Tisane Description:
Leaf Type: Yerba Maté
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tisane Description:
Our Malted ChocoMate has been one of our most popular blends over the years, well, at least it WAS until this! Here’s roasted yerba mate blended with organic cacao nibs and organic flavors. It’s chocolate and cream cheese frosting and cake in a cup. I thought about adding some red food coloring, but I think you will agree that even if it isn’t red, it’s delicious.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
YUM! To be honest, I wasn’t really … looking that forward to trying this Red Velvet Cake Mate from 52Teas. And I love chocolate!
Here’s the thing … in addition to being a chocoholic and a tea addict, I have a thing for cupcakes. I go nuts over cupcakes. I see a cupcake bakery and I beg my husband to stop just so I can see what flavors they have … and for me, the more outrageous the flavor, the better. (Kind of that way with tea flavors too) I don’t get so excited over cake … oh sure, I won’t turn my nose up at cake … but a cupcake? I love it. I turn into a kid when it comes to cupcakes.
The problem: it seems that every cupcake bakery has a red velvet offering. It’s become the “Earl Grey” of the cupcake world … everyone has one. Not that I knock Earl Grey, I love it as you’re probably aware! And I actually like red velvet cake (and cupcakes) … but, if given a choice between red velvet cake and a chocolate cake … I’d choose chocolate because red velvet seems to me to be like … a lighter version of chocolate. That is, it’s like a chocolate cupcake, but with less chocolate. And if you’ve read my articles for very long, you know that I am a strong supporter of the more chocolate = better concept. And if more chocolate = better, then less chocolate = worse. Simple logic.
So, I guess I was thinking … OK, so this is going to be a “light” chocolate Yerba Maté and I’m going to have to write my article complaining about a lack of chocolate. There are few things that make me more disappointed in a chocolate tea than a lack of chocolate.
Fortunately, Frank of 52Teas apparently does not subscribe to this idea that red velvet cake is a lighter version of chocolate cake, because this is nice and chocolate-y. (However, more chocolate WOULD be better … because more chocolate = better.) And I can taste the tangy cream cheese frosting note. It is sweet and delicious, and I love the roasted flavor of the Yerba Maté … I love that it doesn’t have that strong vegetative note, that the roasted flavor accentuates the earthy tones which complements the chocolate notes very nicely. And then the overtone of creamy, tangy frosting just … it’s the icing on the cake! (haha, I made a punny! Oh gawd I’m a nerd. Please don’t tell my husband I admitted that.)
This is totally yummy. It is rich, chocolate-y, toasty, and tangy! Absolutely scrumptious. Unfortunately, it is also sold out. So, if you want some, you should let Frank know! Contact him via this contact form or, you could tweet him, or visit his facebook page. Please tell him you heard about this tea from me!
Roasted Maté from Culinary Teas
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Yerba Maté
Where To Buy: Culinary Teas
Tisane Description:
Full bodied and smooth herbal tea. The roasted character of this mate imparts a coffee-like toast flavor. Rich in mateine, which is recognized as a mild stimulant.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
Occasionally, I’ll wake up feeling like I could probably very easily sleep another four or five hours, even after a full night’s sleep. I’ll feel groggy and sluggish and not only “unmotivated” but just too “tired” to get myself motivated. It’s on those days when I need a cup of Yerba Maté! There is more caffeine in Maté than in a typical cup of tea, and I need that invigoration … I need more than just a gentle shake to wake me that I can get from a cup of tea.
I usually prefer the roasted variety of Maté over the green Maté, although I’ve come to appreciate both types. There was a time when I didn’t really care for either, but, now, I embrace Maté. I think that those who process the leaf have come a long way since my earliest cups of Yerba Maté, either that or I’m just better at brewing it! Whatever the reason, I didn’t like it then, but I like it now.
This is a very pleasant Roasted Maté from Culinary Teas. The aroma of the dry leaf is a little earthy and warm, reminding me of autumn and the season that is quickly approaching (yay!) It even smelled a little like chicory, which always reminds me of coffee – and that’s coffee in a good way. I don’t have a lot of good things to say about that other caffeinated beverage (aka coffee) but, there was a time when I did enjoy it, and there are times when I miss the fragrance of the roasted bean. But I don’t miss the sicky, icky feelings of nausea a few hours after drinking it.
So, I do like it when I smell something that smells like coffee and I even like it when I taste something that tastes like coffee, so long as I’m not going to be sick in a couple of hours. Fortunately, I’ve never felt that with Yerba Maté, so I think I’m in the clear.
The flavor of this tisane is warm and rich, very much the way the scent of the dry leaf smelled – that’s what I taste. Warm, earthy flavors, but not too earthy or vegetative. Smooth and rich, almost reminiscent of a cup of coffee. And that’s just what I needed today.
Yerba Maté is delicious served hot with some turbinado sugar – that’s the way I’m drinking it now. It’s also nice served straight (no additions), but, I think that the rich, coffee like flavors come alive for me when I add just a little turbinado sugar. It’s also great served as a latte – just add a splash of steamed milk! Recently, I discovered Maté as an iced beverage too, and it’s really good that way too! Very energizing and restorative!
