Friday, May 13, 2011

Taylor's Tonics Mate Mojito


I recently reviewed Taylor's Tonics' Chai Cola, only to find that once the novelty wore off a bit, I was left with a beverage that was actually fairly difficult to drink. I went back to my local World Market and found these sitting next to the chai cola and decided to give Taylor's another shot. I am happy to report that I have been having a much better experience with the Mate Mojito so far.

Taylor's Tonics Mate Mojito has none of the "novelty" element of its cola relative. Rather, it is a crisp, refreshing, and interesting blend of ingredients that work well together to create a light and delicious flavor. As the label suggests, the drink is a blend of mate infused soda water flavored with mint and lime. There is also a fairly noticeable dose of vanilla flavoring included in the drink that is unaccounted for on the front of the label. The inclusion of vanilla is not a bad thing at all, but it is a significant contributor to the beverage's taste and I am a bit perplexed as to why such a pronounced flavor would not be included in the immediately visible description.

I had my first bottle of this drink almost a month and a half ago, and I still to this very moment have trouble describing the taste to others. It is entirely unique, and in all of my experience trying beverages I have not encountered anything else quite like it. The only specific descriptors that come to mind when imagining the flavor are "clean" and "refreshing." The drink tastes very natural (as expected from an all natural beverage company), and every contributing flavor is very "real" and true to its respective source. Each individual flavor in the Mate Mojito is easy to pick out and identify, but the overall flavor of the beverage really is one of those rare "one-of-a-kind" tastes and is very tough for me to put my finger on. This is one that I think is best recommended as a "must try for yourself" sort of beverage.

I definitely do recommend this one to curious beverage consumers. It is unique and interesting, and is easy to drink all the way down to the bottom of the bottle. However, although I do recommend giving this one a try, I will go ahead and say that this is not a drink for everyone. The flavor is delicious, but it is strong and very pronounced. I can easily see people who are not fond of strong drinks not attaching to the Mate Mojito too quickly, and if you don't like even one of the ingredients used in the beverage, you are probably not likely to have the best of experiences with the drink.

But I like this one a lot. Definitely check it out.

Verdict: Recommended

Purchased: World Market [Columbia, SC]
Size: 12 fl. oz. [355 mL]
Price: $5.99 [Four pack]

4 comments:

  1. Thanks for liking my drawings. I'll show them to you in person in about a week. Sorry I just got around to following your drink review on here, I never have much time to get on. Also, I really want to try this, will there be any left at home?

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  2. Unfortunately, no. I drank the last one while I was writing the review. There is, however, a World Market in Greenville. We should swing by while we're all up there.

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  3. Oxy!

    Thanks for the thoughtful review. I enjoyed reading it and was delighted to see you point out several key differentiators of our brews to your readers... namely, our drinks are for the adventurous, and also it is a matter of finding which drink(s) within our portfolio are right for each person... From our deeply robust and spicy Cafe Azteca to our newest Mate' Colada, we've found that virtually every item was crafted for a specific segment of the thirsty population...with minimal crossover! Our unique, craft approach to the creation of these beverages will inevitably intrigue and confuse the more standard beverage biz for years to come, and descriptive, considerate, impartial posts such as yours are the roadmap people can opt to use when selecting a brew that might be right (or not) for them. Again glad we crossed your palate! cheers!/my best, -Taylor (Brewmaster)

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  4. Taylor,

    Thank you for such a flattering comment! I am glad that you have found value in my reviews, and I hope to continue to enjoy your beverages in the future.

    The Cafe Azteca sounds especially interesting. I'll have to be sure to check it out sometime.

    Thanks again!

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