Our Pick: Guayakí (Yerba Madre)
Check price →The Best Flavored Yerba Mate (2026)
If plain mate tastes too earthy or bitter, flavored mate fixes it — sweetened or fruit-forward cans, a stevia tea bag, or citrus and mint you add yourself. Here are the best flavored yerba mates, ranked.
By The Yerba Mate Reviews Desk · 9 min · Updated 2026-06-14
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Our top picks
Best Overall Flavored Mate
Revel Berry Yerba Mate CansGuayakí (Yerba Madre)
Organic, berry-forward, ~150mg — the most flavorful flavored mate, and you can buy it anywhere.
$28–$38 / 12pk
Check price →Read review ↓Best Low-Sugar / Sparkling
Sparkling Yerba Mate (Variety Pack)CLEAN Cause
Sparkling, low-sugar, multiple flavors — the cleanest way to drink flavored mate.
$25–$35 / 12pk
Check price →Read review ↓Best Sweetened Tea Bag
Maté Royale (Stevia-Sweetened Tea Bags)Wisdom of the Ancients
Stevia-sweetened organic mate bags — softens the bitterness with no sugar and no gourd.
$8–$14 / 25ct
Check price →Read review ↓Short answer: if plain yerba mate tastes too earthy, grassy, or bitter for you, the easiest fix is a flavored ready-to-drink can — Guayakí Revel Berry is the most flavorful and widely available, and CLEAN Cause's sparkling variety pack is the low-sugar, fizzy option. If you'd rather brew, Wisdom Maté Royale is a stevia-sweetened tea bag that softens mate's bite, and the cheapest move of all is to add citrus peel or fresh mint to a gourd of loose leaf yourself.
"Flavored" mate covers three different things: pre-flavored RTD cans (fruit-forward, ready to drink), lightly-sweetened bagged mate (a stevia or sugar note that rounds off the bitterness), and DIY flavoring (loose leaf plus your own add-ins). Each solves the same problem — mate's signature earthy, slightly bitter profile — in a different way, at a different price and effort level.
We rank for flavor on how well each tames mate's earthiness, how clean the ingredients are (sugar, certification, additives), and convenience. As with any mate, the caffeine is real and the numbers are honest below.
The short version
- Best overall flavored mate: Guayakí Revel Berry cans — organic, fruit-forward, ~150mg caffeine, and stocked almost everywhere.
- Best low-sugar / sparkling: CLEAN Cause variety pack — sparkling, organic, ~5g sugar, multiple flavors, and 50% of profits fund addiction recovery.
- Best sweetened tea bag: Wisdom Maté Royale — stevia-sweetened organic bags that soften mate's bitterness with no gourd required.
- Cheapest route: add citrus peel, lemon, mint, or fresh herbs to plain loose leaf in your gourd — the traditional way to flavor mate.
- Sugar is the trade-off: the tastiest cans (Guayakí) carry more sugar; the cleanest (CLEAN Cause, DIY) carry little or none.
- Flavoring tames mate's earthy, slightly bitter profile — the #1 reason newcomers bounce off plain mate.
| Product | Type | Flavor | Sugar | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guayakí Revel Berry | RTD can | Berry, fruit-forward | Higher (sweetened) | $28–$38/12pk |
| CLEAN Cause Sparkling | RTD can (sparkling) | Variety (citrus, berry…) | Low (~5g) | $25–$35/12pk |
| Wisdom Maté Royale | Tea bag (sweetened) | Smooth, stevia-sweet | Stevia (no sugar) | $8–$14/25ct |
| Loose leaf + add-ins | DIY | Citrus, mint — your call | None | From a kilo of leaf |
The best flavored yerba mate by route — cans for grab-and-go, a tea bag to brew, or flavor it yourself.
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You found us on Flavored Yerba Mate— let's make sure it's your best move (or find something even better).
First things first — what are you after with yerba mate?
01 · Best Overall Flavored Mate
Our PickRevel Berry Yerba Mate Cans
Organic, berry-forward, ~150mg — the most flavorful flavored mate, and you can buy it anywhere.
Lab report: Ready-to-drink, organic, sweeter/berry-forward flavor (Revel Berry). ~150mg caffeine per 15.5oz can.
