Banana Cherry Green Yerba Maté from 52Teas

by liberteas

Tisane Information:

Leaf Type:  Green Yerba Maté

Where to Buy:  52Teas

Tisane Description:

So, I’m on a bit of a banana kick lately, but trust me, you won’t be disappointed in this week’s tea of the week. Here’s some green (non-roasted) yerba mate blended with real freeze-dried bananas, and natural banana and maraschino cherry flavors.

If you haven’t had green mate (or any yerba mate) before, you’re missing out. The un-roasted variety is a bit vegetal; it reminds me of a nice green tea, except it doesn’t get bitter. Yerba Mate also has the extra benefit of being VERY caffeinated. A lot of people who have issues with side effects from other caffeinated beverages report that they do not experience the same side effects when drinking yerba mate.

This blend of bananas, maraschino cherry and energy is going to become a welcome addition to my morning routine.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I wasn’t too sure about this blend when I first tried it, and even now, I can say that it isn’t my favorite blend from 52Teas.  Even so, I am enjoying it, so I can’t say that it’s a disappointment, either.

The dry leaf aroma is spectacular.  The fragrance of bananas fill the air every time I open the pouch – and I happen to love banana.  I can also detect hints of cherry as well as the vegetative, earthy tones of the yerba maté.  Once brewed, the infusion emits an aroma that is quite a bit softer, but still very much banana with faint cherry notes and the slightest whisper of that earthy quality.

Which I guess is what threw me off … because I had expected the fruit flavors to be stronger than the yerba maté flavor, but, my first couple of sips, what I tasted most was the earthy, vegetal, and even slightly smoky presence of the yerba maté.  I could taste the banana; I could even taste the cherry.  But neither were as strong as I had expected from the aroma.

But as I continued to sip, I noticed the flavors starting to develop.  Now, as I am halfway through my second cup of this tisane, I am enjoying the flavors.  I like the way the sweet flavor of the banana marries with the earthy tones of the yerba maté, and how the cherry notes weave their way in and out throughout the sip. The cherry becomes especially pronounced in the aftertaste, when I taste a distinct cherry flavor that is sweet and even just a little tart.

Not exactly what I expected when I first opened the pouch, but it is still tasty!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in 52Teas, Tea Company, Type Of Tea, Yerba Maté

Maté Chai from Element Tea

by liberteas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Yerba Maté

Where to Buy:  Element Tea

Product Description:

Boost circulation and stimulate your senses with this popular blend of Yerba Mate and Masala Chai Spices. For a sweeter and creamier finish, add milk and sugar.

Ingredients: Mate Green, Cinnamon, Ginger Bits, Cardamom, Cloves, Fennel, Anise Seed

Taster’s Review:

I love chai (and when I say “chai,” I mean the beverage that is made from a masala spice blend … with or without tea or other leaf types, like the green Yerba Maté leaf used in this blend).  I enjoy it year ’round, but I find it especially enjoyable this time of year.  The spices warm me from the inside out, and the zesty flavor is very invigorating.

The spices dominate this tisane, and what I taste most are the fennel and anise seed.  They give a sweet, licorice-y kind of taste to this chai, and I’m really liking that.  (I’m quite fond of black licorice!)  While the cinnamon does not present a really strong presence in this cup, I like the way it mingles with the fennel and anise.

The ginger, cloves and cardamom are pretty well balanced here.  One of these spices does not seem to be stronger than the others, they all seem pretty even.  Every once in a while, a flavor will pop out that I recognize distinctly as one particular spice, but for the most part, it is a very unified set of spices.

The green Yerba Maté of this blend lends an earthy, somewhat vegetative taste to the cup.  It isn’t nearly as strong a flavor as the spices, of course, but, it really adds an interesting dimension of flavor to the cup.  The earthy notes are a pleasing contrast to the licorice-y flavors.

I recommend drinking this hot with a dollop of honey to help round out the flavors.  I didn’t drink mine with milk, but, I think it would be quite nice as a latte.  This turned out to be one of the nicest Yerba Maté Chai blends I’ve tried!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Chai, Yerba Maté

Coconut Maté Masala Chai from Yogic Chai

by liberteas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Yerba Maté

Where to Buy:  Yogic Chai

Product Description:

We use Organic & Fair Trade Green Yerba Mate from Brazil for our Mate Chai(s)

Yerba Mate is a lightly stimulating beverage from South America that has a mild amount of caffeine with just the right kick. It produces a light green beverage, with a refreshingly bold flavor that has found a perfect match with our masala spices!

