A pink bag of mate? What could this be?, is probably the first thing you and I thought when seeing this brand for the first time.

Well there’s an interesting background behind it.

This mate was created by a Buenos Aires native, Carlos Bayala – an Argentine publicist with many accomplishments like working with Nike and advising for NASA. And now, the creator of this yerba mate – Porongo – a certified organic, unsmoked brand made by a small producer in Misiones.

Porongo appears fancy on the outside, but is modest on the inside.

This is easily one of the most beautiful designs you’ll come across in the yerba mate world.

But does it taste as exquisite?

Let’s find out…

Nose

Opening a bag of Porongo is like opening a box of jelly-filled donuts. As I give it a shake, large clouds of dust infused with a sweet and sugary aroma drift off into the air. Layers of wood and soil can also be detected underneath but aren’t as strong. Overall, a lovely and familiar scent.

Taste

Porongo isn’t fancy in taste but boy does it taste good. Tasting this for the first time reminded me of my reaction when I first had La Merced De Campo. Both are similarly simple in taste but are both extremely flavorful.

Porongo has that classic yerba mate taste filled with notes of soil and grass, but better. It tastes as if these leaves were grown on the richest, most fertile soil in all of Argentina. You can taste the naturalness of this mate and sense that it truly lives up to its organic label. Now, along with these more prominent notes, clear hints of cedarwood and florals are also working in the background. While a tinge of dark chocolate/brown sugar pops up intermittently. This is one of the smoothest mates I’ve ever had. Nothing about it is harsh, bitter, smokey, or sharp. The strength is also above average, enough to satisfy your palate on each sip.

I found Porongo to taste the best at 150-160ºF. Low temps oddly don’t work well with this mate. It brings out more astringency and bitterness. Whereas hotter temps seem to drown it out.

Finish

While the taste of Porongo is full of flavor, its finish is not. After drinking, it leaves behind a faint grassy note and light bitterness that lingers on until your next sip. Nothing to take note of.

Body/Texture

Porongo is a nice medium-to-full-bodied mate. This yerba is so rich and velvety smooth that it glides right off your palate. Perfectly round and with little to no tartness, its soft creamy texture is as good as it can get. Astringency is dulled down here and I live for that. To me, nothing makes a mate more enjoyable than its smoothness, and this is checking off all the boxes.

Cut

When it comes to cut, Porongo sits somewhere in between Argentina and Uruguay. Leaves are mostly a fine-to-medium size while palos are almost all bone-white and stumpy. Palos don’t fill up the bag as much as other Argentine brands do. Instead, there’s a heavier amount of dust which is likely why this mate is so smooth. Think chimarrão. The dust content is almost at the same levels of Uruguayan brands. It leaves a heavy imprint on your palm when preparing and clouds of dust form when pouring the yerba in your gourd.

Despite this, I didn’t have any issues with filtration. The mountain of mate holds up well and no small particles get through the bombilla.

Cycle

With such a smooth and flavorful profile, Porongo adds the cherry on top by having a long cycle. I can easily finish an entire liter with a medium-sized gourd. The mate also holds its strength until about half a liter where it then takes a noticeable drop and becomes a mild brew as strong as steeping two to three tea bags.

Effect

Porongo is underwhelming when it comes to effect. Strangely, one of the weakest I’ve come across despite having a strong taste.

The floaty-head sensation you often feel is barely felt here. And from my experience, that’s an easy way to tell how strong a mate is. Focus and concentration are still enhanced but nowhere near what I’m used to with most brands. It’s not relaxing or calming either. It just sits somewhere in the middle where you’re level-headed and not swayed in any direction. So if you’re looking for something to really get you going, Porongo is not that type of mate. To those sensitive to caffeine, you may have a better effect. But this is definitely not a mate you drink because of how powerful it is. Rather, it’s a mate you drink just to indulge on.

Porongo can easily be an all-day mate depending on your tolerance. But of course, test the waters first before you try drinking it before bed.

Porongo Yerba Mate Review

For something that seems like just another business venture for Carlos Bayala, this was quite the mate.

This is one of those mates you keep a bag of at all times for when you don’t know what to drink.

Porongo is rich, creamy, and flavor-packed, all while being certified organic and unsmoked. A smooth, simple, and straightforward taste that never gets old.

If you like the stout character of Uruguayan mates but want something smoother and a little sweeter on the palate, this is for you.

To grab a bag, visit one of the links below now:

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

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 and grab some mate gourds!