I really enjoy the flavor of hazelnut. When I was a coffee drinker I would always get a hazelnut macchiato or hazelnut iced coffee in the summers. I know that mate is very energizing, and I really would like to enjoy it. The mate blends I’ve tried thus far weren’t too pleasing to me. Although they were good blends, and i’m sure that others would enjoy them, they just weren’t my taste. When I came across Hazelnut Mate on Fava Tea’s website, I thought i’d give it a try. I figured I may enjoy the hazelnut flavor, since for whatever reason mate tends to come closest to a coffee substitute out of all the tea types, next to black tea of course. There’s something about the richness of the mate blends I’ve tried that really reminds me of coffee, plus the energy boost is pretty awesome too.
Upon smelling the dry leaf of this blend I noticed that the cocoa scent was strong, although that didn’t translate as strong to the taste of the cup. I was thankful for that because I didn’t want a blend that was too chocolatey, I wanted it to be more nutty/hazelnut. I immediately liked this tea as soon as I sipped it. This is the first mate blend that I couldn’t put down. It is so smooth and its not too heavy or thick. I have tried many hazelnut black teas, and the difference between them and this mate blend is that the mate has absolutely no bitterness and it isn’t as bold and in-your-face as black tea can be. Its really smooth and almost a little grassy, but the hazelnut component adds some nuttiness and that flavor that I know and love from my coffee-drinking days. I really enjoyed this tea and it has made me curious about other mate blends. Whether you’ve had mate before or not, if you like hazelnut you should try this!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Yerba Mate
Where to Buy: Fava Teas
Description
Nutty, smooth and packed full of vitamins and minerals this is the perfect choice for an enlightening lift! Roasted yerba mate leaves blended with hazelnuts, cocoa nibs and cornflower blossoms. And finally because sometimes you feel like a nut…. Blends well with Chocolate Cream Rocks.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Hazelnut. . .Chocolate. . .Yerba Mate. . . Mocha Nut Mate from Adagio Teas
Okay, full disclosure here, I was really hesitant about this blend. I am not a fan of mocha/coffee flavor at all. I switched from coffee to tea a long time ago and don’t really like tea that tastes like coffee. However, the smell of the dry leaf was enticing me because I could smell the hazelnut and chocolate and it smelled delicious. I’ve never had mate before and I hear its loaded with caffeine, so if you are looking for an energy boost this just may be a great tea for you.
The steeped liquid looked as dark as coffee and I feel like if I added a little cream you would have thought it was coffee in my cup opposed to tea! I added just a pinch of agave to this one, and that’s usual for me, but I really did it because this blend includes dark chocolate and mocha flavor- both of which can be very bitter especially in combination with each other. Not going to lie, I was not a fan of this. The only reason I didn’t like it is because it was true to its name- mocha. This tea tasted just like a cafe mocha with a dash of hazelnut and chocolate! I did not finish the cup, but my coffee-loving boyfriend did and he thoroughly enjoyed it!!!
Unfortunately this tea was not my “cup of tea” (pun intended). But that doesn’t mean that this wasn’t a good blend. It actually would have been a favorite of mine if I enjoyed the flavors of mocha and dark chocolate. It was true to its name and the flavors were bold and smooth and comforting. I think that if you like coffee or are looking for an alternative to coffee, you will really love this tea.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Mate
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Jump Start from Adagio Teas. . . . . .
I’m a caffeine lunatic that’s a little hesitant about maté (it sometimes tastes dry/musty to me). So I was holding off on this until a Day of Great Urgency.
Today was such a day. I spaced out in the shower and was late to a meeting with wet hair. The files I needed for a bunch of projects were unavailable to me. The Internet was down. I considered turning to my nemesis, coffee, for a much needed jolt.
But then I remembered My Backup Plan, the Jump Start.
I’m pretty sure this tea hooked up some wires directly to my heart and zapped it alive again. I went from “mehhhhhh on liiiiiife” to dancing at my desk.
The taste itself is okay — I still don’t love maté — so I recommend adding a bit of honey and vanilla almond milk to it. Boom. Yum.
You’re good to go… TO INFINITY… AND BEYOND!
(Yes. I am VERY hype right now.)
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Yerba Mate
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description
Mate, Kola, and Black tea make up this well-caffeinated blend to make your mornings deliciously efficient.
blended with toasted mate tea, black tea, cocoa nibs, cinnamon bark, kola nuts & safflower
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Mate Lemon from Numi. . . . .
A few months ago, my fiance and I attended the wedding of a good friend of mine, a first-generation Uruguayan American whose wedding and celebration were permeated with beautiful and significant representations of her home culture and family’s heritage. My favorite– by far– were the delicious vats of yerba mate tea all throughout the hall. We sipped on it all night long, and I made a mental note to check back in with my friend on the culture significance of mate as soon as she returned from her sunny honeymoon.
I knew the basic origins of mate, but I had no idea how strongly steeped (hee. see what I did there?) in the Uruguayan culture yerba mate truly was. My friend showed me her traditional mate cup, carved from a gourd with a small basin, holding space for the leaves and filtering out the tea into the bottom as hot water is poured over the leaves again and again. My friend shared with me the benefits her whole family (and whole home country) experience from their constant mate drinking– improved digestion (especially, as she noted to me, for a country whose diet focuses significantly on meat), maintenance of high vitamin A levels, the list goes on and on.
For the next few weeks, I was insatiable– from trying every mate I could find to researching flights to Uruguay in my spare time (a girl can dream, right?). So when this Numi bagged mate showed up in my latest sample box, I was over the moon!
First things first: this isn’t your traditional mate (obviously). It’s a bagged tea, and I won’t be drinking it out of a gourd anytime soon (even more obviously). But that said, it was truly a delight to drink. The lemon came through quite strong, and I rather enjoyed the balanced blend with green tea– even those who aren’t huge fans of the traditionally grassy flavor of mate might find this blend far more palatable. This cup needs nothing added, and for a bagged tea, it certainly isn’t a weak brew. While it might not be the most traditional mate I’ve ever tried, it’s up there with some of my favorites. I’ll definitely be adding bags of this to my regular rotation!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Mate
Where to Buy: Numi Organic Tea
Description
This infusion of organic South American Yerba Maté, Australian Lemon Myrtle and green tea unfolds into a lemon taste with sweet, earthy undertones. Its stimulating effect evokes a cheerful mental lucidity.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
