A couple months ago, I was contacted by a company called Guayaki to try their yerba mate beverages and review them here.Yerba mate is a lot like tea, and I'm not a big tea drinker, but the mission of the company to "restore the endangered South American Atlantic Rainforest and create living-wage jobs for indigenous farmers" peaked my interest. So I perused their website (Guayaki.com) and discovered Java Mate, which was described as "a coffee-alternative blend of mate with roasted ramon nut."
I ordered a one-pound bag of Dark Roast Java Mate. When it arrived, I put it in my coffee maker and brewed about a half pot. The first thing I noticed was the earthy smell that arose from the coffee maker. It didn't have the same aroma as coffee, nor did it smell like tea, although it was more tea-like. The aroma set up my taste buds for the different taste. It definitely didn't taste like coffee to me, but it wasn't as mild and sweet as tea either. The combination of the yerba mate and ramon nut gave a very unique flavor. It wasn't unpleasant, but I will admit I had to get used to it.
According to the package, yerba mate is naturally caffeinated and includes the caffeine equivalent of 3/4 cup of coffee per serving. So while it's a leaf, like tea, it has more caffeine, like coffee. I found it was plenty of caffeine for me. I wasn't more tired than usual, and I am one of those people who needs coffee in the morning to function! While I haven't replaced my morning coffee with Guayaki Java Mate, I do enjoy it occasionally when I'm in the mood for something different.
What I love about Guayaki is that I'm able to have a positive impact on the rainforest and the ecosystem just by enjoying a new drink. The native people are paid Fair Trade wages to harvest the yerba mate, which is grown in the shade of the rainforest, so it doesn't require any trees to be cut down. They even have an impact analysis you can do to see the impact you could have on the rainforest and the ecosystem if you consumed Guayaki products.
The one negative issue is the cost. A pound of the Dark Roast Java Mate was $14.95. Shipping was $10.39, which meant that I had to put in 34 cents on top of the $25 gift certificate that Guayaki provided me so I could try and review their products. That's a lot of money for a pound of "coffee"! I definitely couldn't completely replace my daily coffee with yerba mate. It would be far too expensive. Now I need to start doing some research to find out if Guayaki products are sold locally. If I could avoid that high shipping charge, I would definitely continue to drink java mate occasionally, and try some other variations as well. I'd love to be able to support this company because I believe in their mission and want them to succeed.
For more information, visit the Guayaki website.
I'll look for this; it sounds interesting.
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