Where to get Yerba Mate tea (brands?)

[Groucho]

Have you tried any other unsmoked organic yerbas?

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[victoria3]

Ha, according to planet yerba mate, I must be a 'macho gaucho man' because I prefer Rosamonte Sin Palo, over all it is smooth and gutsy. I get mine at any Latin market in the US. I find Guayaki way too weak, a northerners organic light touch, barely a whisper....

[yalokinh]

Ha, according to planet yerba mate, I must be a 'macho gaucho man' because I prefer Rosamonte Sin Palo, over all it is smooth and gutsy. I get mine at any Latin market in the US. I find Guayaki way too weak, a northerners organic light touch, barely a whisper....

Rosa Monte sin Palo, oof, you are more of a man than I am...

[VelociTea]

Have you tried any other unsmoked organic yerbas?

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Before Guayaki, The last organic Yerba I had was "La Rubia" from Paraguay and I thought it tasted awful.. just like wood chips. Not sure if it was smoked or not. A lot of people love La Rubia though. Maybe I would have got better results using different methods or putting less in. To each their own.. I am no "mate connoisseur" by any means.

The bags are usually so large.. I hate buying a new Yerba and being stuck with a giant bag I don't enioy. It's also difficult finding many certified organic companies. I hear good things about "eco-teas" I would check them out. That is probably the next one I will try.

[VelociTea]

Ha, according to planet yerba mate, I must be a 'macho gaucho man' because I prefer Rosamonte Sin Palo, over all it is smooth and gutsy. I get mine at any Latin market in the US. I find Guayaki way too weak, a northerners organic light touch, barely a whisper....

When you say Guayaki is weak, do you mean flavour or effect? Out of curiosity, Did you use a Gourd? I can't imagine how strong Rosamonte is if you think this tastes weak!

Since you need to put much more Yerba into a Gourd compared to other methods, I find it really brings out the flavour of Guayaki. I personally really enjoy the taste when brewed in this fashion. Tastes quite strong to me, without being overbearing.. IMO.

[victoria3]

Ha, according to planet yerba mate, I must be a 'macho gaucho man' because I prefer Rosamonte Sin Palo, over all it is smooth and gutsy. I get mine at any Latin market in the US. I find Guayaki way too weak, a northerners organic light touch, barely a whisper....

When you say Guayaki is weak, do you mean flavour or effect? Out of curiosity, Did you use a Gourd? I can't imagine how strong Rosamonte is if you think this tastes weak!

Since you need to put much more Yerba into a Gourd compared to other methods, I find it really brings out the flavour of Guayaki. I personally really enjoy the taste when brewed in this fashion. Tastes quite strong to me, without being overbearing.. IMO.

Guayaki's ecological blueprint is commendable and that it's a certified Fair Trade company is great. When I had Guayaki I remember it as 'light' compared to traditional brands such as Rosamonte, Canarias... I grew up drinking mate (and espresso) in Argentina & Brazil and to simplify, I switched to a french press about 8 years ago, although I sometimes still use the gourd & bombilla. Enjoying the bitterness, I don't add sugar and use +- 1/3 leaf to water. As far as effect, I find mate to be a fairly mild stimulant.

We each have unique set of cultural experiential circumstances in life that will influence our sense of taste, our likes and dislikes, so I think it is important to trust one's own sense.

[Groucho]

Are any of the unsmoked string line Canarias and Rosemonte especiale, my favorites?

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[VelociTea]

Are any of the unsmoked string line Canarias and Rosemonte especiale, my favorites?

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Rosamonte uses the full smoke "barbacua" method. Not sure about Canarias.. I believe theirs is just lightly smoked. Dave Mate at circleofdrink.com has a lot of great info on his site about this, and pretty much anything mate related.

Many people in South America feel that the smoked mate cancer claims aren't justified.. and don't have enough evidence to support the argument. I suggest looking into the issue further and coming to your own conclusion.

FYI, there are only 2 certified fair trade companies and they're both based in the U.S. (Guayaki, Eco-Teas; both organic, unsmoked)

[victoria3]

Are any of the unsmoked string line Canarias and Rosemonte especiale, my favorites?

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Rosamonte uses the full smoke "barbacua" method. Not sure about Canarias.. I believe theirs is just lightly smoked. Dave Mate at circleofdrink.com has a lot of great info on his site about this, and pretty much anything mate related.

Many people in South America feel that the smoked mate cancer claims aren't justified.. and don't have enough evidence to support the argument. I suggest looking into the issue further and coming to your own conclusion.

FYI, there are only 2 certified fair trade companies and they're both based in the U.S. (Guayaki, Eco-Teas; both organic, unsmoked)

Yes, that cancer link might be questionable. Traditional wood fires are used with most old style mates to quickly dry and halt oxidation, with the exception of newer brands like Guayaki & others that are air dried. I think the traditional method is more flavorful, but that might just be because I am so accustomed to this style.

