Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong Tea & Yerba Mate Blend
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Sometimes necessity really is the mother of invention. We didn’t quite have enough of either roasted mate or Fujian oolong left to make a full batch of a new blend, so I decided maybe we should blend them together, and the toasty Fujian oolong is a great compliment to the roasted mate! Even better, we paired it with organic caramel, cheesecake and pecan flavors with real pecans. This is a yummy treat you’re not going to want to miss out on.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about 52Teas’ subscriptions here.
Taster’s Review:
This morning, I was in dire need of some caffeine. It may come as a complete shock to you – but I’m guessing it won’t! – but I am addicted to caffeine. And occasionally, I’ll go a little longer than I should without a cup of caffeinated tea and I’ll feel the withdrawal headache come on. This was the case this morning when I woke up: caffeine headache! Ack!
When I get a caffeine headache, I generally turn to one of three types of “tea” to help rid me of the headache quickly. I either whisk up a bowl of Matcha or I brew up a cup of Yerba Mate or Guayusa. Usually, I reach for Matcha, but I don’t like to drink Matcha on an empty stomach and since I haven’t yet eaten anything and I can’t even think about food until I rid myself of this nagging pain in my skull, I decided to go with either Yerba Mate or Guayusa.
Fortunately, I remembered that I had some Yerba Mate to try in the form of this Caramel Pecan Cheesecake Oolong/Mate blend from 52Teas! So I grabbed the pouch and measured out 1 1/2 bamboo scoops into the basket of my Kati Tumbler as the kettle was heating 12 ounces of water to 185°F.
My go-to temperature for an Oolong is 180°F and for Yerba Mate it’s 195°F. Since this blend contains both, I decided to heat the kettle to somewhere in the middle.
I steeped the tea for 3 minutes and waited about 3 minutes to let the tea cool. Mmm!
OK, let me just say that I really did have my doubts when I first read the description of this tea. Seriously? A blend of Oolong and Mate? It sounded very strange and I wasn’t sure how I’d like it. But this WORKS! The nutty notes of the Oolong work together fabulously with the roasted flavor of the Mate. This profile offers the perfect backdrop for the pecan flavor which is the star of this show.
Deliciously nutty, I love how the top notes of warm, roasty-toasty nutty flavors marry with the mid-notes of sweet, decadent caramel. By mid-sip, I start to pick up on the creamy notes of cheesecake with just a touch of tangy cream cheese flavor.
This tea is so much better than I ever anticipated it being and guess what? No more headache either! This tea gets two thumbs up for being a deliciously rocked-out combination of tea bases that I would have never imagined together before now. And if I had an extra thumb, I’d give the tea another thumbs up for helping me with my caffeine fix! Unfortunately, I don’t have another thumb, so I’ll just say: Bravo, 52Teas!
Citron Maté Blend from The Persimmon Tree
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Yerba Mate
Where To Buy: The Persimmon Tree
Tea Description:
This aromatic and refreshing cocktail of yerba maté, lemongrass, orange peel, and lemon myrtle is the perfect tonic after a workout or tiring day. Citron Maté is a stimulating brew that can give you a little caffeine boost without the shakes or crash that can follow. Try it sweetened over ice with fresh lime juice for a refreshing summer treat!
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
For my first cup of the day, I generally prefer a good, strong cup of black tea. However, there are some mornings when I need a little more than the caffeine boost that the black tea can give you, and on days like that, I often turn to Yerba Mate.
Yerba Mate has more caffeine than tea. It’s more like coffee when it comes to caffeine. But with Yerba Mate, I don’t get the jitters or the sickly feeling a few hours after drinking it the way I do with coffee. Yerba Mate is a big win when it comes to a caffeine fix.
And I’m really enjoying this Yerba Mate blend from Persimmon Tree. It has a sweet, citrus-y flavor that perks up the earthy, vegetative flavor of the Mate in a very agreeable way.
To brew this tisane, I used my Breville One-Touch. I measured 3 bamboo scoops of tisane into the basket of the tea maker (I generally like to use a little more leaf when it comes to tisanes) and added 500ml of freshly filtered water to the jug. Then I set the parameters: 185°F – usually I go with 195°F for yerba mate tisanes but because this is a green yerba mate, I thought I’d take this opportunity to “test out” a slightly lower temperature for the green yerba mate – and 10 minutes steep time. Because yerba mate is low in tannins, a longer steep time will result in a fuller flavor without bitterness.
