After having tried several barbacuá brands in the past, I learned this:

The smokiness is usually hit or miss.

By miss, I mean it tastes like every other barbacuá brand. And unfortunately, Picada Vieja is one of those brands.

This mate comes out of the Misiones region from a small producer. Naturally aged and smoked using the traditional barbacuá method, we can expect smoky yet smooth flavors to balance each other out.

If you’re looking for a good introduction into barbacuá brands, this might be the mate you’re looking for.

But in regard to complexity, this is far from it.

Nose

Opening this mate’s biodegradable packaging, a lovely aroma floats into the air. Sharp notes of campfire and wood make the first appearance. But take another whiff, and you can smell faint layers of caramel and marshmallow ooze through. This is the first time I’ve ever smelled something like this and it smells good enough to eat.

Taste

Compared to other barbacuá brands I’ve tried like Isondu and Flor De Lis, Picada Vieja doesn’t have as much character. It’s everything you’d expect from a smoked mate and that’s it.

On the first initial sips, anyone can tell that this mate is smoked. It has a dominant note of burning hickory wood but is not overbearing at all. Although your mileage may vary. The smokiness has a slight bacon-like sweetness on the backend, but is cut short by a tangy sourness – common amongst barbacua brands. The sourness is like that of a lemon or plum. As you keep drinking, the mate’s sweetness carries on while earth and grass begin to take over the campfire notes. Leaving you with the classic taste of yerba mate that we’re all familiar with. No flavor transitions in this mate, but it has a good base to keep you satisfied.

I found this mate to taste best in temps around 160ºF. Below this and the mate’s astringency and sourness are more pronounced.

Finish

Picada Vieja’s aftertaste is light and faint. The sourness from before is still present creating a nice tart finish coupled with a hint of soil. But this quickly transforms into an overall bitterness that sits on the tongue for at least a minute or two. Not the most pleasant finish but it gradually disappears as you get further into the mate.

Body/Texture

Picada Vieja has a light-to-medium body. This yerba’s cut as you’ll see in a second is filled with small particles, giving the mate a sandy/grainy texture on the initial gourdfuls. Past this though, the mate is light, smooth, and a tad creamy. A feeble astringency is also present and can build up over time. The sensation though is more of dryness instead of a feeling of constriction.

Cut

Picada Vieja is an Argentinian brand with an interesting Paraguayan-like cut. Most of the components are visibly pulverized into fine dust/shavings. The yerba sports a nice rustic color showing off different shades of green, yellow, and brown. With leaves and dust making up most of the bag, giant white palos stick out like a sore thumb. The same goes for some large leaves that seemed to escape from being finely crushed.

When it comes to preparation, this mate will require a good bombilla and some extra attention. Because of the high dust content and small particles, the mountain of mate can really cake up and cause clogging issues like it would with Uruguayan or Brazilian yerba.

Cycle

Picada Vieja unfortunately has a short cycle. A medium-sized gourd can only last me around half a liter. What’s worse, this mate’s strength isn’t enough to produce enough flavor for a long period of time. After about the third refill, it takes a hard dip and loses half its strength. Then for the rest of the session, it stays at this level until completely washed out.

Effect

Drinking Picada Vieja, you can expect your usual effects to take place.

Within minutes of your first sip, you can start feeling it. And with each sip afterward, the effects gradually intensify. Expect a soft increase in focus, physical energy boost, and the infamous floaty-head sensation to develop. Unfortunately though, I’ve found this mate to upset my stomach a lot more often than other brands. And I assume this is because of its smoking process. However, I wouldn’t write this mate off for it. I usually drink mate on an empty stomach so that could play a big factor. But if anything, I would definitely recommend you have a meal beforehand. Other than that, simulation levels are average and typical.

This is a perfect mate for productive tasks like reading, writing, or studying. Not really a mate for unwinding or taking it easy, at least for me.

Picada Vieja Yerba Mate Review

After finishing two one-pound bags of Picada Vieja, there still isn’t anything to rave about this mate.

It has a decent flavor with a nice smokiness to satisfy that craving. And even after drinking this mate for weeks, I can easily find myself drinking it every day with no problem.

But it’s safe.

This mate comes across as shy and afraid to stand out. It’s just smoky enough to not deter people away from it. And keeps the original yerba mate taste we’re familiar with to make sure it doesn’t offend anyone.

If you’re looking for a complex and unique mate, this isn’t it. But if you just want a mate that’s trustworthy for daily drinking, or a beginner looking to get into barbacuá mates, Picada Vieja would be a great choice.

If you want to grab a bag for yourself, visit one of the links below:

PampaDirect (Worldwide)
Click Here To Get A 500g / 1lb Bag

P.S. If you enjoyed this review, you might want to check out our store for some of our exclusive yerba mate gourds and bombillas.