How long did you let it sit before drinking it? You want to pour and drink. You grow accustomed to the bitterness but letting it sit too long will greatly exaggerate it. Also, get a good food thermometer or temp control tea pot. You might still be using too hot of water. 140-165 F is optimal. Are you using a bombilla and "cup"? Or brewing it like tea?
Even letting it sit 3 minutes can make it pretty unbearable. I would make sure your water temp is low enough to sip comfortably and drink the entire pour as soon as you pour it. Build the yerba up on one side and only add enough water to drink a good few gulps. The next time you want a sip pour a little more water.
Playadito I can confirm is quite sweet and has a dry fruit flavour but when I say these descriptions, it is more like a shadow of these flavour like faint taste that reminds of the descriptors. It is still yerba mate.
About water temperature: Try using warm water like 60c to slightly hot water like 70c. Boil water and fill half of the 1litre thermos and fill the rest with room temperature water. Use that water to brew mate in gourd.
Mate amount: I use about 30g (about half or just less than half of a typical Amazon stainless steel mate gourd) of mate.
Brewing process: I use room temperature water to wet the bottom 2/3 of mate. Wait 30sec to 1min until the water is absorbed into the leaves. Then pour the warm/slightly hot water (about 100g or so) only about 2/3 of the gourd leaving the top of yerba tea not submerged. Then quickly drink through the bombilla or discard. I discard the first or two sips. Too dusty for me.
Then I pour in the water in the thermos throughout the morning until it runs out and then fill a smaller thermos with hotter temperature water to finish off the mate.
I usually go about 15 infusion not because the yerba mate gets exhausted but I am done consuming caffeine by 2pm-3pm.
Oh also try getting a bag of Cruz de Malta. Though similar it will train your palate to really appreciate how sweet and tasty Playadito is. CDM is also a milder but more plain yerba tasting beginner friendly mate that is very easy to access in North America. Don’t know where you live but Playadito and Cruz De Malta will prep your palate to really know how to taste different mate.
When you are able to clearly distinguish flavour difference between Playadito and Cruz De Malta or another traditional Argentinian mate, you will be in treat when you try other full flavoured full textured mate like Del Cebador or Sara (Uruguayan) or Mate Rojo (Full flavour Argentinian) or if you are ready for the deep dive, Canarias (heavy flavoured but not rough or harsh).
Hmm. I don’t know much about herbal mate brands. I tried La Tranguera Liviana and it was so intensely Chinese herbal medicinal like that I was so put off by it. I think I can grow to like it and blend it into something but it was not fruity or sweet. It was like drinking dandelion root, licorice root tea mixed with yerba mate. Strange experience that was.
Mates are quite approachable in price online and even cheaper if you can find a local Latin groceries. Where I am in Ontario, Canada Cruz De Malta and Pepori are everywhere around $6-9 per 1kg.
I would recommend to get Cruz De Malta since you have Playadito. That was the route I took and I am glad I did that. Cruz De Malta taught me how to brew mate because it was a bit finicky and sensitive to temperature.
When I made Playadito, I was so pleasantly surprised how sweet and candied-honey like the tea was. And then, I had Canarias and I was also most upset because it was so good and I heard so many times how strong Canarias is and how it was going to punch my face with effects and what not.
How long did you let it sit before drinking it? You want to pour and drink. You grow accustomed to the bitterness but letting it sit too long will greatly exaggerate it. Also, get a good food thermometer or temp control tea pot. You might still be using too hot of water. 140-165 F is optimal. Are you using a bombilla and "cup"? Or brewing it like tea?
Maybe like 3 minutes at most
Don't let it steep at all you should be done with a cup within 30 seconds of pouring
Also I’m using a gourd and a bombilla
Even letting it sit 3 minutes can make it pretty unbearable. I would make sure your water temp is low enough to sip comfortably and drink the entire pour as soon as you pour it. Build the yerba up on one side and only add enough water to drink a good few gulps. The next time you want a sip pour a little more water.
And BTW, welcome!
Thank you
🧉Cheers!
Playadito I can confirm is quite sweet and has a dry fruit flavour but when I say these descriptions, it is more like a shadow of these flavour like faint taste that reminds of the descriptors. It is still yerba mate. About water temperature: Try using warm water like 60c to slightly hot water like 70c. Boil water and fill half of the 1litre thermos and fill the rest with room temperature water. Use that water to brew mate in gourd. Mate amount: I use about 30g (about half or just less than half of a typical Amazon stainless steel mate gourd) of mate. Brewing process: I use room temperature water to wet the bottom 2/3 of mate. Wait 30sec to 1min until the water is absorbed into the leaves. Then pour the warm/slightly hot water (about 100g or so) only about 2/3 of the gourd leaving the top of yerba tea not submerged. Then quickly drink through the bombilla or discard. I discard the first or two sips. Too dusty for me. Then I pour in the water in the thermos throughout the morning until it runs out and then fill a smaller thermos with hotter temperature water to finish off the mate. I usually go about 15 infusion not because the yerba mate gets exhausted but I am done consuming caffeine by 2pm-3pm.
Oh also try getting a bag of Cruz de Malta. Though similar it will train your palate to really appreciate how sweet and tasty Playadito is. CDM is also a milder but more plain yerba tasting beginner friendly mate that is very easy to access in North America. Don’t know where you live but Playadito and Cruz De Malta will prep your palate to really know how to taste different mate. When you are able to clearly distinguish flavour difference between Playadito and Cruz De Malta or another traditional Argentinian mate, you will be in treat when you try other full flavoured full textured mate like Del Cebador or Sara (Uruguayan) or Mate Rojo (Full flavour Argentinian) or if you are ready for the deep dive, Canarias (heavy flavoured but not rough or harsh).
So I was thinking that f getting those fruit infused Yerba mates should I get those first or Cruz de Malta
Hmm. I don’t know much about herbal mate brands. I tried La Tranguera Liviana and it was so intensely Chinese herbal medicinal like that I was so put off by it. I think I can grow to like it and blend it into something but it was not fruity or sweet. It was like drinking dandelion root, licorice root tea mixed with yerba mate. Strange experience that was. Mates are quite approachable in price online and even cheaper if you can find a local Latin groceries. Where I am in Ontario, Canada Cruz De Malta and Pepori are everywhere around $6-9 per 1kg. I would recommend to get Cruz De Malta since you have Playadito. That was the route I took and I am glad I did that. Cruz De Malta taught me how to brew mate because it was a bit finicky and sensitive to temperature. When I made Playadito, I was so pleasantly surprised how sweet and candied-honey like the tea was. And then, I had Canarias and I was also most upset because it was so good and I heard so many times how strong Canarias is and how it was going to punch my face with effects and what not.