Nobleza Gaucha Tradicional

First look

Nose

The aroma that is coming from the bag of Nobleza Gaucha Tradicional is subtle, yet interesting. Sweet-spicy and slightly minty notes break through a very mellow smell of hay and dry leaves. The nose of Nobleza Gaucha Tradicional is not complex, but it is different from the typical yerba mate smell of most Argentine brands.

Cut

I like the cut of Nobleza Gaucha Tradicional — the color of the leaves is pretty deep and bright, and looks pretty fresh for Argentine yerba mate, with no visible signs of burnt leaves. Speaking of leaves — it is hard for me to determine the coarseness of the cut because they are ground very unevenly, ranging from small particles to huge pieces of a leaf, sometimes even with visible veins. This is a con palo cut, so stems are present in a healthy quantity, also ranging in size from tiny splinters to pretty long pieces of a branch. A moderate amount of powder finishes this nice, balanced and a little rough cut of Nobleza Gaucha Tradicional.

Preparation

Nobleza Gaucha Tradicional behaves very well in the gourd, partially due to the well-balanced con palo cut. It will be really hard to mess up the ecosystem of this mate — the powder helps to ease the molding of the mountain of yerba and stems aid the filtration, making it easy to use any bombilla.

When it comes to water, Nobleza Gaucha Tradicional is also very forgiving, yielding in stable and consistent results no matter the temperature. I would suggest using water around 60°C - 70°C / 140°F - 160°F purely in order to safely enjoy your mate straight after refill and minimize the risks of burning your mouth.

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

I consider Nobleza Gaucha Tradicional to be a “cousin” of Cruz de Malta Tradicional — both of these brands are produced by the same parent company, Molinos. Being a huge fan of Cruz de Malta, my expectations were set pretty high before I even opened the bag of Nobleza Gaucha Tradicional.

Is this mate as tasty as Cruz de Malta? No. But while it is not on par in terms of richness and complexity, Nobleza Gaucha Tradicional is by no means a bad mate, it’s actually pretty good — classical mild flavor, that is a bit sweet and astringent, with notes of wood and hay along with some plummy fruity aspects. The taste is well-balanced and is easy to figure out, making it ideal for beginners, especially when they are not used to inherent earthy flavor that mate offers. Light to medium-bodied, Nobleza Gaucha Tradicional is not too simple to make it boring for seasoned connoisseurs, but rather worthy of keeping it on your shelf for times when you just want an easy, honest and straightforward Argentine mate.

Finish

Nobleza Gaucha Tradicional leaves a pleasant and mild aftertaste after each sip, which aligns well with the taste of this mate, making it very drinkable and easy on the palate. It wears off pretty quickly, giving nothing to be annoyed about. Overall, the finish of Nobleza Gaucha Tradicional is not offensive, again, making it a great introduction mate for new people.

Durability

Already soft flavors are completely gone after approximately 20 refills, making it without question a moredate durability mate. Flavors are released pretty evenly throughout the whole duration of drinking and transition into lavado is smooth and gradual.

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

I haven’t noticed any pronounced effects from drinking Nobleza Gaucha Tradicional, neither energizing nor calming and relaxing. In terms of effects, Nobleza Gaucha Tradicional is safe and neutral and can be a great all-day mate.

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