Canary Islands

Canarias Tradicional is Uruguay's #1 selling yerba mate, representing the pinnacle of Uruguayan mate excellence with bold, full-body flavor. This flagship blend features fine-cut despalada style (no stems) delivering strong, lasting infusions through traditional barbacuá drying and 4-6 month aging. The characteristic powder-rich composition creates the explosive flavor and uplifting effects that established Canarias as Uruguay's dominant mate brand.

What does Canarias Traditional taste like?

Canarias Tradicional tastes muscular and bold, earthy and dusty, with roasted nuts and toasted bread flavors balanced by pleasant sweetness creating rich, dark chocolate overtones. The aroma features very woodsy and spicy nose with rich, dark earthiness and fresh hay notes creating aged, fragrant complexity. The taste delivers strong, bitter, and earthy character with slight natural sweetness and smooth, clean, refreshing finish that achieves remarkable balance despite boldness. The aftertaste remains stable and consistent, offering good, stable, consistent long cycle with pleasantly bitter character and strong personality that stands apart from Argentine or Paraguayan mate through distinctive Brazilian-origin zest combined with unique cake and toast taste profiles.

About the manufacturer

Canarias is produced by CAFES LA VIRGINIA S.A. in Uruguay and manufactured by Baldo S.A. in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, using leaves grown in Brazilian states of Santa Catarina, Paraná, and Rio Grande do Sul. The Canarias name reflects significant historical Canarian emigration to Uruguay, with Canarian emigrants integrated as "the primordial families in the formation of Uruguay." The brand has become emblematic of Uruguayan yerba mate culture, dominating the market through consistent quality and strong flavor delivery.

How do you prepare Canarias Traditional?

Canarias Tradicional prepares identically to other yerba mate: fill your gourd two-thirds full with the fine-cut despalada yerba, pour hot water (70-80°C), insert the bombilla, and drink. Note that the fine, powdery composition means the blend may clog traditional bombillas. We recommend using a very fine filtered bombilla's, like our '1000 furos' Bortonaggio bombilla.

Canarias Serena is a compuesta (herbal-blended) yerba mate providing gentler, more balanced alternative to the bold Traditional. This unique blend combines Canarias yerba mate with linden flower, passionflower, mint, and lemon balm herbs, creating calming blend with zero harshness, zero bitterness, and absolutely no acidity. It maintains Uruguayan integrity while leaning toward softer side, ideal for those seeking smoother experience with herbal benefits.

What does Canarias Serena taste like?

Canarias Serena tastes milky, chocolate, bready, and doughy with velvety-smooth full-bodied taste featuring zero harshness, zero bitterness, and absolutely no acidity. The herb contributions include passionflower adding grassiness and earthiness, linden flower adding floral and sweet notes, while mint and lemon balm provide freshness and citrusy brightness. The overall profile presents bold and earthy character with refreshing herbal undertones, slight mint and citrus notes creating clean, calming finish with distinctive taste featuring sweet notes and very good digestive effects. The unique blend achieves remarkable balance, either stroke of genius or brilliant result from many trial-and-error blending attempts.

About the manufacturer

Canarias Serena comes from CAFES LA VIRGINIA S.A.'s commitment to product diversity within the Uruguayan market. The herbal blend combines traditional Canarias yerba mate with 100% natural ingredients without artificial additives, maintaining the quality standards that established Canarias as market leader. The blend is aged 4-6 months like Traditional, allowing flavors to soften further while herbs integrate fully with the yerba mate base.

How do you prepare Canarias Serena?

Canarias Serena prepares identically to other Canarias variants: fill your gourd two-thirds full, pour hot water (70-80°C), insert the bombilla, and enjoy. The calming herbal blend works equally well in hot mate preparation and cold tereré, offering flexibility for seasonal preference. 

Canarias Edición Especial is a premium variant made from selected leaves aged longer than standard process, delivering softer, more complex flavor profile. This special selection uses only the best leaves from Brazilian forests, with extended aging period following differential drying and pre-milling to produce sophisticated taste experience. The exceptionally fine, powdery cut requires more skill and better tools but rewards preparation with remarkable longevity and depth.