Maté Chai from Element Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Yerba Maté
Where to Buy: Element Tea
Product Description:
Boost circulation and stimulate your senses with this popular blend of Yerba Mate and Masala Chai Spices. For a sweeter and creamier finish, add milk and sugar.
Ingredients: Mate Green, Cinnamon, Ginger Bits, Cardamom, Cloves, Fennel, Anise Seed
Taster’s Review:
I love chai (and when I say “chai,” I mean the beverage that is made from a masala spice blend … with or without tea or other leaf types, like the green Yerba Maté leaf used in this blend). I enjoy it year ’round, but I find it especially enjoyable this time of year. The spices warm me from the inside out, and the zesty flavor is very invigorating.
The spices dominate this tisane, and what I taste most are the fennel and anise seed. They give a sweet, licorice-y kind of taste to this chai, and I’m really liking that. (I’m quite fond of black licorice!) While the cinnamon does not present a really strong presence in this cup, I like the way it mingles with the fennel and anise.
The ginger, cloves and cardamom are pretty well balanced here. One of these spices does not seem to be stronger than the others, they all seem pretty even. Every once in a while, a flavor will pop out that I recognize distinctly as one particular spice, but for the most part, it is a very unified set of spices.
The green Yerba Maté of this blend lends an earthy, somewhat vegetative taste to the cup. It isn’t nearly as strong a flavor as the spices, of course, but, it really adds an interesting dimension of flavor to the cup. The earthy notes are a pleasing contrast to the licorice-y flavors.
I recommend drinking this hot with a dollop of honey to help round out the flavors. I didn’t drink mine with milk, but, I think it would be quite nice as a latte. This turned out to be one of the nicest Yerba Maté Chai blends I’ve tried!
Sweet Orange Maté from ESP Emporium
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Yerba Maté
Where to Buy: ESP Emporium
Company Description:
The popular fresh taste of fruity, sweet oranges goes well with the moderately strong, spicy, slightly smoky Mate tea. The strikingly decorated, delicious specialty is a high-grade offer for the rising demand for Mate tea. The well-balanced addition of pleasant licorice gives the necessary sweetness to this fresh and slightly tangy blend. Similarly to black tea, mate tea is stimulating with a short brewing time (5 minutes); this effect diminishes with longer brewing times (10 minutes).
Taster’s Review:
This is a perfect tea for Halloween!
But, first, I have a confession to make. The first time I tried this tea (about a year or so ago), I didn’t like it. Today I am trying it again for the first time and … I don’t know if it is because my palate is acquiring a taste for Yerba Maté, or if the blend has been changed a little bit since the last time I tasted it, but, as I sit here writing this, I am finding more to enjoy about this tea than I did with my previous sampling. I guess it just goes to show that one should not judge something based on first impressions alone! Things change, including our tastes!
Now, I’m not saying that this is my favorite tea. But I am enjoying it right now. And as I said, it reminds me of Halloween. The licorice flavor is stronger here than I remember. I like the sharp yet sweet flavor of the licorice that reveals itself mid-sip. The sip begins with a smooth, earthy note from the Maté that is mellowed just slightly by the sweet, juicy orange. This is followed immediately by the sharp note of licorice, and the finish is orange-y and licorice sweet.
I remember when tasting this tea previously, I found the maté to be quite harsh and too earthy for my palate. Now, I am finding the maté flavor to be fresher and smoother in taste.
I consumed this tea hot with a drizzle of raw honey. The honey highlighted some of the sweet orange notes as well as curbed the licorice sharpness just enough. A very enjoyable cuppa!
Chocolate Mate Chai from Rishi Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh & Yerba Maté
Where to Buy: Rishi Tea
Company Description:
Velvety, mellow and deep, this chai is an enticing blend of energizing pu-erh tea, shade-grown yerba maté and cacao. Made even more inviting by creamy vanilla, nutty coconut and fruity, pungent and uplifting Ayurvedic long pepper, this is a most sophisticated take on hot cocoa.
Taster’s Review:
This is a tea that frightened me. I am not crazy about pu-erh tea (although I think I am acquiring a taste for them). It’s the earthy quality of pu-erh that puts me off, and in a blend with yerba maté which is also quite earthy, I was afraid this blend would be way too earthy for my palate.
But it isn’t! This is really very tasty!
The chocolate flavor is very prominent, and it tastes rich and smooth. It is a somewhat savory chocolate which pairs well with the masala spice blend. The spices are not over-the-top, I can taste a peppery note though, but it does not overwhelm the cup. It is actually quite delicate and accents the other flavors very nicely.
But the real star here is the coconut. It is the most prominent flavor that I’m detecting. It is sweet and creamy and in perfect harmony with the cocoa flavor and the spices. This really is quite a bit like a gourmet hot chocolate!
The flavor of the pu-erh tea is not really distinct – and that is just fine with me. As I’ve already mentioned, I’m not all that crazy about pu-erh. That being said, there is a pleasant depth to this blend that I attribute to the tea as well as the yerba maté. There is a hint of earthy quality but it is not off-putting, it’s really very pleasant.
I like this tea very much. I did not brew it the way that the packaging suggests – with a boiling water and milk combination – I simply used boiling water and steeped for 4 minutes – using about 1 tsp. of tea per 6 ounces of water. This created a very sumptuous cup that was alive with the flavors of coconut, chocolate, and warm spices. Delicious!