What can I say? I just love mate! For the past several years I’ve really been into green tea (loose leaf, of course), but since heading to Argentina in 2009 and spending a year there, I fell in love with the ancient drink Mate (pronounced MAH-TAY), which is derived from a Holly plant grown in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil. I’ve reviewed a few brands of mate over the past year, such as “Eco Teas” and “Cruz De Malta.” Today, I’ll be reviewing “Mate Factor” (their Original selection).
The main thing that I love about their mate is that it includes “palos,” which translates to the tiny white stems and twigs of the plant that are included with the mate leaves. In Argentina, it would be extremely rare not to label a mate package without “con palos” (with twigs) or “sin palos” (without twigs)… but here in the States, there’s usually no such labeling on mate packages (not nice!).
So with Mate Factor as with Eco Teas, both companies fall short of how mate should be traditionally represented. They make the presumption that all Americans don’t know enough about mate yet in order to distinguish “with or without twigs.” And sadly, they are right! Relatively speaking, mate is still in its “fashionable new tea” stage here in the States. It’s heavily promoted as a weight-loss supplement, which, in my opinion, belittles it’s value as a community drink that brings people together for quality time. Sort of like what Snapple did with green tea.
But… for me, mate is all about the tradition and with tradition always follows proper education of the history and roots. So I hope that Mate Factor will step up and begin to label “with twigs” or “without twigs,” because the difference in taste is very noticeable.
Mate Factor’s mate is very smooth and nice. It’s not sharp and bold like Eco Teas. If you like sharpness, then your best bet is Eco Teas. This may be due to the differences in processing methods: Mate Factor does not smoke their mate, instead opting to let it dry naturally. Also, with the inclusion of “palos,” the taste is more rounder and more stable than Eco Teas.
Most people either drink mate with sugar (mate dulce) or without (mate amargo). I like to add a bit of sugar, especially with the more bitter mates. With Mate Factor, I don’t have to add as much sugar since the “palos” offer a natural sweetness. This is a big plus for me — the less sugar, the better!
Though they don’t smoke their mate, I still do detect a faint smoky flavor. It’s not harsh or overpowering, but it’s there. And I don’t mind it at all. Perhaps when the mate is naturally dried, certain chemicals keep their integrity that lend a certain taste to the mate that’s not found in smoked mates.
Overall, Mate Factor is the best local mate I have tried thus far in the United States of America. It’s $8.30 for 12 ounces… which may deter some people due to receiving less mate than the 16 ounce packs of Eco Teas for less than $8.00 at Whole Foods. I think the extra money and smaller amount of Mate Factor is made up for in their superior taste, especially for those who are serious about drinking quality mate.
I give Mate Factor 4 out of 5 petals.
You can purchase their products at: MateFactor.com
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