Rosamonte Yerba Mate- Selection Especial (Special Aged) Hard Pack 1k (2.2lb)

found a dope ten dollar mate, had to get it, prompted an earlier buy of yerba mate, chose rosamonte despite notes that it is "challenging for beginners" bcuz it looks hella fly and was cheaper than canarias:the mate was weather-delayed a day. so i did some stuff while waiting: 1m 1/4-1/3 mug full of mate, strainer. argentinian smokers. interesting smell outta the bag, up-close, brush. like those plants. reviewing taste & smell as an amalgam (as is natural w first tries). argentinian smokers, maybe a bit of brush mostly in retrospect. not particularly easy, not bitter at all. a little personal, possibly another argentinian smokers note. identical re-steep, added to original, added a packet of sk passionfruit kombucha and a little water "bean-y" like coffee, got complex near the end, hint of (actual) mint?5m half large mugs filled w mate. turned into 7m, very messy. strainer. very bitter like very strong black coffee. very comparable to very strong black coffee. gradual kombucha to a teacup sampler, ****** disgusting like (bad?) raw matcha or k****. added some cream... very bitter, interesting. added equal (someone else fw equal, iont fw equal its gross), very promising, challenging like matcha would be wout a recipe but wout a disgusting raw taste. just very bitter; if coffee is a tea, this is another one. not sure if unpaletteable bcuz of equal n slightly older cream or what, very promising. some yerba drinks r probably how they made 5m strainer yerba very goodinfuser: full infuser (dont rly expand, lil bit of room), brush & argentinian smokers, a little bitter (not astringency like tea, bitter like coffee. astringency is plant-based wretch-tang or a dry bite. its like one tea-type of bitterness). very manageable, drinkable, not enjoyable. iiiiin comes the mateproper mate: OH my god. so, the bombilla stops u from pouring too hot, n u work up the temperature. start when its just warming up u kno, ppl drink mate fresh, its impossible if its too hot, thassuh metal straw homie. iont kno tf ppl r doing w 180*F temps. same can be said for lots of tea, u got a whoooole spectrum dawg. speaking of, issuh whole spectrum. never, ever less paletteable than black coffee, COMPLETELY diffrnt, *very* enjoyable, rough, puts hair on ur chest- like black coffee. sometimes u get a real strong sippa mate, rly did not expect that (the mate to be completely diffrnt n perfect), but sorta did. dunt need any additives, a lil bit of lemon or sugar would prolly be real nice, now i understand ppls reviews of rosamonte: it IS more challenging, in the sense of, it puts hair on ur chest. its like a more black coffee instead of w cream n sugar prolly. the ppl complaining abt bitterness either did 5m too-hot strainers or drink their coffee w like tons of milk n tons of sugar n syrups n all that. so, w rosamonte u wont get a CRAZY diffrnt *palette*. the experience is dynamic and complex, as a static flavor. so its always rosamonte, but it does change all the time, so *rosamonte* changes. so thats what ppl mean if they dont think the flavors dynamic enough. its kinda like, ur not gonna get, orange, n then watermelon. ur gonna get, orange part one, orange part two, orange part one point five, a lil bit of rind, JUST orange, orange part four- ... so its not gonna be strawberry later, so thats what ppl mean. so, i can see it being strangely valid to grab other bags of mate, even moreso than affordable coffee, and i bet those flavored ones can be real nice. im *so* pleasantly surprised by this, especially after westernizing it while waiting. DEFINITELY need a mate, absolute *necessity* for yerba. its very comparable to black coffee in any questions u have. its not gonna make u wretch like (bad?) matcha or k*****, unless black coffee makes u wretch. its also got a lotta potential for drinks but is avanced and challenging, 5m strainer tends to get "sour" almost in a fruity way w cream, altho that might be RLY nice in a mate. every drink is diffrnt, and its always rosamonte. im guessing a large portion of bad reviews, used water that was too hot (how???? the bombilla is metal??? they drink it right away in argentinia & uruguay????), and/or didnt use a mate. this should *definitely* be next to the coffee and ill *definitely* be picking up other bags over time. it feels very nice too and i like that its not a focus on *just* caffeine. when i can afford to ill definitely be trying canarias & cbse guarana n maybe a few other ones. GOTTA have a mate, *highly* recommended

I’m a first time Yerba Mate drinker as of today! I bought this RosaMonte because of the overall ratings THEN I read the reviews. Geez! I was afraid I’d made a mistake. Reports of fussy preparation and bitter taste had me thinking that I’d have to return the package or compost it. I decided to give it a try anyway.I heated my water to 175F, measured 15 grams of Yerba Mate into my French press coffee mug, poured 16 ounces of the hot water in, and timed the steep for 5 minutes. Then I poured the tea out of the French press mug (to make sure the steeping had stopped since some people said long steeping caused bitter brew). I added some stevia and gave it a sip. I LOVE it!It is an earthy taste not unlike green tea. It is a little bitter, but much less than black tea. I like this more than the Matcha I drink, and this costs less.The smell when I opened the package was wonderful - kind of a mixture between fresh-cut hay and tea. It does need to be transferred to a zip lock bag after opening, because the original package doesn’t seal.The original package came wrapped in plastic wrap similar to Saran Wrap. Probably to keep the product’s natural dust in.One reviewer said to use 2 tablespoons per cup. Two tablespoons was 9 grams. I figured 15 grams was a good jumping off spot. I might add more as time goes on. I just drank the whole 16 ounce batch, and I don’t feel jittery just a little energized. That’s on top of a 12 ounces of coffee I drank 3 hours ago. So that’s good.I’m over 55, and I don’t need anything making me wired. I just want to have more energy and focus. This seems to fit the bill! What a great find this is and a bargain as a bonus!

Good quality yerba mate. This package appears to be at least a year old, which is good because in Argentina the flavor has recently changed and is half as strong as this one.

Why did you pick this product vs others?:Excellent for mates! Healthy and delicious. Smoother than other brands.

Rosamonte Special Selection Yerba Mate TeaThis big, bright red brick of Yerba Mate arrived, well packed in shrink wrap. Upon unwrapping, I see the package printing is in Español (Spanish) which makes sense, since this was produced in Argentina.Some info from the package: "Elaborada con Palo" This is made with stems (as well as leaves). This type is usually a less expensive product.Looking at the product I received, I see do see some stem material. It appears to be mostly dried, crumbled leaves. And, some powdered leaf dust. Yerba Mate is also available "Sin Palos (without stems)" Which type is a matter of personal preference.Also: "Libre de Gluten" - Gluten Free. And, "Sin TACC" - an Argentine food labeling term meaning "contains no Wheat, Oats, Barley, or Rye.The expiration date was not filled in on the package. So, I guess just fill in your own. Or, write in the date you opened the package.There are no preparation instructions or directions on the bag.Once opened, the package is not re-sealable. You might want to transfer the contents to an airtight canister or zip-lock bag.We will be making this in a French press. (Use very hot, but NOT boiling water) The traditional way in South American cultures is to prepare small amounts in a small round gourd with a strainer straw, and pass it around the assembled group one by one. Sort of "Bong-style". We appreciate the rich traditions and culture, but we just have to get going in the morning so we will skip all that..This herb tea is a pleasant green-amber color, and has a mild, very slightly bitter, grass/hay/green tea flavor.