This is not a major comparative mate review, although this mate is generally well-reviewed on the web. This is just about drinking this mate for a few weeks after drinking various forms of tea -- black, green, oolong -- for decades. First, it seems true that green mate delivers caffeine without jitters or letdown. This has to do with its antioxidant profile, which is higher than that of green tea. It elevates mood in a somewhat different way, creating positivity without an edge. It's still caffeine, so I found that about two cups a day is enough. Second, the taste. It was a little different or intense at first but I've made lots of "bitter" medicinal teas over the years and it grew on me very quickly. Kind of like, Hey wait, this is really good. I was kind of surprised. There's a lot of latitude about the level of brightness or bitterness. This can be controlled by the brewing temperature. Lower temp water means less bitterness. The package says 170 degree water, some people say 160. At 160, there's zero bitterness. Anyway, I got this in the height of August heat, and started brewing it cold because more heat was out of the question. Cold-brewed overnight, this is really bright up front, with a nice roundness to finish, and totally refreshing. I loved it, 10 out of 10. I gave it to a friend who was over, they loved it, but they've also done various bitter teas over the years. If you've made cold brewed tea, it's just different, it takes longer but flavors happen that aren't part of hot brewed tea. To get the same quality from a hot water brew, I've had to go to water just off the boil. It's not the same, but close. I like it much better than the 160-170 mate. Third, mate has a culture, and you can find out a reasonable amount about different brands from different countries, and somewhat what they taste like, although this is *really* personal, online. Update: I recently tried Guayaki organic for comparison woth something more widely marketed. This one has stems in it, and is milder or softer overall. For me, I'll be sticking with the Ecoteas version for the depth and sprightliness of the flavor. Read more