Hey! Welcome to yet another yerba mate review. Today I would like to write about one of my favorite yerba mate brands: Canarias. Although this is a genuine Brazilian brand, it is in Uruguay that it enjoys the most prestige.

I often say that the habit of drinking yerba mate resembles the habit of drinking wine (to some extent). Novice wine tasters will usually prefer sweeter and smoother wine types, but tend to migrate to drier and more robust flavors as their habit matures. With that being said, Canarias Yerba Mate is definitely a brand for the more experienced materos.

Brand

As I mentioned above, Canarias is very popular in Uruguay and they have established themselves strongly within the region. The brand offers a large array of products ranging from tea bags to traditional yerba mate. Canarias mate is usually dried in 50Kg sacks for a period of 4 – 6 months (depending on the blend) and the leaves come from the Brazilian states of Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul.

Canarians tend to be very loyal to their yerba and if you want to piss them off, then tell them you prefer Rosamonte! Both brands enjoy a very strong customer base who swear by their mothers, that their brand of choice is indeed the best.

Texture

Very fine cut, abundant amount of polvo (powder). This mate takes some skill to mould and maintain the mountain. If not, you find yourself unable to get water up the bombilla due to the powder blocking the holes.

Taste

Dry, smoky, and bitter. Mellow yet high octane stimulation. The taste is unmatched as well as the body of the mate. Feels almost creamy in the mouth. It also holds it’s flavor much longer than other brands, allowing you to refill several times, before it becomes lavado (washed).

Conclusion

Canaria Yerba Mate is a very unique yerba with a strong kick to it. Seasoned drinkers will appreciate the strong taste, but newcomers might have a hard time adapting to the bitterness or the constant clogging of the bombilla. Great value for money, since this yerba seems to hold it’s flavor more than other brands I have tasted.