I had an unfortunate, but educational, introduction to Yerba Mate several years ago - it was AWFUL! The product - NOT yours - looked like sweepings from the floor of a woodworking shop and didn't taste good enough to me that I would have even thought of drinking it regularly. Then I came across Aviva, and was forever hooked! The quality of the tea is superb, and it always delights me to see the teas of competitors. They never have anywhere near the clean-ness or flavour. Simple as that! From the outset, I have also enjoyed the way Aviva and co., educated me about Yerba Mate and its history, different uses, harvesting and handling, all stuff I love learning about. Keep up the good work and best wishes!

Hey there Dan,

How's life treating you? I'm sure you are well. I have to say that I am so regretful that I had not found Aviva Yerba Mate a long time ago. About four years ago, my physical health had started to fade at the young age of 29; I am now 33 years old. This past year has been the worse though. Not only was I dealing with "Extreme" everyday back pain, but I was also going through a rapid aging process with my feet hurting, bad circulation, both of my hands stayed completely numb to the point where it felt like I had frostbite! I had quit smoking a year ago as well as changing my diet to all organic foods, I make our own soymilk at home, venison that we hunt, all the right supplements to take for various things, etc.. You get the point. I thought all of this was suppose to make me feel better; what a JOKE!!!

Anyway, since my boyfriend and I have been drinking Aviva Yerba Mate, we could feel the difference immediately. I have replaced my 1 pot of coffee a day to sharing 2 pots of hot Yerba Mate with my boyfriend, sometimes my Mother and whoever else that might be around that day. I also make iced-tea 2 to 3 times a week; my boyfriend's favorite (add some dried sweetened cranberries while it's hot - great taste). I have more energy, physically feel better, more alert, no jitters from Coffee-Caffeine, blood circulation feels like it's flowing freely with no "road blocks", and most of all, I can feel my hands. This is amazing! I never thought I would have a normal day again for the rest of my young life.

Dan, I am putting the word out there. Aviva Yerba Mate is the best and biggest blessing I've experienced yet! I have not tried any other Yerba Mate products and I don't believe that I will be getting it from anywhere else. Stay with us and we'll definitely stay with you! Thank you so much for coming into my life. Now that I feel better, I have the ability and will to get up everyday to make a difference in my life mentally, emotionally and most important of all, physically.

Aviva Customer for Life!
Thank you!!!

Mariane B.

I have just started with the Yerba Mate over the past several weeks. Normally, I buy the roasted variety from the local tea shop. However, as things happen during my day, going over to the East Village is harder than driving the six blocks.

Anyway, I teach high school math and science, which involves up at 5:30 am and to bed by midnight daily. Lunch is a problem as I don't always have time for a real good one. My wife started having bladder problems so she gave up coffee, and to support her I gave up a 40 year habit. Green tea is nice, but it doesn't wake me up. So, when introduced to Yerba Mate, as I said, bought it locally, but when I did some research, came to your site and made my first small order. I went to the local health food store this morning and puchased a bag of traditional to compare it with when my order arrives. Hopefully soon.

I plan on continuing it regardless of what health benefits it claims. I just like the taste.

Best wishes from snowy Iowa,

Joseph T.

Hi Daniel!

I received my buy two boxes of tea bags/get one free order yesterday and could hardly open it fast enough! I love your yerba mate tea and have been drinking it in the loose form, using a coffee press. This is the first time that I've tried the teabags and what a convenience! I was afraid that the teabags would somehow not taste the same as the loose tea, but they do (I drink it straight)! I'm sold on the teabags now, especially for work, because of the convenience and flavor!

I sincerely appreciate your bringing us a quality product. When my friend told me about yerba mate tea last year, I searched the internet to see what was available. Your site was so informative and positive that you were my first choice to try. I also tried two other brands just to compare--and, as I'm sure you know, there was no comparison! After drinking yours, I was completely sold!

Thank you for being so conscientious and caring about such a wonderful product!

All the best,

Laini S.

Hello!

I just received your Aviva Yerba Mate in the mail after ordering it only a couple of days ago. This is amazing mate! There is no dust and no bitter stems. I work at a coffee shop and plan on suggesting it to my customers. I just recently started drinking mate to remember an amazing wilderness trip where we all drank mate at the campfire every night after hiking all day. A friend of mine discovered it while on a trip to Chile, and being a tea and coffee lover, I caught on right away. I never knew there were different qualities of mate until today. I could not stop drinking because the taste was so much different than any other mate I have tried. The taste is so pure, I feel like when drinking your brand of mate, this must be why the people of South America tie mate to the norms of their culture. Thank you for such an amazing product!

