If you are tired of the usual tea or coffee and want a natural drink that stimulates the body as much as possible , you should try mate . But if you've never tried this traditional drink, you might be wondering what it tastes like? We tell you everything about the flavors of mate.
Mate when you discover it for the first time
Yerba mate has its own flavor that is almost indefinable. Like many other products that we know (for example red wine, coffee, tea, etc.) yerba falls into this category. It is characterized by a slightly bitter taste; a bitterness which is also present in coffee or certain types of tea. The type of cultivation, type of yerba, ingredients, and technique will greatly affect the final flavor of the brew.
At first glance, for some people, the taste can be very special; but over time, like all products with a lot of character, the palate gets used to the taste and becomes more refined.
To get used to it, you may have to (like many first times) consume the mate several times. While some people like it from the first sip, others don't think the same thing. But what is certain is that the more you experiment, the more you will appreciate and develop a palate sufficiently educated to discover the many succulent flavors of this plant.
The taste of yerba mate is difficult to describe and everyone has their own feeling when they taste it. However, its taste is often said to be a mixture of tea and coffee. For beginners, the first thing that hits the taste buds is undoubtedly, therefore, the bitterness of the drink.
If you drink traditional mate without added plants, fruits or spices, it can be quite bitter. Disconcerting at first, regulars delight in the bitterness when tasting it.
But mate, a victim of its success , is also available today in multiple variations: vegetable mate, fruit mate, flavored mate... there are all kinds of different flavors: there are therefore as many flavors as there are “kinds” of mate.
Each mate you consume has a specific flavor which is the result of a number of factors
1. Country of origin of yerba mate
Yerba mate is grown in many Latin American countries. So there are Argentine yerba mates, Brazilian yerba mates (sweet immature yerba mates called chimarrão), and even Uruguayan yerba mates (very bitter and rich), each with a base flavor specific to the region where it is grown (like tea, coffee, cocoa, etc.);
2. Method of growing yerba mate
The time interval between two harvests (6-24 months), soils, exposure to sunlight and the presence of smoke will also affect the taste .
3. With or without stems
Your edible mate is a mixture of leaves, stems and powder (note that there are no stems and powder in our mate.). The presence of the stem reduces the bitterness of the mate: we then obtain what we call a sweet mate. To find out more, do not hesitate to read our article “How to choose your mate?”.
4. Preparation of mate
The technique used to prepare mate can also affect the taste. For complete and clear explanations of the preparation steps, you can refer to our article "How to prepare mate?" .
