(Gifted for review)
Champatea were kind enough to reach out and send me a travel pack of their herbal infusion, blended with herbs grown in Argentina and with a base of Yerba Mate.
If you’re not in the know, Yerba Mate (pronounced more like “latté” than “late”) is a traditional herbal beverage originating from Paraguay, which is consumed mostly in the southern and central regions of South America. It contains caffeine, and has a vegetal taste, green notes, and in the limited experience I have, a wheatier taste than something like a green tea.
Champatea take mate, and mix it with 7 other herbs that have been used by people in Argentina for medicinal purposes for hundreds of years, and bring them to your door, all while working in unison with a charity to maintain the area they are harvesting from. 100% of Champatea’s profits go directly to the Treeangle Foundation ( UK registered charity – 1151933 )
As described on their crowdfunding page from 2018, Champatea “harvest a selection of wild herbs that grow on the west slopes of Champaquí Mountain in central Argentina, a place of outstanding natural beauty and environmental significance. Home to ancient ‘cloud forests’ that not only provide habitat to giant condors, white eagles and pumas but are also the source of pristine water that serves millions of people.”
They managed to raise over £30,000 to help preserve the landscapes and restore the landscapes, plant thousands of trees, and run educational workshops, and their work continues to this day, with every pack of Champatea sold, and even in their methods of harvest – by hand by local gaucho families.
Okay, okay, “BUT WHAT ABOUT THE TEA, MRS RADFAD!”
As well as yerba mate, Champatea contains Muna Muna, Marcela, Peperina, Contra Yerba, Tomillo, Carqueja, Doradilla. Now, funnily enough, I don’t know what any of those taste like by themselves, and chances are, neither do you, so I will use my best approximations to describe the taste and aroma.
When I opened the pack, I was struck by the fresh, woody fragrance – almost piney, almost pepperminty.
There are different ways that Champatea can be used – either by itself or as an addition to a yerba mate drink. I prefer it an infusion by itself, as I find that small pieces of herbs can slip through my bombilla straw when drinking it with mate in a more traditional way.
To prepare it as a tea, Champatea recommend steeping 1 tsp in just-boiled water for 2.5 minutes, which produces the drink shown in the picture below. This tea is so fragrant, it feels as if you are drinking something very herbal and enlivening to the tastebuds – the minty, woody aroma carries through to the taste, where it becomes bigger with the addition of the green vegetal mate taste.
I can imagine drinking this after a meditation or mindfulness session to tingle yourself back in touch with your senses, or sipping a cup to keep you alert and attentive while jumping through 4 web-pages and typing up a lengthy blog post ;).
An ancient infusion that brings you into the now.
❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Sources and Useful Links:
https://www.instagram.com/drinkchampatea/
Mrs Radfad Drinks Tea 