GreenDeals Daily

My first exposure to the organic, naturally caffeinated, rain-forest grown yerba mate was way back in our eco-friendly iced tea roundup. That incarnation was deemed to be the greenest of the iced teas we looked at, even if it's not technically tea. Of course shipping all that water around the world expends a lot of energy which is one of the reasons I liked Guayaki's tea-bagged Mate Chocolatte even more when I reviewed it.

I'm a big fan of any beverage that ships sans-H2O. When you think about it even something as artificial as Kool-Aid is probably more eco-friendly than even the most organic, natural bottled juice when you consider the impact of trucking all that liquid.

Steeping bags of mate is just like making tea, and like tea, the final product can be enjoyed hot or cold. As I've said in my previous reviews, yerba mate has a pleasant woodsy flavor, which I enjoy best slightly sweetened. I tried the Traditional Yerba Mate as well as the Chai Spice Mate, Red Tea with Mate, Orange Blossom Mate, Magical Mint Mate and Greener Green Tea. All were comforting and tasty but I particularly enjoyed the Chai which is naturally sweetened with stevia and the lemongrass-infused Greener Green Tea. At about $7 for 16 bags Guayaki's Yerba Mate isn't exactly cheap but their commitment to rain forest preservation and great tasting unique product make it a worthwhile purchase. Here's how I rated them:

• Green: 3.75/4
• Value: 2/3
• Quality: 3/3
• Final GreenDeals score: 8.75/10

Have you tried any other brands of yerba mate? Let us know in the comments!

Buy Guayaki Yerba Mate on Amazon.com