INATO PREMIUM Organic Roasted Yerba Mate | Loose Leaf | Rainforest Grown | South American Traditional Green Tea Drink | Air Dried | Clean Energy Boost (15 Servings)

I paid full price for this product on Amazon.com and am posting this review out of my genuine appreciation for its quality.I began drinking yerba mate about three months ago as a result of my search for a healthier substitute for energy drinks. I recently finished drinking through a 1 lb bag of loose leaf traditional Guayaki Organic Yerba Mate (over the course of a couple months). Guayaki was the first mate I had ever tried. As expected, it was an acquired taste, and even as I developed a taste for it, I still didn't care much for the smoky undertones of the tea. I continued to research yerba mate and discovered that mate is traditionally dried over a fire, which results in the smoky undertones I didn't care for. Further research revealed that some studies have associated heavy yerba mate drinking with certain types of cancer. Before you panic and swear off the drink forever - remember that correlation does not equal causation. The studies do not give a cause for the cancer, and some of those studies theorize that this association may be due to the traditional method by which mate is dried. Smoke contains carcinogens, and common sense tells me (and hopefully other people) that drinking known carcinogens in your tea on a daily basis probably isn't good for you in the long term. These smoke-based carcinogens are the same reason science has told us to go easy on grilled meats.Armed with this knowledge, I set out to find a yerba mate that was: 1) air dried rather than smoke dried; and 2) contained leaves only (mate often comes in two forms - with or without stems). Guayaki makes a loose leaf mate that is air dried, but it contains stems. I wanted nothing but leafy goodness in my tea, so I kept looking and eventually found this product. It costs more than Guayaki, but you will notice the difference immediately when you open the packaging. The tea leaves are air dried, not aged (as many mates are), and are vacuum sealed to maintain freshness. I was shocked when I first saw this loose leaf mate in person. The leaves were incredibly green and fresh-looking - not the brownish old mate leaves I was used to seeing. I brewed my first cup with a fine tea strainer and was very impressed with this mate's refreshing flavor. It's markedly lighter and fresher tasting than Guayaki's traditional mate and doesn't have a smoky undertone. To me, it tastes as if someone walked out of a rain forest in Brazil with a handful of fresh yerba mate leaves and made you a cup of tea. After drinking this mate, I can finally appreciate why the drink is so popular in South America. It truly is delicious and provides a nice even energy boost. I've also found that drinking mate helps a ton with my allergies, which is another alleged benefit that I was skeptical of but actually found to be true. Inato Premium Organic Yerba Mate is an excellent product, and I sincerely recommend it to you.

Having tried numerous varieties/brands of yerba mate over the past year, I can say with certainty that Inato is the most unique. This is, of course, because unlike most others you'll come across, this stuff isn't aged or smoked - so it looks different, smells different, tastes different, and... costs roughly twice as much as other options. I suspect a large portion of this premium is due to the fact that you can't find anything else quite like it (or at least I wasn't able to), and also because their bags are vacuum sealed (which is very nice).So is it worth it? I'd say: yes, occasionally. It's very interesting stuff when you see/drink it for the first time (however their instructions that you should use 1 tbsp per cup of water results in a laughably weak infusion - I myself use 12 tbsp in an 8 oz ceramic gourd), but overall I don't enjoy this $21 bag any more than my $11 bag of Taragui (sin palo).However I will say that if you're curious, you should give it a shot. It's unlike anything else you're likely to come across!

I have been drinking Yerba Mate for the last 4 years (introduced to it by a good friend from Uruguay), I did not grow up with it though, and I have tried different varieties (Guayaki, Cruz de Malta and Canarias). I also use the traditional method for drinking Mate: a mate gourd (a.k.a. Matera, Mate, or Porongo) and a bombilla (a stainless steel straw). This Yerba Mate is a fine product indeed. No dust, very green, and a distinct flavor (it looks so rich, clean and primo!) It does not have the earthy-smoky flavor of the traditional Mate (which is usually dried with smoke) is definitely more on the green-herbal-leafy side.I enjoy both flavors, the traditional Mate and this green variety; and I think most tea drinkers will definitely enjoy this Inato Yerba Mate. If you are new to Yerba Mate I would suggest trying the traditional Mate first, as it does taste different.As for the traditional mate each brand has differences, for instance I found Cruz de Malta to be strong and bitter, Canarias was good, mostly all leaf (no stem, sin palo, and very little dust) although I had a little difficulty with my bombilla which seems to work better with a coarse grind; Guayaki is the flavor I enjoy most from these three, but it has more dust (Guayaki has leaf, stem...and dust).In summary, I definitely recommend this Yerba Mate, and will buy it again. Give it a try, although nontraditional you will see how good quality this version is.