REVIEW: Pixie Maté Bagged Teas

As I wrote in yesterday’s post, I love Pixie Maté, and I brew their traditional version of the drink every day. But a plastic bag full of the dried leaves of a South American herb may remind some of you of a different, less legal herb also circulated widely among America’s youth. So, in honor of the company’s mission to bring the health benefits of the drink into more homes and establishments, I’ve decided to focus on their bagged teas today. Most everyone knows what to do with a tea bag, and Pixie’s brightly colored boxes look so nice lined up on a shelf. I was a Crayola kid myself, and looking at the line-up of Pixie’s products gives me the same feeling of satisfaction I derived from having my crayons perfectly sharpened and color-coordinated when I was a child. Or last week. Whatever.

I lined up the boxes on a shelf in my kitchen, boiled some water, and recruited Ted from our home office. You see, I love tasting things, but when it comes to serious taste-testing, Ted is my go-to guy. We live in wine country, and often when we try a new wine, I’ll give my impression of it, to the best of my ability. Then Ted will try it, and he’ll say he tastes notes of chocolate, or rotten fruit, or something totally bizarre. I usually have to admit he’s right, even though on first taste I inevitably think, “That tastes like… wine.”

Anyway, I got Ted the Nose in on the Pixie tasting, and we had fun. Each cup was brewed for exactly five minutes, then the tea bags were squeezed into the cup, following the package directions. I usually brew my maté for much longer than that, but I wanted to stay true to the purpose of the test. After each cup was brewed, I tried it, then Ted tried it, and we wrote down our thoughts.

It should be noted that Pixie has eight flavors in their tea bag line, and we only tested six; not included are the Viva Maté Limón or the Green Tea Maté flavors. I have nothing against these flavors, their omission is simply due to the fact that we didn’t have them in the house when we did our test. I’ll be sure to test these two in the near future, and then I’ll include the results in the test.

Below are the results of the test. For each flavor, I’ve written what Pixie says about the product, then what I say, and then what Ted says. Of course the results are purely our opinions, and I strongly encourage you to try the flavors out for yourselves. Here goes…


AUTHENTIC MATÉ

Pixie says: Organic Yerba Mate that puts the rev in the tea revolution.
Kerry says: Clean and light, nice subtle flavor. *This is my favorite.
Ted says: Reminds him of dried grass in a field, in a good way.


MATÉ CHAI

Pixie says: An organic seduction of clove, ginger, cardamom and reckless abandon.
Kerry says: Smells like ginger and clove, on its own this tea is a little sharp.
Ted says: Smells like Williams-Sonoma during the holidays, and tastes like pumpkin pie. Needs sweetening, best with milk. *This is Ted’s second favorite.


DARK ROAST MATÉ

Pixie says: Chicory root and ramon nut, the organic beat of the java man’s boogie.
Kerry says: Smells like vanilla espresso, tastes like burnt hay
Ted says: Smells like a vanilla latté, tastes like a really rich maté with hints of vanilla. Reminds him of chicory coffee in New Orleans. *This is Ted’s favorite.


LUSH TROPICS MATÉ

Pixie says: Escape to the verdant romance of organic hibiscus and a cup of mañana.
Kerry says: Sweet sexy Moses! Smells like a tropical island, tastes fruity and hibiscus-y. *This is my second favorite.
Ted says: Smells like hibiscus lotion, tastes like Celestial Seasonings Berry Zinger tea.


RUBY ROOIBOS MATÉ

Pixie says: A blushing blend of organic rooibos and yerba mate to soothe your soul.
Kerry says: Smells like flowers, tastes like a garden would smell.
Ted says: Smells earthy, tastes flowery.


CHOCOLATE MATÉ SOLSTICE

Pixie says: Organic chicory and ramon nut do the cocoa mocha mambo.
Kerry says: Chocolaty smell, light chocolate flavor, smooth. *This is my second favorite.
Ted says: Smells and tastes like fruity chocolate.



So there you have it. Keep in mind that these are our impressions of the products “black”, meaning that we didn’t sweeten them or add milk. I’ve found that I can do a lot with the products by adding things to them. For example, this morning I had the Maté Chai with a little honey, a pinch of cinnamon, and some milk, and it was delicious. And yesterday I drank the Chocolate Maté Solstice, sweetened with agave nectar, and I added a couple of drops of vanilla, a pinch of cocoa powder, and some milk… This was amazing.

These products are great, and in my opinion they have a lot of potential for coffeeshops and restaurants. If a café near me were to offer Pixie maté, I’d eat there all the time. See, baristas? Here’s how to make, serve, and display Pixie Maté. Carry Pixie, and make your customers happy. You’ll thank me later.