Kalena Tradicional

First look

Nose

The first thing you notice when taking a whiff of Kalena Tradicional is its smokiness. But it is not a simple “burnt” smokiness — it’s savory, it’s sweet, it’s fragrant, like a good barbecue sauce, and really reminds me of Selecta Premium, and Paraguayan yerbas in general. I get sweet notes of pipe tobacco, still sweet but also slightly sour notes of prunes and raisins, and even some brothy, meaty and umami-like notes. The signature aged Argentine yerba mate aroma is still here, and notes of sawdust, hay and cedar add to the overall experience that just screams packed with flavor.

Cut

Looking at the cut of Kalena Tradicional, I can’t help but again draw parallels between this yerba mate and Paraguayan yerbas. It is a con palo cut, and the abundance of stems is clearly apparent, but they still don’t overpower the cut and are balanced adequately with leaves and dust. Speaking of dust — the cut of Kalena Tradicional is quite powdery, which is again a very “Paraguayan” quality. The only thing that gives away that this is an Argentine yerba mate is the color of the cut, which is a bit more vibrant than the cut of an average Paraguayan yerba. All in all, if I would’ve guessed the origin country of this yerba mate just by the smell and the look of its cut, I would probably lean more towards Paraguay rather than Argentina.

Obviously Kalena Tradicional was dried with smoke using the barbacuá method, but I was surprised to see how even is the color of the cut of this yerba mate. Usually, with this much fire and smoke exposure you inevitably get some slightly burnt and toasted brown leaves, but I don’t see any of these here. Kalena Tradicional looks very well crafted and elaborated, and truly earns an artisanal title.

Preparation

Despite the dustier than average cut, preparing mate from Kalena Tradicional is still pretty straightforward and easy. Using a spoon bombilla​ will guarantee a clog-free experience, and will make it easier to maintain the mountain, but I had no issues with other more clog-prone bombillas, such as spring bombilla​ or slotted bombilla​.

You might think that smoky and bold aroma will necessarily mean a mate that will be too bitter and strong with overly hot water, but it’s not the case with Kalena Tradicional. No matter the temperature of the water, it still made a balanced, flavorful and delicious mate. I would be lying if I said it tastes the same with 60° C / 140° F and 85° C / 185° F water, because the taste profiles are completely different, but more on that later. My point is that despite the barbacuá drying method, Kalena Tradicional is a very forgiving mate that will take any temperature of water if you have strong preferences for that. Personally, I don’t have any preferences and choose the temperature based on what’s best for the particular mate, and for Kalena Tradicional in my opinion it is in range between 60° C and 75° C / 140° F and 165° F . With water that is on a bit colder side, I find that you can expect a longed durability, and a very rich and unique evolution of taste that you just don’t get as much with 80° C / 175° F and higher.

Most convenient way to get ideal water temperature is to use an electric kettle​ or a stovetop kettle​ with temperature control. If you prefer traditional kettle you can use a infrared thermometer​ or a food thermometer​ .

Taste

First, let’s talk about the taste profile with 70° C / 160° F and higher temperature of water. Starting off you get that same overpowering smokiness that hits you first in the aroma of this yerba mate. If you never had smoky mate or don’t like smoked products in general, Kalena Tradicional may actually be too much for you. Compared to other Argentine yerbas, such as Rosamonte Tradicional or Sol y Lluvia Barbacuá, this smokiness is much more pronounced and less subtle. Again, my mind drifts from Argentina to Paraguay, with memories of Colon Tradicional, Pajarito Selección Especial, and already mentioned before Selecta Premium. It’s bold, ashy, tobaccoey, and surprisingly to me — not sweet at all. No longer I get barbecue sauce associations. This smokiness is dry, quite bitter right on the edge of being too strong, leathery and papery. At first, it doesn’t even taste edible at all! However, this overwhelming feeling passes after a few refills, where you start to get used to the smoke and other flavors gradually open up. Sweeter notes begin to come through, and this dry smokiness finally balances out. I get those dry fruits from the nose of Kalena Tradicional, like prunes and raisins, sweet pipe tobacco, and even some bready and pastry notes that stay until lavado.

