Mate Factor

Sometimes I lead with the negatives. Maybe that's a fault, but instead I'd like to think it prepares the taster for the experience, letting them look past the bad to the delightful. In that spirit, the bags smell like stale herbs and there's no individual wrapping. As someone that likes to sniff teabags as well as some...

I'm not very familiar with yerba mate. It smells like a tree or something. But it tastes really good - it has a rich flavor, kind of chocolaty. I added cream and sugar.

Outstanding. Although this is described as "dark roast", it's greener than a lot of other roasted Yerba mate. The roast is not uniform, and the dry leaf has just as much green as dark brown pieces. I think this mix of roast imparts a complexity to the aroma: it is simultaneously deep and fresh.

The brewed cup is ...

Very good in the end, but I found this one tough to brew properly. The package gives several different ways of preparing, but doesn't specify brewing instructions in much detail. For tea-like brewing, which I used, the package gave the vague and broad recommendation of 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon per cup, and steeping...