Samantha A.
Columbia, MD

Aviva,

I am relative newcomer to Yerba-Mate. My brother actually tried it years ago when we were kids and have no idea what brand he had purchased, but I am sure it was NOT a very "premium" brand by my recollections of its taste. I seem to remember it tasting like warm "grassy" tasting water/tea.

The first stuff I ordered before Aviva was from Nativa and it was OK, but after tasting your brand I will have to give it to you that there is definitely a difference. Even the appearance between the two is distinctly different. The Nativa is very inconsistent in its physical presence, that being from small pieces down to a powder. The taste also has a sharper taste insofar as it tends to be some what more "bitter". The Aviva seems to be quite uniform in its physical appearance in that of small pieces with out any apparent dust at all. Also, I do not notice much "bitterness" at all.

I have always loved coffee and as a Southerner have never been too keen on "hot" tea, but have always loved copious amounts of "iced" tea. However, if I was to drink "hot" tea I have always preferred the higher end black teas. Lipton's, etc., just never "cut it" for me as a "hot" tea. Typical "American" roast coffee has never impressed me either. I was drinking espresso when drinking espresso "wasn't cool", let alone the presence of Starbucks. Just as an aside, who ever started Starbucks is one hell of marketer, because I think that they produce some of the worst coffee on the market, as they tend to "burn" rather than roast their darker coffees.

Perhaps, it boils down to the old adage that you truly "get what you pay for" and as there certainly are many brands of Yerba-Mate and ones that are far cheaper than Aviva I think one would be hard pressed to find a better brand. Your summer blends, especially the Passion Berry Tisane has been super. I occasionally brew this with black tea as well for my iced tea.

Keep up the good work and we'll all help spread the good word about Aviva Yerba Mate.

Harold B., D.D.S
Texas

Hi Dan,

Just had to send in my story. I saw an ad in a woman's magazine about yerba-mate tea and how it helps you lose weight, so I went right to the Health Food Store and asked for it. The girl there said she didn't have it but she wished she did because she has had so many people ask for it. So I ordered some thru your site and have been a regular drinker since. I love the taste of it. I work undergroud in a limestone mine on night shift for 10 hours a night. I get so tired it is hard to stay awake, but coffee hurts my stomach so I took a bag of yerba-mate loose leaf to work with me and made it in my coffee pot. WOW, did I feel awake lol! Not jittery like coffe makes you, just an alertness that I needed to get thru the night. I have also lost 25 pounds since I started drinking it 4 months ago, what a plus! My boyfriend started drinking it also, and thought he would save some money and buy a different brand (CruzdeMalta) *rolls eyes*. I was shocked at the low quality of that brand. It was a lot of dust, a light brown color, and had so many stems in it. The flavor did not even come close to Aviva's. Myself, I am sticking with Aviva Brand. I drink it hot at work, and iced at home, its delicious either way. I even replaced my cherry coke addiction with it lol. Thank you for making such a wonderful product and for advertising it in the woman's magazine or I would never have known about it. I love it so much, I'm going to check into being a local distributor for it. Please don't ever stop making it !!!!

Trisha F.
Kentucky

To whom this may concern,

I was very shocked and, to my surprise, delighted to have my order in the mail already. Thank you! As living in Japan, things I purchase do take awhile, so thank you for your great service!!! I ordered your tea for weight control (as seen in the womens world) I am pregnant and will have my baby soon so I wanted to make sure I was stocked, but only orderd one to see how long it would take to get here. You can be sure for the health purposes I will be ordering from your co. again. I really did not realize all the benefits this tea has to offer. Also the ginger and honey serum was an added extra.

Many thanks,
Karen S.

Hi Dan...

Thanks for the Yerba Mate' update. I got my shipment yesterday and WOW! Is there a difference! I tried my usual "handful" of tea bags in my quart of water (which I had to use to get any flavor and/or affects with my previous brand) and it was so strong it could have stood by itself. (What a nice problem!)