I noticed I had a bag of unopened Canarias next to Rosamonte Seleccion Especial so I pulled out my bombilla and gourd for the afternoon. I'd forgotten how enjoyable it is to sip mate out of a gourd, especially when the weather starts getting cooler. Holding the warm gourd is very tactile. Those who find the bombilla gets too hot are using water that is too hot. I think Canarias may be a little more bitter than Rosamonte, but I got used to it pretty quickly by adding a little extra water. After a few rounds, I introduced some dried lemon verbena and mint leaves to the gourd, a nice addition that extended the afternoon session.

p.s. This bombilla brush might be nice to clean Yixing spouts with
http://circleofdrink.com/shop/bombilla-brush

[VelociTea]

Are any of the unsmoked string line Canarias and Rosemonte especiale, my favorites?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Rosamonte uses the full smoke "barbacua" method. Not sure about Canarias.. I believe theirs is just lightly smoked. Dave Mate at circleofdrink.com has a lot of great info on his site about this, and pretty much anything mate related.

Many people in South America feel that the smoked mate cancer claims aren't justified.. and don't have enough evidence to support the argument. I suggest looking into the issue further and coming to your own conclusion.

FYI, there are only 2 certified fair trade companies and they're both based in the U.S. (Guayaki, Eco-Teas; both organic, unsmoked)

Yes, that cancer link might be questionable. Traditional wood fires are used with most old style mates to quickly dry and halt oxidation, with the exception of newer brands like Guayaki & others that are air dried. I think the traditional method is more flavorful, but that might just be because I am so accustomed to this style.

I noticed I had a bag of unopened Canarias next to Rosamonte Seleccion Especial so I pulled out my bombilla and gourd for the afternoon. I'd forgotten how enjoyable it is to sip mate out of a gourd, especially when the weather starts getting cooler. Holding the warm gourd is very tactile. Those who find the bombilla gets too hot are using water that is too hot. I think Canarias may be a little more bitter than Rosamonte, but I got used to it pretty quickly by adding a little extra water. After a few rounds, I introduced some dried lemon verbena and mint leaves to the gourd, a nice addition that extended the afternoon session.

p.s. This bombilla brush might be nice to clean Yixing spouts with
http://circleofdrink.com/shop/bombilla-brush

I always hear of people adding herbs and spices to the Yerba but have never tried it myself. Sounds like it would be a welcome addition to make some refreshing Terere, in the summer months.

This reminded me of the first time I made mate.. I sucked near boiling water through a scorching hot bombilla and burned my mouth real good Now, I use my thermometer to make sure the water is between 70-80 C.. the ideal temperature for me. I think the hotter you can drink it the better.

I feel the Gourd and Bombilla really enhance the experience. For me, it changes from tea to mate.. if that makes sense.

P.S. Great idea about the bombilla brush.. I have never considered using it on my other tea wares.

[kuánglóng]

I always drink mate from a gourd and prepare it traditionally, building a wall/barrier with the yerba. That way my standard 40-45g last me a whole day. Regarding the ideal water temperature I'm using a thermos bottle, start out at about 90°C and wait until the extraction has cooled down a bit. All it needs is a bit of practice, attention and patience but I haven't burned my lips or mouth in a long time. As to spicing up a mate I really enjoy throwing all sorts of herbs, spices, flower buds, fruits and whatnot into the gourd or mixing different brands of yerba.

[yalokinh]

I always drink mate from a gourd and prepare it traditionally, building a wall/barrier with the yerba. That way my standard 40-45g last me a whole day. Regarding the ideal water temperature I'm using a thermos bottle, start out at about 90°C and wait until the extraction has cooled down a bit. All it needs is a bit of practice, attention and patience but I haven't burned my lips or mouth in a long time. As to spicing up a mate I really enjoy throwing all sorts of herbs, spices, flower buds, fruits and whatnot into the gourd or mixing different brands of yerba.

Citrus is my go to, I haven't tried other stuff, suggestions?

[Groucho]

I used to add ginger

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[kuánglóng]

I always drink mate from a gourd and prepare it traditionally, building a wall/barrier with the yerba. That way my standard 40-45g last me a whole day. Regarding the ideal water temperature I'm using a thermos bottle, start out at about 90°C and wait until the extraction has cooled down a bit. All it needs is a bit of practice, attention and patience but I haven't burned my lips or mouth in a long time. As to spicing up a mate I really enjoy throwing all sorts of herbs, spices, flower buds, fruits and whatnot into the gourd or mixing different brands of yerba.

Citrus is my go to, I haven't tried other stuff, suggestions?

#1: experiment
My personal favorites are (pepper)mint, rose buds, all sort of citrus including bergamotte, a bit of lavender, verbaine, common horsetail, mixed alpine herbs (I used to live there and they grew right next to the house) and not at last a healthy dose of stinging nettles. The latter one is a pretty effective blood purifier and I can't praise it highly enough.

[yalokinh]

I always drink mate from a gourd and prepare it traditionally, building a wall/barrier with the yerba. That way my standard 40-45g last me a whole day. Regarding the ideal water temperature I'm using a thermos bottle, start out at about 90°C and wait until the extraction has cooled down a bit. All it needs is a bit of practice, attention and patience but I haven't burned my lips or mouth in a long time. As to spicing up a mate I really enjoy throwing all sorts of herbs, spices, flower buds, fruits and whatnot into the gourd or mixing different brands of yerba.

Citrus is my go to, I haven't tried other stuff, suggestions?

#1: experiment
My personal favorites are (pepper)mint, rose buds, all sort of citrus including bergamotte, a bit of lavender, verbaine, common horsetail, mixed alpine herbs (I used to live there and they grew right next to the house) and not at last a healthy dose of stinging nettles. The latter one is a pretty effective blood purifier and I can't praise it highly enough.

All at once???