New Honest Tea Mate Reviews

I recently got to try the new Honest Tea Yerba Mates. I'm glad to see more yerba mate RTDs on the market. Yerba mate is high in antioxidants and caffeine, but it seems it doesn't give as many people jitters as coffee. However, AOL recently published a popular health article about possible health risks associated with yerba mate. I guess it was a bad time to launch the line, but the "teas" themselves are pretty good. They're made with green (unroasted) mate, I'm guessing for more antioxidants. I'm pretty sure it's why they taste more bitter than other mates I've had, but I'm more of a tea person than a mate person, so I'm not positive. (Any thoughts, readers?) The first two I tried were pretty sweet (I wish Honest Tea's "slightly sweet" approach was a little more slight than sweet, but that's a whole other topic...), but the third was awesome. Reviews:

Agave Mate: Both bitter and sweet, but in a very different way from when I, say, home brew super-strong mate in a gourd and add a bit of agave nectar. My least favorite, perhaps because I like my version so much better. :)

Tropical Mate: Aside from a bitter aftertaste, I really like this one. It is definitely tropical and the tartness of the fruit balances out the sweetness of the cane sugar very well. The thing I don't like it this -- the label pictures fresh fruit, says "A Tad Sweet" and clearly indicates that it is yerba mate. Seeing that, I think, "Mmm... fruit juice and mate. It has vitamins from fruit and caffeine from mate. Win!" However, it contains less than 1% juice and has about 1/6th the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee. Now, I'm glad the label is also informative enough to tell me these things, but it seems somehow... (no, not dishonest)... misleading. Still, it's tasty enough that I'd drink it again.

Sublime Mate: It has the same labeling issues as Tropical Mate, but it's definitely my favorite of the three. Great lime aroma and taste, no bitter aftertaste and (I think) an ideal balance of mate boldness, lime tang and cane-sugary sweetness for a lightly sweet RTD. It seems like a perfect refreshment for a hot summer day. Seriously if you like lime and/or mate check it out ASAP.

Have any of you tried these? What did you think?

Stevia for Tea

For my recent article on tea sweeteners, I got to interview Jim May, the man who introduced stevia to the U.S. market. He's quite an interesting individual and it was great to hear his side of the stevia story. I recently tried his brand, SweetLeaf Stevia, and have to admit that it doesn't taste nearly so bitter as other brands. I wouldn't use it for a delicate tea, but I could see it working well with robust tisanes and strong masala chai. If you're interested in a zero-calorie sweetener for your tea, but don't want to use something artificial, there was a recent article in the LA Times on stevia's safety that's worth a read. Personally, I'd rather just have my tea unsweetened or take a caloric beating with honey, but I can see people who want sweet tea and are diabetic or trying to manage their weight really wanting a product like this. Have any of you tried stevia? What do you think?

Tea Sweeteners Article on World Tea News

Part Two of my series on tea and sugar is up on World Tea News. Part One was about sweet tea in the U.S. and worldwide. Part Two is about tea sweeteners. Excerpt:

Let’s face it: America has gone foodie. In the past, customers added sweeteners to tea with no thought to the impact on flavor. Today, they are demanding a more sophisticated sweet tea.

Tea blenders say striking a balance between sweetness and tea taste is key. Rona Tison, ITO EN’s senior vice president of corporate relations, said the goal is to “keep the sugar level down” while “bringing out a profile that enhances the tea flavor.” Most sources advocated considering the unique flavors of both sweeteners and teas when pairing.


This is a very controversial topic, so it was very interesting for me to research. Everyone has a strong opinion on the matter, and very few of them seem to agree on much. Read more on tea sweeteners.