I diluted it ... and wound up with enough tea to last me through the entire day, as opposed to the 2 pints the other brand made. I didn't try cutting open the bags for a comparison; you could see it right through the paper. Brand X was a lighter color overall, and you could spot little flecks of lighter color throughout.

You've got a fantastic product ... and you can tell the world I said so!

Helen B.
San Antonio, TX

Just want you to know how much I enjoy receiving your email updates and messages. Our oldest daughter who lives in Austin, Texas introduced us to yerba mate several months ago. Although, I have never been a coffee drinker, my husband was drinking almost 1 1/2-2 pots of coffee a day!! He has totally given up coffee now, and won't be without his yerba mate each day. The difference in his mood swings and overall demeanor has been a DRAMATIC change and the entire family is so grateful that he has given up coffee. Yerba mate is at our house to STAY. Have a great day,

Susan
Lubbock, TX

Dan,

Thanks for the very generous sample packages that you sent to me last week. I have been drinking yerba-mate sporadically for a couple of years and this is by far the best tasting of all of those I have tried. I have been offering your samples to my diverse test group of friends and neighbors who are unfamiliar with the taste, versatility and health benefits of which you and I are quite familiar. Your website has provided me with some very useful educational material and I hope you don't mind me copying pages and passing on - always referencing your company. They are all very impressed with your product and website. The writing style on the website is very informative and persuasive. If I don't start supplying these friends soon you can expect them to be hitting your website.

Right now it looks like my tea shop venture is slow in getting off the ground due to financial constraints - Roswell Georgia is an unproven market - but ripe and ready in my opinion. However, I am confident we will get there. As yerba-mate will be a central part of my operation, I hope to be keep in touch, speak with you again soon, build a long term relationship and ask for some advice along the way.

Your product and packaging, to me, seems much more palatable and inviting to North American tastes in comparison than the others I bought in the nearby Hispanic shops. I can taste the difference immediately and I assume that is because your company is closely involved with the harvest, import and packaging. I am by no means an expert, but I can see that your product has far fewer white stems and has a much coarser as well as better flavor and aroma. Do those individuals that are familiar with mate recognize this difference in quality immediately?

I feel at this time that my first vendor has been selected. Thanks for your time and the great samples.

Larry N.
Tech.Talk.Tea
Roswell, GA

Dan,

I wanted to get back to you with feedback on your new Paraguay yerba mate. Am sorry it has taken me so long to do so.

The new yerba mate was well worth the wait. I have been in somewhat of an explorer mode on yerba mate ever since I first tried it - and have tried many brands over a period of time - looking for the best available. Your new Paraguayan mate seems to me to be in an entirely different league from any of the others I have tried before. It is uplifting, but in an almost relaxing way that instills confidence and seems to exempt you from ordinary stresses of the day - in addition to tasting very good. I am very happy to be able to buy this quality of mate and look forward to drinking it for many years.

I am confident that your customers will get to recognize the difference between yours and other mates very quickly, although I think any time you try something different an adjustment period may be needed to fully experience the new product. I do not mean in any way to criticize other, mass produced yerba mate - and will continue to drink them off and on - but am very enthusiastic about your new product.

I wish you good luck with your new product line, although it would not seem that you need it. Thank you for the early shipment of the new mate.

Geoff K.
Virginia

I met Dan at his Sandpoint, ID coffee house when I moved there in 1999. I spoiled myself daily on his fine brews, and over time came to discover that, like most locals, I kept coming back from Starbucks and other eclectic offerings because of Dan's sincere reliance on customer (my) satisfaction.

So, it was no surprise, after introducing his yerba mate line, that Dan asked this skeptical medical professional for feedback...."Try it for a few weeks, Tim," he said. "I'd appreciate your opinion."

Well, in brief without the medical jargon, it is invigorating....I get the zip without the zap of coffee or its accompanying side-effects or jitters, motor-mouth, dehydration and a fibrillating heart. Another yerba plus, was relief of withdrawal of headaches I suffer with coffee cessation.

After leaving Sandpoint I continued to order Dan's product through the toll free line. Response and shipping is always prompt. The mate is also fresh and inexpensive when compared to the local fare, if it's available.

Now, I am living a mile high in the Reno area. This ex-smoker can attest to the bronchodialating effects of yerba mate....no wheezing from this old puffer with my daily cup or gourd of mate! Thanks Dan.

Tim B.
Reno, NV