I love the smell of the dry leaf of this stuff...it has a potent and very pleasant aroma, similar to Yerba mate and Guayusa but unique. I find it much more pleasing!

Upon brewing, I don't like the taste quite as much. It tastes peppery, and the yerba-mate-like sweetness is more of a background flavor. The aroma is complex, and contains tones of vanilla, but is mostly herbaceous, and slightly vegetal and woody. Like the roasted version, I can see this being a bit of an acquired taste, like some oolongs that I didn't like as much the first time I tried them.

I agree with the commercial description, that it is tart and earthy, fragrant, and vegetal. I find it actually too tart for my tastes when drunk hot; it seemed a bit harsh. I enjoyed it much more when it cooled to room temperature. As with the dark roast, the leaf infuses very slowly and I recommend a minimum of a 3 minute infusion, probably longer.

I think I prefer the roasted stuff. As with it, it did not seem or feel particularly strongly caffeinated to me...it seemed more like drinking an herbal tea.

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