Hello there, amigos. I hope you are all feeling as great as I am today. Before we begin talking about mate, let me just go ahead and thank you for taking a look at my blog. I hope it’s been educational and interesting for you. There will be lots more coming, so please drop in once in a while. If you have the time, I’d love to get some feedback from you. Feel free to drop me a comment below or support me by liking my facebook fan page. Now, let’s get down to business shall we?
Anyway…in the last few months I have been meaning to do a review on some of the most popular yerba mate brands that you will usually find on sale online. I know there are several different blends and brands out there, so if you are a newbie to mate it’s natural to feel overwhelmed at first.
Since this is my very first review, I’d like to go ahead and start with the brand which I have been drinking the most recently: Rosamonte Selección Especial (eng: Rosamonte Special Selection).
Brand
Rosamonte is produced in a family business that has been involved with the planting, harvesting and drying of yerba mate in the province of Misiones, Argentina since 1936.
Their yerba is prepared according to an exclusive selection of raw material, such as specially selected dried leaves of Ilex paraguariensis, which are then slightly toasted, crushed and mixed with small branches, petioles and flower stems.
Blend
The composition of this yerba mate comprises of about 65% of dried, crushed or powdered leaves and 35% of stems, fragments and plant fibers. After the canchado (a process in which the yerba mate leaves are compressed into small pieces to facilitate the packaging), the product is stored in jute bags for 12 months . During this storage period, this yerba mate obtains it’s characteristic flavor, aroma and color.
Taste
The end result is a yerba mate with a strong, aromatic and lasting taste. Usually I would recommend this to the Yerba Mate professionals, but since it’s so incredibly rich in flavor I would dare say it is also a delicious start for those who are just getting started. It’s nice mix of stems helps to break the bitterness that sometimes scares off beginners.
If you wish to try this out for yourself, feel free to use the link above to purchase it at the very same place where I buy mine. They have a good price and I haven’t had any problems with the delivery.
To make things short, Rosamonte is one of Argentina’s strongest and most popular brands, it has a smoky flavor with a strong kick. Below is a quick video about the story of the Rosamonte brand. I hope your Spanish is good. 😛 Have you already tried this brand before? Let us know what you think in the comments below.