favorable. More on the lighter side, the consistency is very liquidy and less syrupy. Grassy. Early green tea profiles appearing. Very lively yerba. Fun to drink, but lacks richness and depth of taste, somewhat flatlining with a grassy taste profile, albeit a nice grass.
Nose 3.70 palos
Freshly cut grass. Algae. Faint hints of something sweet and sticky: rice crispy, marshmallows. Light honey notes. Granola.
Finish 3.75 palos
Light, clean finish. Nothing too “wow!” Pleasantly woody. Calm. Soft spoken. Gentle. Some subtle green tea flavors. No harsh kickback or astringency. Lacks boldness, but shows elegancy and calmer notes for those not seeking that sort of Gaucho explosion on the backend (i.e., DelC, Kraus Gaucho, Canarias, Sara, Baldo, etc..).
Cycle 2.50 palos
Unimpressive, short cycle yerba. Looses flavor quickly. Probably because the yerba appears not to be aged that long, as we find with Mate Factor as well; starting with strong stable taste and quickly tapering out after a few cycles, leaving us with a good—but weak—green tea taste profile.
Overall: 3.30 palos
Recommendation
Excellent organic Argentinian yerba. Nobleza Gaucha, Guayakí, Unión Suave, and Amanda lovers will appreciate this soft, but strong charactered yerba. It lacks robustness and boldness, but is elegant enough, with subtleties that’ll keep your palate tantalized and asking for more. Green and white tea lovers will also dig this yerba, as it’s very teay in nature. It’s a simple yerba, not trying to prove anything. I highly recommend La Esquina.
