Piporé — 3.90 of 5 palos — reviewed 7/26/2012
Type: Traditional (with stems)
Region: Santo Pipó, Misiones, Argentina
Gourd Type: Wooden
Description of Pipore Yerba Mate
This traditional Argentine yerba is buttery smooth, with a clean, consistent taste. Softly spoken with bready undertones overlaid with herbal and grassy notes, making this for a well-balanced yerba with good structure and harmonization.
Cut 3.85 palos
Argentine cut. Relatively low polvo count. Good amount of finely milled leaves mixed with broadly cut leaves. High amount of palos, but it works in this case since there’s also plenty of fine leaves for balance. Nice vibrant yellow hue. Some splinter palos. The cut has some impressions of a Paraguayan cut, but with less polvo and more palos.
Body/Texture/Taste 3.90 palos
Light body. Bready. Pasty consistency and texture. Well balanced, showing good structure and harmony between the softer nutty and bready tones and with the sharper, green and herbal profiles. Hints of natural sweetness: caramel and brown sugar. This yerba shows very trustworthy characteristics: it’s not the fanciest guy in the room, but it’s the one you can rely on; the unusually stable taste, without any sharp astringent spikes or harsh ash-like kickback, makes this a staple yerba for any occasion. The flavors aren’t as bright and lively as with a Palo Alto; nor are they as deep and robust as Del Cebador; however, that’s precisely what makes this the Cuban Cigar of the Misiones.
Nose 4.50 palos
Cracker Jack candied popcorn and peanuts fragrance. Fresh sweet dough. Oats. Cinnamon pastry notes. Faint maple syrup. One of the sweetest yerbas coming out the the Misiones.
Finish 3.75 palos
Clean, snappy, light finish. No astringent surprises. No harsh bites. Somewhat lacking strength and dimension. Good green-teaing and unfolding of subtle sharper flavors—mint and mild spice.
Cycle 3.40 palos
Short cycle; The high palo count undermines the cycle duration.
Overall: 3.90 of 5 palos
Recommendation
A well-suited yerba that’ll make a great introduction to any new mate drinker. The traditional Argentine flavor and pleasantly stable taste profile, firmly positions this yerba as some of the best coming out of Misiones. If you’re already a fan of Nobleza Gaucha and Cruz de Malta, then you’ll appreciate Piporé. If you’re looking to reintroduce some traditional Argentine yerba in to your mate repertoire, after a long robust journey through the bold yerbas of Brazil and Uruguay, then lighten-up your palate with Piporé.
