By Alicia de los Reyes, A nice Cuppa - Guayakí Yerba Mate’s Organic Chai Spice Mate comes in a very hip and eco-friendly-looking packet. “A fusion of yerba mate and chai spices to warm the soul” it claims, and on the back there’s a whole blurb about Guayakí’s dedication to reforestation and maintaining a living wage for its farmers. The full name of the company even makes you feel good: Guayakí Sustainable Rainforest Products, Inc.

I should have been a little nervous when I read the ingredients list — in addition to organic mate, cinnamon, licorice and a host of other spices, there was organic vanilla chai extract. Could you please tell me where to find my organic vanilla chai plant, please?

At any rate, the packet made me think that what I tasted would be eco-friendly and delicious. But alas, a mate convert I am not. I like my chai sweet and spicy, though I’m up for a twist every now and again. But chai mate was sweet and sweet alone. It reminded me a lot of Good Earth tea, which is just too darn sweet for me to put down. The licorice made the mate interesting but not in a good way; in a way that makes you realize why no one puts licorice in chai.

At any rate, the mate was a departure from the usual tea experience, but one I am not sure I’m ready to explore any more. It was like green tea–not bitter, but definitely not black–and left me with a funky taste in my mouth. Ah, well. At least now I don’t have to start carrying around a gourd.