Strawberry Tangerine Yerba Mate

I’ve become a big fan of Saint James beverages, and this Strawberry Tangerine Yerba Mate continues the brand’s excellent track record. It isn’t quite my favorite flavor from them, but that’s a pretty high bar given how much I’ve enjoyed the others.What Saint James consistently gets right is restraint. Their drinks aren't overpoweringly sweet, which allows the underlying brewed flavor to actually come through. Here, the yerba mate has a layered, distinctly brewed character that hits first, followed by a bright tangerine note. There is some strawberry in the background, but to my palate the tangerine is considerably more perceptible. It’s refreshing and flavorful without tasting like fruit syrup.So, quick detail: Yerba Mate isn't technically tea but shares some of the same characteristics of a good brewed tea. It tends to lean into a more complex and earthy taste - which for any tea fan will be a plus and seem familiar.This variety from Saint James also has considerably more kick than the Saint James iced teas I’ve tried. Each 16-ounce bottle contains 150 mg of caffeine, which works out to about 9.4 mg per ounce — interestingly, almost exactly the caffeine concentration of a "gives-you-wings" drinks. Despite that, I don't find the caffeine profile or overall drinking experience harsh or overpowering.At only 25 calories for a 16-ounce bottle, I think the touch of sweetness is an easy compromise. It gives the fruit flavors enough presence without adding a meaningful number of calories to most diets, and I don't get the unpleasant sweetener aftertaste that can undermine some low-calorie drinks.I also remain a fan of Saint James' resealable aluminum bottles. They feel substantially more premium than a typical plastic bottle, get nicely cold, and seem to stay that way longer.Strawberry Tangerine probably wouldn't be my first pick among all the Saint James flavors I've tried, but that's more a matter of flavor preference than a criticism. The quality, balance, and brewed character are all still here. Another excellent offering from a brand that has become one of my favorites for ready-to-drink tea.

This was a pleasantly surprising drink. It is similar to tea. It has a fruity flavor that’s pretty good. I can taste both strawberry and tangerine flavors. I am happy it’s a low calorie and sugar drink. The caffeine level is awesome! I definitely love to drink energy drinks but my normal has too high of a calorie count. This one is great!

This is a tasty, highly refreshing, moderately strongly caffeinated drink that has some sugars in it but weighs in at just 25 calories. I have loved each flavor of Saint James Yerba Mate. It is smoooth with no detectable bitterness, and is delightfully perfect in sweetness without being really sweet like actual juice let alone Southern "sweet tea."Yerba Mate is a different leaf than the classic tea plant, it comes from South America where it is often preferred to coffee as a pick-me up. It has more natural caffeine than black tea. And in fact the 150 mg of caffeine per 1 pint bottle of Saint James Yerba is more than the 100 mg of caffeine that is usually cited as contained in an 8 oz cup of coffee.This strawberry tangerine variety wasn't my favorite of the three, but I liked all three kinds similarly well. All are terrific and worth trying. The bottles also look SO stylish. They are very pretty, one of the prettiest dink bottles on the market, and recyclable since they are made of aluminum!What else can I say, the Yerba Mate varieties are by far my favorite Saint James Iced Tea over their traditional tea varieties. People have been loving the diet friendly Saint James product, when I'm out and about I see people enjoying them, and I think the fruity Yerba is going to especially become a hit. I have actual yerba mate leaf that I make sometimes, and it has inspired me to try to brew yerba with fruit flavors because of how well it works.

I've never had yerba mate before ordering a set of Saint James flavors, so I wasn't sure what to expect. This has a nice smooth, mild taste to it with no funky aftertaste. It tastes pretty similar to the other Saint James non yerba mate teas I've had.The strawberry tangerine flavor is minimally present and just offers lightly fruity/citrus notes. Generally it leans a bit bland, but I prefer that to being overly flavored. It is appropriately sweetened, it doesn't have an overly sweet or fake sugar taste but also no bitterness from being unsweetened.The caffiene content is nothing to sneeze at.. the bottle says "gently caffeinated" but I'm not sure 150mg qualifies no matter the source! Regardless, I do find it to be a reasonable substitute for an energy drink.

Got this 12-pack of organic yerba mate to get a clean energy lift during long work days. Grabbed one of the 16oz aluminum cans, which have a resealable top that lets one save some for later. Tried it first at room temperature, which was fine, but it's way better and more refreshing when it's cold.Tastes lightly sweet, and there are none of those bitter stevia flavor issues since the drink uses stevia extract instead of regular stevia. The ingredient list looks good and clean. The overall flavor is pretty light. I think I taste a slight strawberry essence in there, but the tangerine is hard to find. Might prefer stronger flavors personally, but others who like a milder drink will enjoy this. 150mg of natural caffeine from the mate leaves gives a steady lift, and I didn't experience any annoying jitters at all.Instructions say it tastes better when shaken, but be careful when trying that. Note that the liquid bubbles up incredibly fast, so open it slowly or the bubbles will leak out and make a mess. Ended up enjoying the clean lift. Great to keep in the fridge for a quick afternoon pick-me-up.