If you decide to start with colder water, 60° C - 65° C / 140° F - 150° F , the harsh notes, like those smoky, leathery and ashy ones, will be much less prominent. I was actually pleasantly surprised with how smooth this mate became at such temperature! Sweetness is present right off the bat in the taste of Kalena Tradicional. I also get some chocolatey and almost milky notes, which I didn’t get at higher temperatures. At this temperature, Kalena Tradicional is syrupy, nutty, and slightly spicy, like a homemade eggnog. Slight smokiness is still there, but now it resembles more of that subtle Argentine smokiness that I got in brands such as Rosamonte or Sol y Lluvia, rather than Paraguayan one.

What I enjoyed the most about drinking Kalena Tradicional is to combine two of those different flavor profiles, and create a unique, delicious and rich evolution of flavors. And I suggest you do the same if you want to get the most enjoyment out of this mate: start with water that is about 75° C / 165° F , and sip it with a slow cadence. Ponder each sip, don’t rush for the next one. Let the water naturally cool down in the thermos over the course of the next few hours. Be patient, and observe how Kalena Tradicional shifts from bold, strong, bitter and smoky “rural” and “wild” mate, into a smooth, milky “tamed” and “gentle” drink.

Finish

Honestly, after such a comprehensive description of the taste of Kalena Tradicional, I struggle to provide the same for the aftertaste of this mate. There is nothing out of ordinary, and the finish of Kalena Tradicional pretty much follows up the flavors that I already described. Smokiness pretty much disappears in the aftertaste of this mate. The finish is slightly more nutty, with hints of cherry pit, but in general is much less pronounced than the initial taste. It also fades pretty quickly, allowing for a much faster drinking cadence, and making Kalena Tradicional a very drinkable mate despite its serious bitterness and smokiness. However, as I mentioned before, I highly recommend not to give in to this drinkability and pace yourself while drinking this mate to unlock a more diverse taste evolution.

Durability

As with many yerbas that I recently had, the temperature of water noticeably affects the durability of the mate. And Kalena Tradicional is not an exception from it — as I already mentioned before, water that is 80° C / 175° F or hotter won’t make this mate taste worse, but it will definitely make it shorter. On average, at such high temperatures I was getting about 20 refills, which is still solid and respectable. Colder water, however, makes Kalena Tradicional exceptionally long, considering that it’s an Argentine yerba mate. Not that there are no long Argentine yerbas (see Mate Rojo Selección Especial or Unión Original), but the majority of yerba mate from this country is usually short or moderate at best. With 60° C to 75° C / 140° F to 165° F water, I was able to get a very impressive 30 refills on average from Kalena Tradicional. Up until the very last refill this mate gives you an impression that it will last for 30 refills more, only to suddenly become completely washed out and finished without any decrescendo.

The last thing you want while drinking mate is to constantly re-heat your water or add more ice to it. No matter if it's hot mate or cold tereré, use a vacuum bottle​ or a very popular in South America mate thermos​ with spout.

Effect

Although not always the case, but with Kalena Tradicional strong flavors do translate into strong effects. This mate is a powerhouse of energy — don’t even think about drinking it before sleep! For review purposes I had to try Kalena Tradicional in the evening, and it not only made me completely lose any sleepiness and tiredness whatsoever, but it went overboard, and I felt jittery and restless, which was quite uncomfortable and reminded me of those several times when I had too much coffee. In the morning, however, this mate was absolutely amazing. I can imagine it being a lifesaver in situations where you absolutely have to wake up much earlier than usual or pull an all-nighter, but even during regular mundane mornings it made me instantly sharp, focused and concentrated, and unlike the evening I haven’t had any jitters or unrest. Also unlike coffee, Kalena Tradicional did not cause a crash, that is inevitable after high amounts of that caffeinated brew.

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What are your thoughts on Kalena Tradicional? Comment below!