Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

La Oberana is a high-quality and unique Argentinian yerba mate that defies easy description. And, of importance to me, it is unsmoked, which I greatly prefer, because it has little or no PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), which despite what some mate vendors and consumers would have you believe, are not healthy to consume. Here's where it gets interesting, because most unsmoked yerbas tend to have a mild, grassy flavor, but this does not. La Oberana has a bolder, nuttier, malt and tobacco-like flavor that approaches the taste of Paraguayan yerba, and also that of Argentinian gaucho varieties, which are bold and strong. But even this does not quite describe this yerba, because it seems to be much more variable in taste depending upon temperature and brewing time than most yerbas. Yerbamate, in general, is more affected by temperature and steeping than either tea or coffee, because many of its constituents, including flavor compounds, are readily soluble in water even at low temperature. (Other phytochemicals in mate require higher temperature to dissolve.) This is why some yerbas drinkers prepare their brew even in cold water. One interesting study measured the highest antioxidant activity of yerbamaté at 158°F, with higher caffeine content above that temperature. So ultimately, you have a broad range of choices when it comes to flavor and effect with mate, and La Oberana is even more complex in terms of the variety of flavors that you can get from it. After some experimentation I found 165°F, and short steeping times from 20 to 35 seconds, to give the best flavor for my palate. At this temperature you get a pleasant balance between a rounded, sweet maltiness, with a touch of tobacco that is pleasing to veteran yerba drinkers. And La Oberana has real strength and staying power through its multiple infusions, or cycles. In the second infusion I could taste chocolate and coffee, with little or no tobacco. This is a different experience for me than with Anna Park, where I strongly prefer the first infusion. With La Oberana the second and third infusions are really good. One other thing about La Oberana is that it has a very balanced stimulating and tonic effect. Some yerbas are very high in caffeine, as stimulating as espresso, whereas other yerbas seem to produce no stimulation at all. This yerba, however, gives you a whole body boost that is not at all jittery or overwhelming, and that feels tonic and nourishing. After all, people drink caffeinated drinks for energy, but yerbamate is fairly unique in that it combines its caffeine with a considerable mineral, vitamin and amino acid content that is genuinely health giving. In this regard, La Oberana feels more like a whole body tonic than most other yerbas I’ve consumed. La Oberan reminds me a little of another Argentinian unsmoked brand, Jesper, for those who have tasted it. The difference is that Jesper has a bit more clarity and astringency in its first steeping, but seems to have less complexity and strength in its later infusions. La Oberana, in contrast, is rounder, with a thicker mouth feel in its first infusion, and then surprises the drinker with new, and unexpected flavors with each succeeding infusion. So as I said at the beginning of this review, La Oberana is an excellent and unique yerba that defies easy description, and that provides not only a range of flavors, but a pronounced tonic effect as well. Lastly, the vendor is extremely responsive, which is a very good sign for a new mate vendor on Amazon…one who is offering a yerba that is not common in the marketplace.