Loose Leaf Yerba Mate 1 lb | USDA Organic, Air-Dried & Unsmoked

I used to drink some kind of yerba mate beverage - it was so long ago, it's not even in my Amazon history (I think it may have been purchased elsewhere though.) Otherwise, I've been drinking coffee and tea (and the occasional guarana) beverages. I gave this loose-leaf yerba mate a shot, and when I finally tasted it I immediately remembered the flavor!I prepared it by putting 1 tbsp in a metal tea infuser ball thing (and promptly spilled the yerba mate everywhere!) I wet the ball with cool water, because I read that prevents the leaves from burning or something? Then I poured over water pre-heated to 160 °F; there's probably around 12 ounces in the glass mug in the photo. Let it infuse for a few minutes, and the taste is a recognizable grassy flavor; not like tea, just its own thing. (Also, the chain on the tea ball promptly fell in the cup, so that's great, I'm doin' real well here!) I ended up adding 3 sugar cubes, nothing else, and that gave it a nice balance of sweetness. I can't comment on the "energy" or caffeine content, as it doesn't have a huge effect on me (I'm drinking this at night, and it won't keep me up.)So overall, if you drink hot "herbal" or other beverages (I'm aware that there are also other ways like cold brew to prepare this though) this is a welcome product to try. It's also reasonably priced, at around 30¢ per recommended serving.

I have a coworker who drinks this tea from a sludge in a gourd/wooden cup and uses a filter straw/spoon to filter the liquid from the soggy tea leaves. I find this method to be kinda gross and unnecessarily messy. Yerba Mate is grassy like a green tea. This particular one is ground leaves and a lot of stems. This is a full pound, which for me would last years. I will likely be giving it to said coworker just because it was worth trying but doesn't quite fit my tea style. It's light and grassy, no real bitter notes. It does have a mild level of caffeine. If you are used to Yerba Mate and it is your favorite type of tea this is a halfway decent one. The leaves are still green though dried, not smoked. The flavor isn't bitter. It has almost an herbal grassy flavor. With a touch of honey it would be quite pleasant as an iced green tea and refreshing on a hot day. For the first cup of any tea I try it is always hot and unadulterated, just so I can understand the nuances of the tea leaves. Then I have a bit of fun. citrus would also go well with this tea. I am thinking a sun tea with a little honey over ice with a couple lemon slices.

Absolutely five stars! Quantica’s organic Yerba Mate is a hidden gem. It delivers a very smooth, steady energy after brewing that keeps you going without the spikes and crashes of regular coffee. The flavor is really fantastic as it is rich and earthy, yet smooth enough to enjoy cup after cup. Plus, it’s a great deal for the quality and quantity you get. This tea has truly become my go-to for a clean, balanced boost.

I have bought different yerba mates in the past. I found Quantica to have a very smooth taste. No strong bitterness as most of the yerbas.Unlike coffee which gives me the jitters and a peak of energy that goes away fast, Quantica yerba mategave me sustained and stable energy, almost like a slow release. Loved this infusion. I tasted it hot; the typical gaucho way in a gourd with no sugar and also cold with ice and fruits and a touch of sugar. Very refreshing for these hot days.Love the fact that it is organic and its slick packaging. High quality product. Higly reccomended!

I had heard of but never tried Yerba Mate before receiving this product. I'm a dedicated coffee drinker and an occasional iced tea drinker and thought I might enjoy an iced beverage in the afternoons as a little pick-me-up and appreciate the opportunity to try this product in exchange for my review. After a bit of research, I decided to steep this overnight in the refrigerator. Upon opening the bag, I definitely noticed a fresh, grassy smell, similar to traditional tea. The product was dry but still retained a bit of moisture, so it wasn't crumbly or powdery. I added 3 tbsp mate in a 1 qt. jar, added a cup of hot - not boiling (this detail is key to avoiding a bitter taste) water to get the ball rolling, then filled the jar with cold filtered water and let it set for about 24 hours. The next day, I strained the tea through a coffee filter placed in a metal mesh strainer and then poured some over ice in a glass. My first reaction was this is a bit bitter, but that taste pretty much disappeared and I was left with a refreshing, light flavor similar to tea. My beverage got further diluted by ice while I drank it. Between the cold brew style and the added water from the ice, it was probably rather weak. Nonetheless, I thought it was quite good and I will definitely be making this drink on a regular basis. Next time, I am going to brew it in the coffee maker, then refrigerate it which will probably result in a stronger brew due to the hot water, and it will be far less labor intensive. So, I have some experimenting to do to make it perfect for me, but I'm very happy with the product. I like that it is all natural, free of added chemicals and preservatives and contains antioxidants.

This stuff is good! Been a while since I've had mate, I used to get those big energy drink ones all the time when I was younger. So with that in mind, I'm not comparing this to a more "genuine" mate experience, I know tea people can get very weird when it comes to their preferred drink. Just don't want to give the impression I'm an expert in this area, I just want a little energy in a relatively tasty form.The product looks and smells fresh with a best buy date of I think July 2028, hard to tell for certain because it was printed backwards on the front. It's a very chunky loose leaf mix.To test it out I threw about 3 teaspoons straight into my Ninja Coffee Bar, set to Classic and Herbal (AFAIK mate isn't actually tea, herbal seemed like the appropriate setting among my choices). I read French press is best for mate but didn't feel like pulling mine out from the back of the cabinet. Going forward I think I'll brew this stronger, for a sample cup later in the afternoon 3 teaspoons was plenty. I added just a splash of lemon juice. I didn't feel particularly buzzed, though it's worth noting that I drink coffee all day long and can even take a nap after a Red Bull so I wasn't expecting that. It was tasty, only slightly earthy, with minimal sediment at the bottom.My only complaint is the bag could be better, with some self-ties on it like coffee usually has perhaps. It's fine, maybe they saved some money not including those. It's not like I don't have a million chip clips lying around.I'm going to have to do some more testing -- iced vs. French press, milk vs no milk, time of day, etc. -- but my initial impressions are positive.