I’m quite pleased with the result! The flavor is sweet and citrus-y with notes of orange and a sweet hint of lemon and lime. There is a light, creamy flavor that I’m tasting that melds nicely with these citrus notes. The citrus isn’t a strong presence, in fact, I think I’d like a little more citrus to this (and I’d recommend serving it with a thin slice of whatever citrus fruit you might have on hand!) but it does add a lovely little accent of bright flavor.
It’s very “morning” bright – this cup of Citron Mate!
The yerba mate has a fresh, vegetative taste with earthy background notes. It has a smooth flavor and isn’t bitter or astringent. Smooth from beginning to finish! I know that some people have remarked that they find yerba mate to be a tad on the bitter side, but to these people I recommend a slightly lower brewing temperature. When I steeped yerba mate at a boiling temperature, I would experience bitterness too, but since I’ve dropped the temperature to 185° – 195° F, I find that I get a smooth, bitter-free taste from every cup of yerba mate now!
If you’re looking for a vibrant way to start your day, you should give this Citron Mate from The Persimmon Tree a try! It’s tasty!
Black Mint Maté Blend from Because UR Priceless
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Tea & Yerba Maté
Where to Buy: Because UR Priceless on Etsy
Tea Description:
According to research studies, Yerba Matế (pronounced mah-tay) contain Vitamins A, C, B1, B2, Niacin, and B5 along with Calcium, Manganese, Iron, Selenium, Potassium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, and Zinc. It is also considered a good source of 15 different amino acids and a plethora of antioxidants.
In other words, its good for you. Our BLACK MINT MATẾ tea is an energizing blend of black tea and yerba mate along with a invigorating touch of mint. Refreshingly bold flavor for a happier, healthier you.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I took my first sip of this while the tea was still very hot (just finished brewing!) and at that moment, I wasn’t too sure I was all that excited about what I was drinking. So, I let my cup cool for a few minutes and now that the temperature of the liquid has dropped to a “drinkable” temperature, I find this much more enjoyable! Sometimes, tea needs time to develop it’s flavor – don’t give up on it just because the first sip isn’t all that!
This is an interesting blend of two types of mint – peppermint and spearmint – and yerba mate and black tea. Just as with the Sweet Cinnamon Mate, the yerba mate used for this blend is a green (rather than roasted) yerba mate. The green yerba mate has a fresher taste to it which accents the minty tones in a very pleasing way. Although, it would be interesting to see how the roasted yerba mate would work in this blend. It might enhance the black tea flavors.
The black tea here is certainly discernible, but in the earliest sips, I felt as though it was just a little overwhelmed by the mint notes. It could also be the way I chose to brew this tea: Instead of going with boiling water to steep as I would with most black teas, because this tea also had yerba mate and mint in it, I decided to drop the temperature to my usual yerba mate setting of 195°F. When I brew mate at a higher temperature, the flavor often becomes bitter, and I find this to be true with herbal leaf as well. So I went with a little lower temperature and steeped the tea for 4 minutes.
But now that I’ve sipped past the halfway point in my cup, I’m picking up on more black tea flavor. It offers a nice dimension of flavor and at this point, I’m starting to realize that this blend is more about “balance” than “black tea.” I taste not only yerba mate and mint, but also black tea. It adds a certain smoothness to the earthy notes of the yerba mate and the clean, fresh flavor of the mint.
The mint is prominent. I like the way the mint notes are melding with the earthy/vegetal notes of the mate. The mate seems to subdue the powerful, zesty flavor of the mint in a very favorable way. For those of you who tend to avoid “minty” teas because you don’t want a cup of mouthwash – this is the tea for you! This doesn’t taste like mouthwash – there is just enough crisp, cool mint flavor for that uplifting, invigorating flavor without tasting like a liquefied breath mint. It tastes refreshing!
Overall, this is a very enjoyable cup of tea. I like the balance of this blend. I like that I taste mint but it doesn’t overpower the cup. I like that I can taste the black tea and the yerba mate. And I like how these components compliment each other. I like this!
Sweet Cinnamon Maté Tisane from Because UR Priceless
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Yerba Maté
Where to Buy: Because UR Priceless on Etsy
Tisane Description:
Yerba Matế (pronounced mah-tay) has long been recommended for promoting vitality, clarity and well-being. Not only does it contain 24 vitamins and minerals, 15 amino acids, and a host of antioxidants, but it is traditionally used as a catalyst to help your body take in the benefits of other herbs.
Our SWEET CINNAMON MATẾ combines this wonderful leaf with spicy cinnamon and sweet cacao nibs to make for an unforgettable tea drinking experience.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This tisane is delightful!
