Amanda Limón

First look

Nose

For a flavored yerba mate, the nose of Amanda Limón is quite subtle. I really have to take a couple of deep whiffs before I start noticing the lemon. When I finally start getting it though, the lemon flavoring smells really natural and not chemical or artifical in any way.

Although subtle, the aroma of the yerba mate itself is pretty fragrant - Amanda Limón does not hide itself behind the flavoring and creates a very open and welcoming first impression. It is very woodsy, slightly floral with notes of dry fruits and berries. This yerba mate smells a little more simple than Amanda Tradicional, but overall it is what you would expect from an aged Argentine yerba mate.

Cut

Amanda Limón is an Argentine con palo yerba mate, and it has one of the most balanced con palo cuts I’ve seen in a while. There is a really nice ratio between leaves, stems and powder; all the components of the cut are visibly present in amounts that I would consider to be perfectly enough. In that aspect, Amanda Limón is a 180-degree turn from a traditional Amanda, which was quite uneven and unbalanced. Here though, leaves are ground evenly, and although it is hard to call them finely-cut, they are definitely not coarse. Stems are also there in average size and amount, but do not look overpowering due to the lack of long and thick logs. Healthy amount of powder balances the cut of Amanda Limón and adds a pleasant tactile fluffiness to this yerba mate.

Color-wise, there is nothing really special to write about — Amanda Limón is not as pale as an aged yerba mate can be and is pretty saturated, with almost no color variety, but a rather frequent inclusions of brownish toasted leaves from a standard searing and drying methods used for this yerba mate.

Preparation

Due to the fact that Amanda Limón is a con palo yerba mate, preparing it is quite simple and trivial. Presence of stems in this yerba mate highly reduces the chance of getting your bombilla clogged, and abundance of powder makes it really easy to build and maintain the mountain of yerba.

When it comes to the temperature of the water, this yerba mate is as forgiving as the Amanda Tradicional — any temperature in the range between 60°C to 85°C / 140°F to 185°F will yield in a tasty and balanced mate, with no compromise to its durability. Personally, I went with a standard 70°C - 75°C / 160°F - 165°F water, just because I felt that the lemon flavoring appeared to last tad bit longer at that temperature — colder water was not enough to bring the lemon out of this yerba mate, and hotter water seemed to be too harsh for the subtle flavoring and burned it off.

Speaking of cold water — flavored yerbas always make me excited to try them in form of tereré. I don’t always like or have time to prepare a freshly squeezed juice to add to my tereré, so using a flavored yerba mate to add the refreshing zesty fruitiness is a nice workaround for me. Unfortunately, the subtlety of flavorings in Amanda Limón prevented them from being noticeable and prominent, and the yerba mate itself did not want to release any flavors with ice-cold water, therefore I do not recommend Amanda Limón for tereré.

Most convenient way to get ideal water temperature is to use an electric kettle or a stovetop kettle with temperature control. If you prefer traditional kettle you can use a infrared thermometer or a food thermometer .

Taste

The first few refills will get you the most lemon out of this flavored yerba mate. Imagine a nice gin & tonic, or a martini with a freshly squeezed lemon peel on top — you get this fragrant oily citrusy taste of lemon in your first sip, which quickly disappears as you indulge more into the cocktail. Same thing with Amanda Limón — the flavoring, as in its nose, tastes very natural and oily, but disappears quickly and for the most duration of drinking you’re left with a normal Argentine mate.

This mate is moderately bitter, more so than Amanda Tradicional, and lacks that abundant sweetness of its traditional sibling. It is still inherently sweet, hay-like and woodsy; I also get herbal medicinal notes that are found in mainstream Argentine compuestas which, as far as I know, Amanda Limón does not contain. Unlike Amanda Tradicional, I get neither that velvety and syrupy mouthfeel, nor the caramel popcorn or cereal. The taste of Amanda Limón feels stronger, and if any of that lemon flavoring was still left in this mate after those first refills, it is what gives it that extra zesty bitterness. Don’t worry — the bitterness and strength are not over the top; Amanda Limón is still as light-bodied and simple as Amanda Tradicional, but in a different way, which I am not sure if I actually prefer.

Finish

The bitterness is the main motif of the aftertaste of Amanda Limón. Although, when you let this mate sit for a while in you mouth, it becomes a little more interesting. I can taste more vegetal and especially medicinal herbal notes that cause that bitterness; the latter really makes me reminiscent the compuestas that I had in the past. On one hand it allows you to ponder a bit while you figure out the nuances of the finish of Amanda Limón, but also it does not make it less drinkable — at some point you’ll probably want to increase your sipping cadence in order to wash that bitterness away.

Durability

As I mentioned earlier, the durability of this mate does not depend on the temperature of the water. You are free to choose whatever the temperature is more comfortable to you, as you’ll get about 18 refills on average from Amanda Limón no matter what, which fits into the moderate durability category, leaning a bit to the shorter side. In this regard, this yerba mate is no different to a regular Amanda Tradicional, but unlike its traditional sister yerba, here we can talk about some kind of evolution of flavors. The aforementioned lemon-forward taste gives way to a regular Argentine mate flavors after few refills, and by the end of the session makes you forget what kind of Amanda is in your gourd. Speaking of the end of the mate session — lavado of Amanda Limón also comes gradually and expectedly, with no abrupt endings.

The last thing you want while drinking mate is to constantly re-heat your water or add more ice to it. No matter if it's hot mate or cold tereré, use a vacuum bottle or a very popular in South America mate thermos with spout.

Effect

No surprises here as well — as Amanda Tradicional, this mate was neither invigorating nor relaxing, and overall pretty neutral. Don’t count on Amanda Limón to sedate you in the evening or to wake you up in the morning if you haven’t had enough sleep. But also don’t let it disappoint you — it’s always good to have a mate that is safe to drink no matter the time of day. Apart from that, you can obviously expect all the health benefits from Amanda Limón as from any other mate, as well as the clarity, focus and other mental enhancements that drinking mate gives you.

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What are your thoughts on Amanda Limón? Comment below!