The more niche brands I try – as I’d like to call them – the more I notice they taste basic.

As if these smaller companies get their yerba from the same supplier, but process it slightly differently from one another.

And for today’s yerba, La Hermosa, we run into this same event.

Nevertheless, though, it’s tasty and I can easily drink it every day.

A sip of this should feel nostalgic and familiar to experienced drinkers. And it’s no wonder considering this mate comes out of Misiones.

La Hermosa is produced by the company Molino San Miguel, which also produces the brands La Posadena, Pajaro Azul, and Adelgamate. There’s no information I could find about the way it’s processed but we can assume it goes through the typical harvesting, drying, and aging process as most Argentine brands.

If you’re a fan of soft, classic-tasting mate, then this should be right up your alley.

Nose

Starting with the nose, La Hermosa is like all yerba mates – bright, sharp, and sweet. Off the bat, I get the typical strong berry jam note along with the scent of perfectly toasted bread. Give it a deeper whiff and then a prominent smell of salt and mint tingle the back of my nose.

Taste

When I first tried La Hermosa, several brands came to mind – Nobleza Gaucha, Pipore, La Oberena, and Iguazu to name a few. This has a distinct flavor that seems to be in a lot of other Argentinian mates. I’m sure if you try it, you can relate it to another brand too.

On my first few sips, La Hermosa keeps things simple. The classic wet grass, woody, and earthy taste of yerba mate take center stage and transports you into the rainforest. Then after a few refills, this toasty nuttiness that tastes like nougat appears in the background and smooths everything out like you wouldn’t believe. No harshness, no sharpness, just a tolerable astringency that makes this very easygoing on the palate. Throughout the mate an essence of dark chocolate and a floral sweetness also emerge to keep things interesting.

I found La Hermosa to taste best in lower temps of about 140ºF (60ºC). This minimizes the astringency while maximizing its flavor profile to show off all its nuanced notes. Hotter temps taste good too, but you won’t get all the subtle flavors.

Finish

On the finish, La Hermosa is not as expressive. However, in the first half of the mate, it can leave a tart grape note. A couple more refills though and it changes back to the nutty and floral taste from before, lasting for about 30 seconds to a minute.

Body/Texture

La Hermosa is a medium-bodied mate. Each sip until the halfway point produces a nice soft, velvety texture that glides right across the palate. It’s semi-creamy but lacks that coating sensation of the mouth. Astringency is also kept to a minimum which makes it a lot more enjoyable and makes way for its smoothness to shine. Overall, it’s round, gentle, and non-intruding. Very easy to drink.

Cut

La Hermosa has your classic Argentine cut with a good balance of leaves and stems. Its leaves sport a medley of green, brown, and yellow shades. And they’re mostly of a medium-sized cut but a decent amount is milled to a finer grain too. The same goes for its palos. Most palos are stumpy and bone-white with the addition of thin splinters and tiny pulverized pieces thrown into the mix. The dust content is also average for an Argentine mate so nothing surprising here.

Preparation is easy like most brands from Argentina. The mountain of mate isn’t the prettiest due to its larger particles (it’s a little clumpy), but there should be no issues with filtration. Any bombilla will work.

Cycle

La Hermosa has a medium cycle. In a medium-sized gourd, I can finish up to 3/4 of a liter. But unfortunately, strength-wise, it can’t hold up. After about five refills, this mate loses all its power and oomph from the beginning. The rest of the mate remains as strong as a cup of green tea.

Effect

In regards to effect, La Hermosa is your typical mate. Expect the usual stimulation to take place.

Each sip brings on a gradual increase in focus that you can noticeably feel. Concentration is enhanced along with creativity. The sensation is definitely felt more in the head rather than the body. So if you’re looking for something to give you a kick in the morning or a quick energy boost, there are a lot better brands out there. La Hermosa better suits those looking to sit, unwind, think, or do creative work. Another plus for this mate is it’s easy on the stomach. Finishing a pound of this mate and I have never experienced stomach issues or jitters. This is something you can count on to feel good at all times.

I would say this mate can be drunk until the afternoon without experiencing any negative side effects.

La Hermosa Yerba Mate Review

It wasn’t until I finished my entire bag of La Hermosa that I was able to appreciate it more.

In the beginning, it lacked nuance and character. But the more I drank it, the more its flavor profile grew on me.

Despite tasting like a few other brands I’ve tried, this mate has a finesse to it that makes it enjoyable. I don’t know if it’s the toastiness or its smooth texture (or both), but it’s a fine mate I can drink every day.

Would I buy it again? I personally wouldn’t. But if it’s around, I’d gladly make myself a gourd of it.

If La Hermosa sounds like something you will enjoy, grab a bag today at one of the links below:

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

P.S. If you enjoyed this review, you might also want to check out our store for new gourds and bombillas to add to your collection (free shipping).