On this last installment of Canarias reviews, we have their Te Rojo y Centella blend. And I’ll be honest, when I had my first sip, I wanted to spit it out.
This was the most unusual-tasting bag of yerba I’ve ever had.
Compared to most brands – even other compuestas – I’ve never come across one like this.
But I didn’t want to give up just yet.
Canarias Te Rojo y Centella contains Pu’er tea and gotu kola – two plants I’m not too familiar with.
However, based on the descriptions of how they taste, these ingredients are sure here to play.
Like Canarias Serena and Te Verde y Jengibre, they’ve mastered the balance between yerba mate and added herbs.
Nothing is overbearing or overshadowing one another.
Nose
To the nose, Canarias Te Rojo y Centella has a pungent herbal aroma that will knock you back a few steps. Predominant notes of grass and florals combine with soft hints of smoke. You get some of that classic yerba mate smell but the Pu’er adds some extra earthiness.
Taste
Canarias Te Rojo y Centella is a one-of-a-kind blend I’ve come to like after a few days of drinking it. Although different, it has a simple taste I can keep drinking.
On the first few sips, there’s a strong damp soil and wet grassiness that doesn’t seem to be from just the yerba, but also from the Pu’er tea. The mate has a nice soothing woody, herbal and vegetal flavor that takes a little getting used to. It may throw you off at first because it’s not your typical yerba mate taste. But once you get into the second half of the mate, it starts showing its true colors. Notes of sunflower seeds, cranberries, and a type of freshness appear. It’s not cooling, but it’s bright. If I didn’t know what ingredients were in this blend, I would’ve sworn there were hibiscus flowers because it tastes just like it. You get almost the same exact tartness and sweetness.
I found Canarias Te Rojo y Centella to do best in hotter temps around 160-175ºF (71-79ºC). It seems that at these temperatures it brings out not only the most strength but also the most flavor and notes.
Finish
Canarias Te Rojo y Centella has an interesting finish that is really enjoyable. The taste is not strong but there are plenty of hints of nuts, florals, and the herbal taste from before. The cranberry tartness travels into the finish as well.
Body/Texture
Canarias Te Rojo y Centella is a medium-to-full-bodied mate. It’s full for the first few refills. But after that, the body of the mate takes a steep decline. It goes from a heavy cream-like feeling to whole milk. There’s also a strong gritty, sandy texture from the amount of dust in this blend. Although nothing astringent like you’d normally expect from other brands.
Cycle
Canarias Te Rojo y Centella features a long cycle. Not surprising coming from this brand when it’s composed mostly of leaves. When you drink this, you better be ready to get up and heat water again because this will easily last you more than a liter.
Cut
Canarias Te Rojo y Centella is similar to the rest of their blends. It’s your classic P.U.1 (Padron Uruguayo) Uruguayan cut which contains mostly leaves (minimum 90%) and very few stems (maximum 10%). What you get is a finely cut leaf-dominant yerba with small thin stems sprinkled throughout. When it comes to the Pu’er and gotu kola, there’s no way of telling if they’re actually in the blend visually. It just looks like your typical bag of yerba.
Dust is abundant as usual with these Uruguayan brands. Preparing and forming a solid mountain of mate is fairly easy and holds up well. You will need a quality spoon bombilla for filtering the small leaves though.
Effect
With any compuesta blend, I’m always expecting a stark difference in effect but that is never the case. Despite having Pu’er tea and gotu kola here, you still get the same feeling as any other yerba.
Off the first few sips, it immediately can be felt around your eyes and head. Your focus is enhanced and you feel a lot more awake and alert. Gotu kola has been shown to help reduce anxiety and stress, and after drinking this, I can say that there is a noticeable relaxing sensation from this yerba. I’m not going to say it takes it all away, but I do feel more calm than energized as well as in more control.
Canarias Te Rojo y Centella Review
Despite drinking yerba mate for six years and reviewing over 70 brands, I have never come across one like this.
For those not familiar with Pu’er tea or gotu kola, this compuesta blend will knock you back a bit.
When you first try it, the taste is more herbal than your typical yerba mate so be ready for it.
But once you get used to it, it falls into the background making room for the rich earthiness to come through.
Personally, not my favorite from the Canarias line, but it’s a unique and different mate.
If this sounds like something you’d enjoy, grab a pack below:
Amazon (US | UK | CA | ES | DE | FR)
Click Here To Get A 1000g / 1kg Bag
PampaDirect (Worldwide)
Click Here To Get A 1000g / 1kg Bag
P.S. Need some new yerba mate, gourds, or bombillas? Check out our store!
Puerh is just aged black Chinese tea. I like it but it is earthy and unlike regular unaged black tea. Gotu kola is a plant that is supposedly medicinal or has health benefits. I never have taken it.
All types of tea, including green tea, black tea, white tea, oolong, and aged teas such as Sheng and Shu Puerh, are derived from the same plant species known as Camellia sinensis. The primary factor that distinguishes these teas from one another is the degree of oxidation they undergo during processing
As someone who grew up on chinese teas, Pu Er, Tie Guan Yin, oolong and chrysanthemum and also having enjoy yerba recently, Its a piece of cake to transition. Lol Im only now noticing that foreigners have no idea how bitter they can get. Mostly because the chinese drank tea for its health benefit and treat it as herb water more than the flavour or casual drinking. Dont steep pu er too too long. A light steep has a pretty decent and tolerable flavour. A long steep makes it taste thick and bittery.