The Yerba Mate appears to be a “green” (rather than a roasted) Yerba Mate and it lends a fresh crisp taste to the cup. Yerba Mate is a very invigorating drink and I love the refreshing flavor of the green Mate in this. It is a nice contrast to the warm, spicy-sweet cinnamon and the rich notes of cacao.
The cinnamon here adds a gentle heat. It’s not overly spicy, but it’s warming and it’s especially nice to be drinking on a cool autumn morning like this. Cozy, like a warm fluffy blanket but less likely to lull you into a sleepy state because we’re drinking Mate here! The Mate gives you a swift kick in the butt to get you going and keep you alert!
The cacao nibs are a nice touch. It gives a slight chocolate-y sweetness to the cup to soften the edge of the cinnamon and enhance the earthy quality of the Mate in a favorable way. (Mate can sometimes be a little more on the vegetal earthy side, the cacao ensures a more chocolate-y earthiness which I like much better.)
To brew this tea, I grabbed my Kati Tumbler and added the contents of the sampler packet to the basket. That’s probably a tad more than was needed for a 12 ounce cuppa, but, I tend to prefer my tisanes to be brewed strong because they tend to be somewhat “thinner” in body.
I added hot water (195°F) and steeped the tisane for 10 minutes. I have found that Yerba Mate can become a little bitter if you either: a) bring the water to boiling, or; b) steep too long. If you eliminate one of these factors, in this case, I brought the water to just boil, then you don’t get that unpleasant bitterness from the Mate and you can steep the blend a little longer to ensure a strong flavor from the infusion.
It’s a very satisfying beverage that’s a little sweet, a little spicy and a whole lot energizing!
Kettle Corn Maté from 52Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Yerba Mate
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tisane Description:
If you could smell this through the internet, we would be sold out instantly. This is an amazing blend of roasted yerba maté, freeze-dried corn, marigold petals and organic flavors including popcorn and honey flavors. This is a seriously comforting cuppa. It’s all the goodness of kettle corn, but it won’t get stuck in your teeth. =)
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I was glad to read 52Teas’ announcement of their tea of the week for the week of July 14. Not because of the “Kettle Corn” part (although, that sounds amazing) but because of the Yerba Mate part. It’s been a while since 52Teas released a Yerba Mate blend (or a Guayusa blend!) so I was excited to try another Yerba Mate blend from them.
When it comes to Yerba Mate, I usually go with a slightly lower than boiling temperature – 195°F – and steep the leaves for 8 – 10 minutes. This time, I went with 8 minutes and I’m pleased with the results. Because Yerba Mate doesn’t have the tannins that Camellia Sinensis leaves have, you don’t have to worry about the cup becoming bitter from oversteeping, so take advantage of that and get as much flavor as you can out of this tea! It’s worth the effort!
Because this is yum!
When the cup is piping hot, this doesn’t really taste much like Kettle Corn, but as it cools (slightly – you still want the tea to be hot!) those flavors begin to develop.
At this point, I feel I should mention that my experience with Kettle Corn is limited to the few times that I’ve had it from the commercially packaged offerings that I can find in the grocery store which add up to probably fewer than a handful of times, and the once or twice that I’ve had the Kettle Corn varieties of microwave popcorn. I haven’t ever had Kettle Corn at a fair, then again, I don’t attend fairs. Not my kind of thing.
But from the Kettle Corn experiences I’ve had, this is very similar to what I remember. I can taste the sweetness of honey and the flavor of popcorn. A pinch of salt added to the cup will help to accentuate the “sweet and salty” aspect of the Kettle Corn experience, and this really helps the popcorn notes shine through as well as give the cup a really intriguing contrast of flavors (I absolutely LOVE the combination of salty and sweet).
The Yerba Mate is a good base for these flavors. It’s got that robust, roasty-toasty sort of flavor that ties in well with the popcorn notes. It adds warmth to the cup which enhances the whole experience and gives it a “freshly popped” popcorn type of taste.
After having tried this both hot and iced, I have to say that I prefer it hot. It’s alright iced, but the flavors become somewhat muted in the process. When served hot, the Kettle Corn flavors seem truer – as if someone had liquefied some Kettle Corn and added it to my cup of Yerba Mate. When cold, the flavors seem to all meld together and it’s difficult to discern what I’m actually tasting. It tastes more like a cup of caramel-y … something. It’s still good, but it doesn’t taste like the Kettle Corn Yerba Mate that the hot cup offers.
Tasty!