Taster’s Review:

This is one of the smoothest tasting Yerba Maté blends I’ve ever encountered.  Generally, I find Yerba Maté (and particularly green Yerba Maté as in this blend) to be quite rustic, consisting of a strong earthy quality as well as a vegetative note.  And, while this Yerba Maté blend does have that rustic feel to it, I think that the spices and the coconut help to even this Maté out to give it a smooth finish.

I suspect the same recipe of spices that goes in to Yogic Chai’s award-winning Original Masala Chai is used for this blend, and I like the way the spices and Yerba Maté work together in this blend.  The result is a gentler Maté with a savory kick of masala spice with just a hint of coconut goodness.  The flavors are warm and spicy.  I find the blend to be very soothing and a pleasure to sip.

The coconut is much more subtle here than I expected, but it gives the overall cup a creamy kiss of coconut-y sweetness that I really like.  The coconut is present throughout the sip, but, it is a subtle tone of coconut.

This is delicious hot but I actually prefer this one iced.  While it also makes a great chai latte, I prefer it without milk.  I just add a drizzle of agave nectar to enhance the spices and serve it chilled.   It is so refreshing and so beautifully different with its medley of spices.  It is calming and yet energizing; it is peacefully invigorating!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Chai, Yerba Maté

Mango Maté from Fusion Tea Room

by liberteas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Yerba Maté

Where to Buy:  Fusion Tea Room

Product Description:

The elegance of this blend is simple and sophisticated. Our unsmoked yerba mate infused with the flavor of ripe mangoes. Very smooth that goes down easy. You ‘ll forget you’re actually drinking mate because the astringency and bitterness that so many other brands have isn’t there. Energize your midday over ice. Love it, drink it, share it.

Taster’s Review:

I have to agree with the above description, this is very smooth, it goes down easily!  There is no astringency and no bitterness.  It is sweet and absolutely delicious.  This just may be my favorite Yerba Maté blend yet.

Although I must say that I don’t actually forget that I am sipping on Yerba Maté, because it tastes like Yerba Maté.  It does lack the sometimes bitter taste that accompanies a typical smoked Yerba Maté, but beyond that, I can taste the vegetative and earthy qualities of the Maté.  It also has that invigorating quality of Yerba Maté.  This is a Yerba Maté blend I’d recommend to those who have tried Yerba Maté in the past and found it to be a little off-putting.  This blend will change their mind!

The mango tastes sweet.  It’s a very vibrant fruit flavor – very authentic and juicy.  The fruit melds so beautifully with the vegetal taste of the green Yerba Maté.  The vegetative taste is a little more prominent than the earthy quality of the Maté here, and the flavors unite so harmoniously.

As I said before, I’d recommend this to anyone who has tried Yerba Maté in the past and didn’t care for it – this one will change your mind.  I’d also recommend this one to the Yerba Maté newbies out there.  Heck, I’d recommend this one to anybody – it’s that good!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Yerba Maté

Choco-Maté from WhiteAugust Tea Company

by liberteas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Yerba Maté

Where to Buy:  WhiteAugust Tea Company

Product Description:

This energizing combination of sweet chocolate and south amercian mate is sure to stimulate your senses.

Taster’s Review:

Did someone say chocolate?

As I’ve mentioned more than once before, I am a chocoholic (and I’m not ashamed to admit it).  I love chocolate, and my belief is that more chocolate = better.  This belief translates into my passion for teas as well, and when it comes to chocolate flavored teas/tisanes, the more chocolate flavor, the better.

The combination of Yerba Maté and chocolate is a brilliant one, because the two seem to go together so naturally.  The earthy tones of the Yerba Maté enhance the flavor of the chocolate.  However, my belief about more chocolate = better applies here, and this would be better with more chocolate flavor.

That’s not to say that this isn’t chocolate-y, because it is.  It is a rich, sweet, dark chocolate flavor and it is absolutely delicious.  That being said, this chocoholic can’t help but want more of a really good thing!

This cup is smooth and sweet.  There is a vegetative quality to the Yerba Maté that adds an interesting dimension of flavor.  I also agree with my SororiTea Sister, TeaEqualsBliss, about this tisane:  I can taste a nutty/woody quality that is very rooibos-like.  But I don’t find this off-putting at all, in fact, I’m enjoying that nutty characteristic and how well it goes with the chocolate tones.

Overall, a very rich and satisfying cup.  A great wake-me-up tisane, since Yerba Maté is a bit more caffeinated than most other teas/tisanes.  Something so delicious – it’s a bit like having dessert for breakfast!  Yummy!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Yerba Maté