What does Canarias Edicion Especial taste like?

Canarias Edición Especial tastes smooth, creamy, and buttery with malty and grainy notes reminiscent of unsweetened cereal throughout the experience. The aroma features very nice, aged and fragrant character with woodsy and spicy nose, like palo santo sawdust with piney and resin aroma touches, possibly cedarwood. The flavor progression delivers robust notes of toasted bread and almond butter dominating initial refills, transitioning into watered-down black coffee taste as the mate deepens. The overall profile represents complete transformation from flagship Tradicional, achieving simple yet rich and profound character with good depth. Potent effects prove invigorating, energizing, and focusing whether enjoyed morning or evening, delivering 20+ refills reaching promising 25 refills despite earlier turning point.

About the manufacturer

Edición Especial represents Canarias' commitment to premium expression within their traditional line. The production process applies strict quality controls following good manufacturing practices, with expert tasters evaluating quality from raw material through final product. Extended aging period compared to standard Canarias process creates complexity while fine, powdery cut demonstrates meticulous leaf selection and processing. The special edition reflects producer commitment to excellence beyond commercial requirements.

How do you prepare Canarias Edicion Especial?

Canarias Edición Especial prepares identically to traditional Canarias but requires more careful technique due to exceptionally fine, powdery cut: fill your gourd two-thirds full with special selection, pour hot water (70-80°C), insert the bombilla (preferably hook or spoon type to prevent clogging from fine powder), and drink. The premium quality rewards careful preparation with extended longevity reaching 25+ refills and remarkable complexity throughout. The softer, more nuanced flavor appeals to experienced mate enthusiasts seeking sophisticated expression, though the fine cut and preparation requirements suggest this version for those with expertise and proper equipment rather than casual consumption.

Canarias Té Verde y Jengibre combines Uruguayan yerba mate with green tea and ground ginger, creating incredibly aromatic and flavorful blend with unique, very original taste. The green tea selection provides antioxidant contribution while ginger aids digestion, delivering sophisticated blend for those seeking lighter mate experience with fresh, spicy-sweet notes and functional wellness properties alongside traditional mate benefits.

What does Canarias Te Verde y Jengibre taste like?

Canarias Té Verde y Jengibre tastes herbal, grassy, and woody with spicy ground ginger note throughout. The ginger character resembles ground ginger with delicate hint of spice and sweetness creating comforting warmth, while the green tea contributes complexity alongside yerba mate base. The medium-bodied profile delivers balanced flavor across all serving temperatures (60-85°C), maintaining consistent herbal, grassy character with distinctive spicy dimension. The overall taste profile creates fresh, spicy-sweet experience comfortable for both traditional hot mate and cold tereré preparations, with green tea antioxidants complementing yerba mate's natural benefits.

About the manufacturer

Té Verde y Jengibre comes from Canarias' exploration of complementary herbal and botanical blends beyond traditional offerings. The combination of Uruguayan yerba mate (P.U.1 cut) with selected green tea and ground ginger represents thoughtful ingredient pairing for both flavor and functional benefit. The blend maintains quality standards established by CAFES LA VIRGINIA S.A., ensuring consistency and genuine ingredient integration without artificial character.

How do you prepare Canarias Te Verde y Jengibre?

Canarias Té Verde y Jengibre prepares identically to other Canarias variants: fill your gourd two-thirds full, pour hot water (70-80°C), insert the bombilla, and drink. The blend works equally well as traditional hot mate and cold tereré, maintaining flavor balance across temperature ranges. The green tea and ginger components support digestive wellness alongside flavor, making it ideal for health-conscious consumption. The fine Uruguayan cut (P.U.1) with associated dust content requires hook or spoon bombillas to prevent clogging, but rewards proper preparation with distinctive taste combining yerba mate boldness with complementary botanical brightness.