Canarias Serena is a compuesta yerba mate, meaning it’s blended with different herbs. I bet you didn’t know that, did you? I know I didn’t. When I first saw this bag I was under the impression that it was a suave mate given the name Serena which translates to serene in English.

So to say I was shocked when I found this out is an understatement.

Because even after taking a few sips, I still had no idea until I started doing a little research.

That just goes to show the subtleness and delicate touch the herbs give in this brand. Which to me, is the perfect amount to complement the natural taste of the yerba.

Aged for 4-6 months, flavors are allowed to soften even more.

If the boldness of the traditional Canarias is too much, this might be a good alternative for you.

Let’s see what this yerba is all about…

Nose

To the nose, Canarias Serena still holds a hint of smoke. But its base notes are more green, vegetal, and herbaceous than your typical earthiness. There’s also a dominant floral sweetness likely coming from the blended herbs.

Taste

Canarias Serena offers a unique taste while still maintaining its Uruguayan integrity, except without the boldness and strength. This yerba leans more on the softer side of things, as the name suggests, and they did an excellent job blending it.

Off the bat, Canarias Serena softens up your tastebuds by upholding your classic Uruguayan doughy maltiness and earthiness. Then it fades away, letting a prominent grassiness take over, which could be from the help of the passionflower (mburucuyá). Lingering behind each sip, you also get a pleasant herbal sweetness and slight spice from the linden flower (tilo). At this point of the mate, I’m brought back to my childhood as it reminds me exactly of the taste of grass jelly – an Asian dessert I used to love as a kid. Getting closer to the end of the mate though, that sweetness turns more fruity, giving off the essence of Smarties candy. What’s interesting though is the added mint and lemon balm are tough to pick out. There’s a faint citrus note behind each sip but it’s not obvious whether it’s from the herbs or yerba.

I found almost any temp to work with this mate. The temperature didn’t make a difference in taste, but it does affect strength. So depending on your preference, go higher or lower. I prefer somewhere in the 160ºF (71ºC) range.

Finish

On the finish, Canarias Serena starts off with a herbal taste that doesn’t seem to go away. A drying sensation can build up quickly in the beginning when brewed at temps around 160ºF and above. But after a few refills, the taste and texture start to fade.

Body/Texture

Canarias Serena is a medium-bodied mate. But when compared to Uruguayan brands, this would get knocked down to a light body. This yerba, especially compared to the others in the Canarias line, is much softer on the palate. You still get that same smooth creaminess but with less weight.

Cut

Despite being a compuesta (linden flower, mint, lemon balm, passionflower), Canarias Serena still features your classic P.U.1 Uruguayan cut. It’s in line with the other Canarias brands, holding mostly leaves and very few stems. The leaves are all a uniform fine-cut with small bits of stem hiding underneath them. And of course, dust is abundant and helps form a nice mountain of mate. It’s hard to pick out which leaf is which since they practically all look the same when dried and crushed. With a quick glance, you wouldn’t even think it’s a blended mate.

A good spoon bombilla is needed to prepare this yerba otherwise you risk clogging. Pushing the mountain of mate to one side with your bombilla is also a smart idea.

Cycle

As you can expect, Canarias Serena has a medium-to-long cycle. Even though it is a compuesta, it still hangs on tight and doesn’t sacrifice in duration. Of course, compared to the traditional though, it’s short by a few refills. But when it comes to flavor, it holds up the entire way until the last drop. There’s no noticeable dive at a specific refill like some brands have.

Effect

One of the biggest things that surprised me about this mate is its effects actually live up to its name. Sometimes a mate is labeled as more energetic and it’s hard to tell a difference. But with Canarias Serena it’s obvious.

After one gourdful, I instantly feel an increase in focus mostly felt around my eyes. This gradually grows into a strong floaty-head sensation that’s a little more intense than usual. This seems to be from the added herbs as I can almost close my eyes and feel like I’m drifting away. A strong sense of calm and relaxation also helps wash away distractions and stress, keeping me level-headed for the entire time.

Although I still wouldn’t recommend drinking this in the evening, I can see it causing fewer issues compared to traditional mate.

Canarias Serena Yerba Mate Review

Out of several compuesta yerbas I’ve had, this has been by far the best one ever.

Canarias Serena isn’t all in your face like most Uruguayan brands. But it also doesn’t sacrifice strength or flavor. It’s still strong but in the softest way possible.

It would’ve been nice to see some of the herbs play a bigger role here, but nonetheless, that’s how it was intended and I can’t complain.

If you’re looking for a change of pace, this is an easy choice.

Summed up, this is like a suave version of Canarias but with an herbal twist.

If that sounds like something you would enjoy, click one of the links below to grab a bag:

Amazon (US | UK | CA | ES | DE | FR)
Click Here To Get A 500g / 1lb Bag

PampaDirect (Worldwide)
Click Here To Get A 1000g / 1kg Bag

P.S. Check out our store to enjoy this mate the right way with an authentic Uruguayan torpedo gourd!