I’ve never had Yerba Mate before, but I regularly drink coffee and tea, so I was curious to try it. Before brewing it, I did a little research on what Yerba Mate is and the best way to prepare it.For anyone unfamiliar, Yerba Mate is a naturally caffeinated herbal drink from South America. From what I found, brewing about 1–2 teaspoons at around 165F for roughly 3 minutes is a good starting point and can help prevent it from becoming too bitter or strong.Before brewing, I took a look at the leaves and thought they looked similar to loose-leaf tea. My batch didn’t contain many stems, although stems aren’t necessarily a bad thing since Yerba Mate is traditionally made from both leaves and stems.I steeped 1 1/2 teaspoons for 3 minutes at 165F and thought it was pretty good. The flavor was earthy and grassy, and I didn’t notice any bitterness. I think the shorter steeping time and lower water temperature helped quite a bit.One thing I found annoying is that the bag doesn’t include brewing instructions, so I was glad I had researched it beforehand. I was also happy to have a kettle with adjustable temperature settings, which made preparation much easier. The bag lists a serving size of 3 teaspoons, but personally, I think that would be too strong. For me, 1 1/2 teaspoons produced a nice balance—neither too strong nor too weak.As far as the energy boost goes, I’d compare it to a cup of coffee. I have a fairly high caffeine tolerance, though, so your experience may vary depending on how sensitive you are to caffeine.Another thing I especially like about this brand is that the leaves are unsmoked. During my research, I learned that some Yerba Mate is processed using smoke, which can introduce unwanted combustion by-products. I prefer that this one is unsmoked and more straightforwardly processed.Overall, I’m glad I tried it. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a caffeinated alternative to coffee or traditional tea.

I'm going to assume that you already know this amazing Argentinian "tea" (since it's not a true tea). I discovered Yerba a couple decades ago, and sometimes it's the only thing I crave and the energy profile is more stable and long lasting than caffeine is for me and my body (your personal results might vary).I had never heard of this brand before, and I was drawn to this because it is actually certified organic (USDA!), it is unsmoked (reduces bitterness and important for us that are concerned with PAHs), is 100% pure leaf (meaning it has minimal stems and twigs that can weaken the flavor), and the cut works well for us that want to drink from a traditional gourd (but still works well in a French press, pour-over, or standard tea infuser).The taste is clean, fresh, and aromatic. I found that I enjoyed it as much as the other brands that I drink - but this leads me to the first negative; at the time of writing, the price point on this product is on the "premium" side - costing 50% more than my usual brands that are also organic and unsmoked national Argentinian brands. I truly enjoy this, but not 50% more than other established brands.Another reason for the loss of a star is that I don't understand the math they used to calculate the caffeine on the nutrition panel; they say that it contains 114 mg of caffeine for a 3 tsp (6g) serving, but the Yerba I'm used to drinking says that the same amount is about 30-50 mg of caffeine. For a pure leaf product (meaning nothing added), this makes no sense to me. I'm glad if they are going to err, they erred on the higher side (it could be far worse if you were getting more caffeine than you could handle!) but what reads to me as an obvious mistake makes me question the entire product's claims. But I'm not too nervous, since Yerba is Yerba really, that's why I only reduced it by one star.

I really like this yerba mate tea. It has a nice smooth flavor and is really easy to brew, so I’ve been enjoying it as an alternative to coffee.What I like most is the energy I get from it. For me, it feels more sustained than some other caffeinated drinks, and I don’t notice the same mid-afternoon caffeine crash. I also find that it helps me stay focused while I’m working without making me feel overly wired.It tastes good, it’s easy to make and the price is reasonable. I’ve really been enjoying it and can see myself keeping this in my regular rotation.

If you already drink yerba mate, there really aren’t any surprises here. It tastes like yerba mate lol. It has that earthy, slightly bitter flavor I’m used to, and I actually like that it’s unsmoked because the taste isn’t overly harsh or smoky.The leaves seem fresh and you get a really generous amount in the bag. I’ve tried it both hot and over ice and liked it both ways. Nothing weird added to it, just a good straightforward yerba mate. I’d definitely get it again. Big bag for the price and cute packaging.

This Yerba mate has officially replaced my second cup of coffee. I brew it in my French press every morning, and the energy feels steady and focused without the sudden rush. The flavor is smooth, naturally bitter, and easy to enjoy on its own, but you can also sweeten it to taste.I appreciate that it is certified organic and air-dried instead of smoked. It’s become a regular part of my morning routine.

I wanted to like this yerba mate more because I do enjoy the natural energy boost it provides. Unfortunately, I found the taste to be quite harsh and bitter, especially compared with other teas I’ve tried. It’s definitely more of an acquired taste, and I think you need to be someone who already enjoys the stronger, more earthy flavor of yerba mate to really appreciate it.That said, I do feel the energetic benefits. It gives me a noticeable boost without feeling quite as heavy as some other caffeinated drinks, and it works well when I need some extra energy and focus.Overall, I’d give it 3 stars. The energy benefits are a definite plus, but the strong, bitter flavor makes it difficult for me to enjoy regularly. If you’re already a fan of yerba mate, though, this may be worth trying.