For the longest time I was always under the impression that this was a traditional yerba.

But it’s not…

It’s another compuesta variety coming from Sara. The first one was a blend of ginger, lemon balm, and chamomile, which was great. But after seeing that one, I was shocked to see another from this brand.

Sara Esplendida is a compuesta I’ve never come across before with a unique blend of ingredients. And according to their website, this bag is composed of diuretic herbs.

So this is going to be a fun one…

Nose

Opening the paper packaging, this yerba off the bat, produces a strong aroma. Bright, sharp vegetal notes with an herbal sweetness. Hints of salt, wood, and hay also hit the back of my nose.

Taste

If you’re expecting Sara Esplendida, to taste anywhere near the same as its other bags, you’d be highly disappointed.

On the first pour, this was nothing I expected. You get the usual notes of earth,  A very strong flavor of plain oatmeal makes up the majority of the taste. Like eating Quaker oats made with water. At first, I thought, Wow, this one’s interesting! But it wasn’t over just yet. Another few sips and now I’m getting a strong taste of boiled watercress and spinach. It’s vegetal and slightly sweet. And you know what? I like it.

The best part for me though is the creaminess. I don’t know if it’s the herbs or what, but the cream note in this yerba is dominating. It reminds me of taking a sip from a cappuccino and getting a lot of the foam first. More subtle notes like nuts and citrus can also be detected after several refills. This compuesta by Sara is nothing like the usual earthy/malty Uruguayan yerbas. It has similar strength, but the flavor profile is almost completely different here.

Do not expect this to be like Sara Traditional or Sara Extra Sauve, because you’ll be highly disappointed.

I find this yerba to do best in the 160ºF range (71ºC). Go lower, and it changes the flavor profile to more of an astringent, grassy, herbal mate. Higher, and you get the same but stronger on the bitterness.

Finish

On the finish, Sara Esplendida leaves behind an herbal taste, but also with that same prominent cream note. Again, it’s like taking a sip from a cappuccino and that milky creaminess still stays on your palate. But as you get a little more into the mate, the finish switches to a more sharp, citrus flavor.

Body/Texture

Sara Esplendida is without a doubt a full-bodied yerba. Super creamy with a slight sandy, graininess on each sip. Some may find this repulsive but is a part of the experience when drinking Uruguayan yerbas. A few dusty particles come up and give you something to chew on. And for me, it’s great as it provides more texture and makes me feel like I’m drinking something else than water or tea. Astringency is kept to a minimum here and disappears after a few refills, but strangely, can be felt a little more at lower temps.

Cut

Sara Esplendida has the typical Uruguayan cut, but seems to be a bit coarser than most. As a compuesta, there’s also gotu kola, lemon balm, and horsetail. Whether visible or not, I can’t tell. Nor does the yerba have anything that looks slightly different, so they may just blend right in. The leaves here are slightly larger than other brands and stick out a lot. Stem count also seems to be higher in this bag as the little white splinters pop out from the leaves. The color looks as if it was dried out in the sun with light shades of green and olive, and some hints of yellow.

Dust seems to be on par with other Uruguayan brands, so you can expect the typical preparation needs of fine-cut yerbas. Spoon bombilla is obviously best for filtration.

Cycle

Sara Esplendida features a long cycle as with most Uruguayan brands. The strength holds up for the majority of the time with no noticeable dips, but a gradual decrease. Easily a 1-liter mate.

Effect

Because Sara Esplendida is a compuesta, the other herbs play a part in its effect. But by how much? I couldn’t tell you.

The effect of this yerba feels very much like others, but leans on the softer side. I’m focused and get the signature floaty-head sensation. Nothing overboard though. There’s a strong calming and relaxing feeling I get with this that keeps me at bay. Maybe this could be from the added lemon balm or gotu kola, which seems to help promote those effects. Regarding its diuretic benefits though, I don’t see it. I go to the bathroom with this yerba as much as I do with other yerbas. It could very well be helping, but nowhere to a degree that I can physically notice.

This yerba can be a great morning/afternoon yerba. I wouldn’t drink this before bed. The effects are strong enough to keep you up, which works for me when trying to be productive.

Sara Esplendida Yerba Mate Review

If you’re in the market for a new type of yerba, this is a nice one to try.

The first time I had it, I was already a fan of the taste. Mostly because I’ve never tasted something like this before.

Uniqueness always wins with me so I’d give this my recommendation.

I’ve finished almost a kilo by now, drinking it practically everyday, and don’t mind it one bit.

If you want to give Sara Esplendida a try, click one of the links below to get a bag:

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

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