Taragüi Con Palo

First look

Nose

All Taragüi yerba mate cuts have similar distinct strong smell of dried plums and raw cigarette tobacco. Other than that, the nose is pretty simple and flat — I cannot distinguish other notes.

Cut

Taragüi Con Palo has a relatively fine cut for Argentine yerba mate, with low amount of powder. There are not too many and not too much stems in this con palo yerba mate, and they are grounded more finely than usual, just like leaves. Color of Taragüi Con Palo yerba mate I would describe as rich dark green.

Preparation

I don’t think that it matters what water temperature to use when it comes to preparing Taragüi Con Palo — the flavors are simple and it will be hard to mess them up with very hot water. However I would suggest to stay away from drinking this mate cold — Taragüi Con Palo is not designed 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 .

As you would expect from con palo yerba mate, Taragüi Con Palo won’t cause any problems in the gourd — it is easy to mold the mountain of yerba and bombilla should not clog, despite the finer cut.

Taste

The first pour of hot water completely changes the smell of Taragüi Con Palo. Prunes and tobacco step aside and let the burned cookie dough dominate the aroma. This smell tranfers to the taste of this mate along with tobacco, and I also start to notice the bitterness of wormwood plant and flavor of rye bread crust. Surprisingly for me, I didn’t notice any grassy flavors and Taragüi Con Palo was not as sweet as Piporé Con Palo. Overall I would describe it as a light-bodied mate, or between light and medium body.

Finish

Taragüi Con Palo has a short, slightly bitter aftertaste, with hints of tobacco.

Durability

On average I could get around 15 refills with this mate, which is not that bad, considering the simplicity of its flavor.

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 didn’t feel more energized after drinking Taragüi Con Palo — this mate seems to me more soothing and relaxing than energizing. I would prefer to drink it in the afternoon or in the evening.

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What are your thoughts on Taragüi Con Palo? Comment below!