★★★★☆
With a little milk to hold down the spice, this is is a delightful palatable tea!
I would even use the dry packet as a room freshener because it smelled so strongly. LOL Luckily it was a good smell.
Named to honor the rugged cattlemen of the South American pampas, our Gaucho Mate Chai is sure to become a fireside favorite.
Customers use these reviews to describe their experience with Gaucho Mate Chai, including flavor, aroma, preparation preferences, strength, and how the tea fits into daily routines. Browse the full review history page by page to compare tasting notes, steeping tips, and favorite ways to enjoy this tea.
With a little milk to hold down the spice, this is is a delightful palatable tea!
I would even use the dry packet as a room freshener because it smelled so strongly. LOL Luckily it was a good smell.
On its own it was so dark and spicy! Maybe a little too much for me but with vanilla stevia and a good amount of heavy cream and cooled to a nice warm sip it is a treat.
Edit to Update: It has been a long time since I first tried this tea and my taste has changed a lot so, I thought I would try it again with todays CommuniTea. I still don't care for this one, but it's for different reasons. I know now how to properly awaken mate tea now so this cup was brewed completely different than before. I still feel the spices are a tad weak. I think it's the mate that I don't care for. I prefer a different base for my chai. This would be a good chai for someone that likes both mate tea and weaker chai. Awakened the mate first with a short cold water steep, then 180° for 3 min.
I didn’t care for this one. Too strong a taste for me, too green a taste. I’m a chai lover but the spices in this were too weak. I used the temp/time on the bag and then tried playing around with temp and time to see if it would help but I just couldn’t like this one.
We blended. The chia and ginger flavors dance well with the toasted mate. I just think I perfer more chocolate notes and flavors with mate then chi flavors. But that’s just my preference. Still a very good balanced tea.
A really good smooth chai tea. Steeped at 195 for 4 minutes and it turned out really well.
190 degrees for 6 minutes. Thank you to Jim R. for his detailed brewing instructions in his review. I rinsed the leaves with cool water before steeping for 6 minutes at 190 and what resulted was smooth and spicy. Cardamom and cloves were at the forefront with a nice dry cinnamon mouthfeel. Ginger zinged in the aftertaste. The mate flavor itself was light but held its own amidst the spices. I really enjoyed this chai blend and that kick from the mate woke me back up from the afternoon slump!
This morning was filled with wonderful warm spiced aromas when I opened my communiTea packet. I could have happily just let my packet sit there and release all the spiced smells into my apartment for the morning. I wasn’t as excited by the presence of the toasted mate, but never let it be said I give up easily. Plus with spices so prevalent already, they would have to help. Following the wonderful advise from Jim for wakening the mate tea (and this has made a huge difference) and keeping the steeping temperature much lower (190°) I set about this morning’s offering.
I don’t know if I’ll ever be a fan of mate tea, I just find it be bland. But I will certainly say, without hazelnut I’m much happier with it. So I think I know my answer to the question is it mate or hazelnut finally. Today, it mellowed out the spices of the rest of the tea, keeping it more mellow, which while a little disappointing after the wonderful aromas- ended up not being upsetting either. It was still a nice cup of tea that was smoother than expected and lasted longer than I would have thought. I enjoyed the way the flavors played out even as the tea cooled down. While not my favorite “chai” it’s one I will certainly enjoy again.
Pleasant well balanced Chai. Prominent clove flavor with a earthy undertone and a hit of turmeric. The caffeine content makes this for a more invigorating chai then I'm used to drinking. Good for an afternoon pick me up.
A nice strong, smooth chai. Great with milk and sweetener.
I always love a good chai, and I'm finding that I like them even better with mate. This could very well be my new favorite chai.
Nice change to have a caffeinated chai without the tea flavor. Definitely a good match for the warming spices in this chai, would likely taste even better on a colder day. Woke me up pleasantly for my first class.
Everything seemed present in my Communitea packet. I was really looking forward to this one, but it was pretty weak after brewing. I thought I had decreased the water enough, but if I were to try it again I would use even less.
