Is this supposed to taste like I infused stale cigarettes?

Is this supposed to taste like I infused stale cigarettes?

Pretty much. You drink it to distract yourself from the fact that you're getting herpes from the ape that drank it before you.

If you're set on drinking this stuff, they make a raspberry one. It's the easiest to get down. Work your way into full blown aids from there.

Are you an Argie?

It has links to cancer, if that's good for you.

The cancer risk, if it exists, may be due to the fact that maté contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), compounds that are known to be carcinogenic. One study found very high concentrations of these in yerba maté leaves and in both hot and cold infusions of them. (Tobacco smoke and grilled meat also contain PAHs.)

Yerba tastes so bad, I can understand why so many mask the flavor with orange juice.

I just bought the same bag and it tastes like sencha to me. I love it.

Huge amount of caffeine but doesn't make me jittery.

This. Maybe OP doesn't know the right way to drink yerba mate.

he's probably
a. not splashing it with cold water as the instructions say
b. using boiling, not very hot water, as the instructions direct

the flavors of stuff like green tea and yerba mate are delicate and if you use boiling water they release bitter compounds

Actually I'm doing both, using 160F water and it still tastes like that.

The brand in the picture air dries the mate so the cancer risk is negligible.

How much mate do you put with the water? How do you serve it? How long do you let it infuse?

i dunno what to tell you, tastes like green tea to me, i add a tiny bit of honey.

I tried 2 tsp per cup and then 1 tbsp per cup. I let it infuse about 3 minutes in a French press.
Its not bad with milk and honey but I was hoping to like it without.

The ratio is way off.
You're supposed to have a large quantity of yerba mate and pour some water over it so as to push the mate about 20% higher or so through absorbtion/infiltration. You're then supposed to drink from the bottom with an implement such as a straw and pour more water on top when the level is depleted.
Before drinking the first part, you have to wait about 4 minutes (3 should be OK though). It will take several cycles before you can properly taste the mate (depending on quality, can be anywhere from 2-10), leaving a sencha-like taste which isn't too bitter.
You're supposed to do that in a small cup, as well, so the numbers quoted will change when using a regular cup.

>not liking yerb

all that shit doesnt matter, he's following the prep instructions on the guayaki product, i prepare it the same way and it's fine. it doesn't have to be prepared and drank the traditional south american hippie ass way.

It matters because of the ratios and timing more than anything else. If you don't get the timing and ratios right (which he doesn't), it's going to taste like shit.

>It has links to cancer, if that's good for you.
It causes cancer as much as any hot liquid. Drinking anything that is boiling hot with increase your chances of throat cancer whether it is mate or coffee or hot chocolate.

>le mate meme
I'm Argentinian and I don't get what's so good about mate, and every time I say it I get called anti-patriotic scum.

Objectively, it's like a shittier version of coffee (energy-wise), except it tastes like tea. It's worse than coffee or tea due to lack of variety and method, but other than that, there's nothing wrong with mate (I don't think anyone thinks it's the best thing since sliced bread, though).

Are you seriously trying to make sense on MY Veeky Forums!? Ridiculous. Never post here again you fucking nerd.

I actually like the taste

Mate has a calming effect for me, I love it, it's like a weak pot buzz and makes listening to music really enjoyable