ah, Interesting. I think I’ve tried it canned before, but found it not great. I wonder if it would be better fresh
Yes, it’s much better fresh. It’s just like coffee or tea, much better when made for service.
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It’s bitter. If you like bitter flavours, then you’ll like it. And hits like a truck first time you have it.
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Like BMO said you can brew it however you like to brew looseleaf tea. But like El_Diegote mentioned, it’s traditional to drink from a special hollowed-out gourd with a filtering straw called a bombilla, and there’s a little ritual of smooshing the tea leaves into the gourd at an angle. Personally I love the bombilla, but skip the gourd and the ritual.
Edit: Oh, and like green tea, mate gets really bitter if you brew it with boiling water! Better to stop a bit short of scalding.
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I’m on the west coast of the US, so it’s pricey to import and the variety available isn’t great lol. Do love a good Rosamonte though, definitely up there in my head with Amanda and Cruz de Malta as one of the most reliable “default” mates.
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Yerba mate week continues! Today’s brew: Pajarito Organic
This is a Paraguayan mate I’ve always wanted to try, with tons of dust and stems. All the dust makes it super earthy and smoky, and weirdly gritty to drink, but the many stems keep things from getting too bitter. Having less leaves in the mix makes for a flavor that vanishes quickly though, and the aftertaste is a boring, watery nothing.
If I was an old-timey prospector, I’d have this every morning with porridge before first light, hunkered over my sputtering campfire in some lonely corner of the mountains. Decent.
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From Paraguay, I love campesino . First time I see Pajarito in that package too.
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Never tried Campesino, I’ll be on the lookout for it!
Today’s brew: Roapipó Organic
This seems like a standard-issue Argentinian cut, with an even mix of leaves, dust, and stems, and maybe a hint more smoke than usual.
Unfortunately, the whole bag also had an intense, almost medical odor of fresh gauze or newly-opened bandaids, and I couldn’t stomach anything past the first few sips. Probably just a lousy batch, but it was pretty wretched.
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Today’s brew: Tucanguá Organic
Another bird-themed mate I’ve always wanted to try, this one’s an Argentinian cut with minimal dust. Some fun herbal and fruity flavors back up an incredibly robust main taste that’s delicious from start to finish. It’s not doing anything unusual, but it doesn’t need to cuz it’s nailed the basics.
Definitely a contender for the daily driver spot, will have to run it in a blind taste test against Cruz de Malta later on.
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Today’s brew: Isondú
Isondú is yet another traditional Argentinian mate, and it’s boring. Slightly more bitter than I tend to go for, and there’s the faintest hit of citrus lurking in the background, but mostly it just tastes a little stale.
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Final day of yerba mate week! Today’s brew: La Merced - Campo Sur
This one’s cheating a bit, since I’ve already tried and enjoyed other varieties of La Merced. But I love the idea of using a single source to make a more unique flavor of mate, so I had to give Campo Sur a shot.
It’s pretty solid! Very mildly smoked, creating an odd hybrid that has some bitter notes while still retaining most of the buttery, grassy quality of an unsmoked mate. Not a particularly standout flavor, and barely feels caffeinated at all, but it’s pleasantly unremarkable.
Reminds me of a character actor that you’ve seen and enjoyed in a bunch of different roles, but might not recognize on sight.
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I like La Merced quite a bit. And in Argentina, I’ve always heard that Campo y Monte is the most liked one.
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