Yerba Mate

I've been brewing my own yerba every so often, using teabags (yerbabags?)

I had been using TAZO Lemon Mate and TAZO Tropical Mate. A friend gave me a much more expensive save-the-rainforest brand--nearly $7 for 16 tea bags which is pleasant, but I doubt that I'd buy it on a regular basis.

The caffeine boost is about that of tea.

I enjoy sipping mate, thinking of myself as a cosmopolitan traveler who just can't fit the teeming jungles of South America into an extended stay this week.

>sigh<

yes.

yerba, completely by itself has an awful , ( I like to describe as..) dirt taste to it.

I buy the commercial, watered down brands of it that have fruit flavorings.
Granted, the amount of ACTUAL yerba in them is slim to none I am sure, but that queer taste that belongs only to yerba , is quite GOOD in those brands coupled with the fruits.

If you are interested after such a bad experience, give one a try.
Celestial seasonings has one that is... ehh.. ok..

The one I like the best is Whole Earth Yerba Mate / Raspberry

Sorry to pull Rank-of-Generation on you, but the price of any bottled drink is hideously inflated because liquid is expensive to ship.

An herbal infusion of any sort is tastier fresh-brewed.

La Merced brand yerba mate (in bags) from Argentina -- I like the orange flavoured. I've got an unopened box of mint flavoured so can't comment on it yet. Great for that caffeine pick-me-up when you're just not in the mood for coffee.

Oh, thank you all. I'll try some of these suggestions -- after I return the hideously expensive, awful gunk to the market I'll have no trouble affording some yerbabags!

after WW II both coffee and (black) tea were very difficult to obtain in germany - you pretty well had to rely on the black market or have an english or american buddy who would supply you with it .
mate was easily available and became a subsistute for quite a few years . we prepared it like regular tea , added a bit of sugar and lemon - when we had it - and it served us quite well .
i haven't seen mate on our visits to germany over the years . seems to have gone out of fashion - together with 'fishpaste' , another 'delicacy' of those days .
hbg

Having seen this thread, I succumbed to curiousity and bought a package of Mate' Limon teabags - they have yerba mate, lemon verbena, black tea, lemongrass, licorice root, and ginger...

I'll let you know when I've actually tried it..

"I'll let you know when I've actually tried it.. "

does this involve a lot of decision making ?
it's only a teabag !!!
how long will we have to wait for your judgement to be puplished ?
can't wait for the good/bad news .
hbg

Hey, sorry to not respond sooner, I missed seeing your post.

The verdict is...
ta da...
I liked it a lot.




And you know how picky/discerning I am.

This is it, but I'm sure I didn't pay any $9.99... and that little store I favor is fairly expensive overall. (I make up for it by scrimping in different ways).
I'll double check the price next time I'm there.
http://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/Pixie-Mate-Limon-Tea-p/scg12715.htm