Yes, I love this tea! I thought it was going to be too clove forward as the smell was potent but the taste of this tea is great. I thought I was going to need to add some cinnamon whipped honey but I drank the cup even before I had time to reach for the honey. Great plain with no added sweetener.
Tasting along with the CommuniTEA: Lots of spicy cinnamon, ginger, and clove wafting from the dry ingredients and packet today. Once steeped for about 5 mins 30 at 190° F, I get a hickory, smoky, cinnamony scent from the warm cup. When I take a sip, I taste cinnamon, ginger, and subtle tobacco flavors, finishing with a nice, mld palate cleansing ginger and clove zing. Missing the cardamom and aniseed notes. Otherwise tasty and interesting cup.
I added cream and sugar and found this to be a smooth, mild chai. I don't like toasted mate, but the spices hide it. Enjoyable!
This is decent. I'm generally not big on mate, but the chai spices covered up the otherwise 'not my favorite' flavor of the mate.
The spices seemed balanced ~ not so strong that it couldn't be enjoyed plain, and spicy enough that it took milk well without being muted. It was smooth, and there was no bitterness (even after getting distracted and letting it steep for 10 min or so). The mate makes it a little more earthy, and every few sips it went past earth and I would get a dirt sorta taste mixed with the old tobacco that sometimes comes with mate. It was drinkable, but I don't think I would reach for it again on purpose. (reviewed through CommuniTEA; 10+ min @ 190F)
I'm not the biggest fan of chai tea, but I'm once again surprised! The chai wasn't overpowering and all the other flavors blended beautifully.
I usually don't enjoy mate but loved this blend, probably because I always like a good spicy chai. This one has strong cinnamon, ginger, and clove aromas that smell like Christmas in a cup. The mate flavor is actually pretty mild with no bitterness when steeped at about 200 for 5 minutes. I mainly taste the cinnamon and cloves with a slightly herbal, toasty base note. Not as strong in flavor as a black tea would be, but was a nice breakfast tea to wake up to.
At first I thought it tasted like any other Adagio chai, but as it cooled, I started to get a different flavor that seemed almost creamy or marshmallowy.
Chais are my favorite. I had never heard of mate teas until I joined CommuniTEA. This tea has a smooth mouth feel and the spices are mellow and sweet. I liked that the blend of the spices included ginger, anise and cardamom along with the cinnamon and clove. This was a good cup of chai. I steeped for 5 minutes at 195.
I really enjoy chai teas and this was no exception. The spices are balanced with ginger and clove in the forefront and cinnamon and cardamom providing warm support. The spices were strong enough that I couldn't really taste the mate aside from an occasional musty undertone. Like all good chai teas, this took milk and honey well. A great energizing start to the day!
This is a light and balanced chai for me. The mate adds a toasty note while the chai spices were in a nice balance for a well-rounded cup. I steeped with a few tablespoons of room temperature water on the dry tea prior to adding 200 degree water for 5 minutes. Not too cinnamon-forward (my fear with chai blends), and was a light but warm blend.
Love love love this tea. 💯 so good and grateful for the caffeine
The spring weather took a reverse turn today, and this tea was perfect to enjoy on this chilly day. The cardamom, aniseed, cloves and cinnamon flavors were noted and enjoyed. Chai teas are some of my favorites, this herbal mate blend didn't disappoint. For me, it smelled similar to incense, in a good way. I sipped on tea a bit and then made the rest into a latte. I couldn't resist! I have no regrets, it was warm, creamy deliciousness.
Gently spicy tea; with a kick of caffeine, too; enjoying the ride! (Haiku Review)
It appeared that everybody was present and excited to git goin’ upon opening my communiTEA packet this morning. Chai spicy aromas were noted. Bring on my trusty steed, boleadoras and boot spats, I’m ready to ride!
Since this blend contained mate, I awakened my tea with two tablespoons of cool steep water in my ingenuiTEA steeper for a few minutes and then added 190ºF steep water on top to reach my 180ºF goal. I only do an awakening for the first steep. I steeped for six minutes to allow the chai spice flavors to bloom. This was a 12 ounce steep.
When hot, a smooth mouthfeel was noted. Cinnamon and clove flavors were mild. I added ¼ teaspoon of sugar to intensify spicy flavors.
