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Davis, California

Sunday, September 26, 2021

UC Davis students spill on their favorite Guayaki Yerba Mate flavors

How Yerba Mate compares to coffee and which flavors attract students

We’ve all been there—8 p.m. the night before a final, cramming as much as we can. Keeping us company is that familiar golden can popped open, steadily disappearing into the depths of our bellies in a desperate attempt to get some energy to finish out the night.

Now, there are a few options we have for what kind of caffeine we can count on to keep us from dozing off. For me, it depends on what kind of night it is, but I always go back to Guayaki Yerba Mate, a naturally caffeinated tea. 

I usually defer to the mint yerba, mostly because its mintiness gives me an extra sense of invigoration. I also heard a few years ago that it has the most caffeine because of its mint flavor, but upon investigating, I found out this is false. I still refuse to believe that.

On Instagram, Guayaki is giving away organic cotton shirts and will give special, unreleased flavors to the winners of the giveaway. They continue to re-invent themselves and provide new flavors to stimulate their audience. The packaging itself is also so ornate and detailed, making it especially attractive to consumers.

Yerba Mate teas are wildly popular among students, illustrating that Guayaki knows how to cater to their audience. With that, I spoke to a few students about their favorites and why they choose Yerba Mate over coffee or other energy drinks.

Certain flavors have made a big impact on students that are passionate Yerba Mate fans. Tram Nguyen, a fourth-year human development major, swears by Bluephoria because “it’s not too sweet and gives me the same amount of energy as coffee.” 

Taylor McCormick, a fourth-year biological systems engineering major, said “it’s not as sweet as the passionfruit one, but the uncarbonated berry one is easier to tolerate at 3 a.m. It’s just more palatable because of the fruit flavors.”

Upon further investigation, I realized that many students shared this affinity toward the uncarbonated, less sweet flavors, which is why they favor it over coffee, especially having to use it for long nights of studying.

Mykha Sunga, a fourth-year genetics and genomics major, said “it’s cold, fruity and keeps me awake and energized. It helps me want to keep doing work. With coffee, it doesn’t make me feel as good.”

In general, many students agree that compared to the strong, thick taste of coffee, the lightness of Yerba Mates and the infused fruit flavors allow for students to feel less weighed down by the caffeine. 

While it’s hard to say which flavor is the best, it is agreed that Yerba Mates are a great alternative to coffee and are guaranteed to keep you energized. 
Written by: Mariah Viktoria Candelaria –– arts@theaggie.org


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