When warm, moderate chai spicy aromas were noted. Black pepper zings from the mate were moderate. Moderate cardamom camphor flavors were noted. Cinnamon, clove and anise licorice flavors were strong.
This was a toasty, smooth and very tasty chai blend! The chai spices blended together nicely without any competition among them. A second steep was even better. Great blend! This one got the hitch outta my git-along! (6 mins @ 180ºF, ¼ tsp sugar)
For me this was good because I enjoy cinnamon teas, but for those that don’t or aren’t sure I wouldn’t recommend this because the cinnamon was a bit bitter.
My favorite chai tea. Very smooth tasting with a touch of spice.
I really like this tea. It is smooth with just the right amount of chai spices, not overwhelming like some other blends. I like it best brewed at a low temp - about 160F to keep the mate healthy. It's not bad at 200F, but the mate comes through more strongly then with a taste more like cotton. My friend mixed this with black tea for an enjoyable, high-caffeine latte and was pretty happy, but this was one chai that I was happy to drink plain.
One of the best chais I’ve tried. The spices were very up front, brewed at 212°F for 5 minutes. Good with cream and without. I attempted to brew a second cup, this time for 10 minutes, and it was almost as good as the first. I love toasted mate, so it was no surprise that I liked this one.
If I enjoyed Chai tea then I’m sure I would love this tea. Unfortunately I don’t, but I do love how my tummy feels afterwards, as well as my throat and sinuses.
I like this tea. I have just discovered mate teas. They are a great morning tea. This one has the spiciness of a chai as well.
A mix of heaven. There is a lot going on with this one. I needed to just sit and think about the flavors as I was tasting them.
It’s a DELICIOUS tea. Thought it’d be bitter spicy but nah, just very very flavorful. It’s quickly become a staple in my tea cabinet. Perfect for a great start on a crazy Monday morning.
A very nice chai tea. Might try brewing it differently next time
Not my favorite chai blend, but not terrible. I probably could have brewed it a little stronger to enhance the flavor.
This was fantastic and definitely on my reorder list. The chai I ve been looking for, warm and spiced just right. I added just a little honey and it was perfect.
It's not 'heavy' like black tea chai, but it's still very warm and comforting. I've made this to-go for an early morning shift and in the afternoon and it hits the spot every time.
A 'meaty' tea. Good for when you need to clear the sinuses and warm the bones.
I have been drinking as many of the chai teas as possible. This is one of the better ones because the chai flavors are so good and it is not as strong a flavor as the black teas.
I like this chai on its own, but others find it a bit intense. I also like to serve it with oat milk and maple syrup.
I really enjoyed this tea. It had enough spice to have good flavor while still being mellow and sip-able
This is good chai but not at all bold and as spicy as a black chai.
This has been my go-to tea. It has the aroma of a chai, but when you sip it the flavor starts of as mate that finishes with chai without any bitterness.
Just don't do it. I have been a big fan of other Adagio mates, but this one has a funky taste that I jus can't figure out. One cup and in the trash it went...
A soft flavor. It’s not thrilling. Just a little mellow. Soft, sweet, toasty. Probably wouldn’t reorder. Doesn’t have the oomph that I need from chai. Not bad. Just not too special.
Delicious chai blend with plenty of spice! Orange, clove, cinnamon... it’s all there. But the tea itself is much more mild than black tea chai blends, no bitterness! I definitely approve. I did not need to add anything to this tea to enjoy it!
It was a delicious introduction to mate for me - the flavour is also subtly spicy with the chai.
I really like this tea. It is warm and spicy. The cinnamon, cardamon, cloves, and ginger are the stars of this show. The aniseed is there but it is not as pronounced. With just a bit of sugar or honey it really gives you a kick in the morning. Blending it with the white ayurvedic chai in equal amounts and adding a bit of Ceylon cinnamon makes this an almost heavenly tea which will make you feel like you are walking down a spice market. Additionally, this when blended with the white ayurvedic chai is more reminiscent of Teavana’s samurai chai and white ayurvedic blend they would have for you to sample at their store than if you blend adagio’s samurai and white ayurvedic.