Guayakí put canned mate on US shelves, and its flavored cans are the most flavorful and most available way to drink mate without tasting the earthy bite that turns newcomers off. Revel Berry leads — bright, berry-forward, organic, and around 150mg of caffeine per 15.5oz, a solid energy dose with a taste closer to a fruity soda than a traditional brew.
The trade-off is sugar: these carry more than the zero/low-sugar cans. If sweetness isn't a concern and you want the tastiest, easiest-to-find flavored mate, this is it; if you're watching sugar, see CLEAN Cause below.
- Type
- Canned (still)
- Flavor
- Berry / fruit-forward
- Sugar
- Higher (sweetened)
- Caffeine
- ~150mg / 15.5oz
- Where to buy
- Amazon / most stores
What we like
- Tasty, berry-forward flavor
- Fully masks mate's earthiness
- Organic, ~150mg caffeine
- Stocked almost everywhere
Worth noting
- More sugar than zero/low-sugar cans
- Less 'clean' than CLEAN Cause
Who should buy it: Anyone who finds plain mate too earthy and wants a tasty, fruit-forward mate they can buy almost anywhere — and isn't counting sugar.
What we don't like: It carries more sugar than the zero/low-sugar cans, so it's the wrong pick if a clean label or low sugar is your priority.
Bottom line: If plain mate's earthiness isn't for you, Guayakí's flavored cans are the easiest fix: organic, fruit-forward, around 150mg of caffeine, and stocked at most grocery and convenience stores. Revel Berry is the crowd-pleaser — closer to a fruity soda than a grassy gourd.
02 · Best Low-Sugar / Sparkling
Sparkling Yerba Mate (Variety Pack)
Sparkling, low-sugar, multiple flavors — the cleanest way to drink flavored mate.
Lab report: Ready-to-drink, sparkling, organic, low-sugar (~5g). 160mg caffeine per 16oz can. Variety pack of flavors. Brand donates 50% of profits to addiction recovery.
CLEAN Cause is the flavored mate for people who want taste without the sugar. It's sparkling — light, fizzy, organic, and low-sugar at around 5g — and the variety pack lets you sample citrus, berry, and other flavors to find what you like. It drinks like a flavored soda but isn't one, and at 160mg per 16oz it carries the biggest caffeine dose of the cans here.
At 160mg it's a real caffeine hit, so save it for when you want the dose rather than late in the evening. As a sparkling, low-sugar, mission-driven flavored mate, it's hard to beat.
- Type
- Canned (sparkling)
- Flavor
- Variety (citrus, berry…)
- Sugar
- Low (~5g)
- Caffeine
- 160mg / 16oz
- Mission
- 50% of profits to addiction recovery
What we like
- Low sugar (~5g), organic
- Sparkling and refreshing
- Variety pack of flavors
- Funds addiction recovery
Worth noting
- 160mg may be too much late in the day
- Lighter flavor than the sweeter cans
Who should buy it: People who want flavored mate but are watching sugar, like bubbles, and would rather their money fund addiction recovery than a soda conglomerate.
What we don't like: 160mg can be too much late in the day for caffeine-sensitive drinkers, and the flavors are lighter than Guayakí's sweeter, fuller fruit profile.
Bottom line: When you want flavored mate without the sugar load, CLEAN Cause is the pick: sparkling, organic, low-sugar (~5g), and sold as a variety pack so you can find your flavor. The bonus is the mission — 50% of profits fund addiction recovery.
03 · Best Sweetened Tea Bag
Maté Royale (Stevia-Sweetened Tea Bags)
Stevia-sweetened organic mate bags — softens the bitterness with no sugar and no gourd.
Lab report: Organic yerba mate tea bags, sweetened with stevia (no added sugar). Brew in any mug; no gourd or bombilla required.
For people who find plain mate too bitter but don't want a sugary can, a stevia-sweetened tea bag is the bridge. Wisdom's Maté Royale is organic mate sweetened with stevia, so the cup comes out smoother and lightly sweet without added sugar — and because it's a tea bag, there's no gourd, no bombilla, and no learning curve. Drop one in a mug of hot (not boiling) water and steep.
A bag is milder and less economical than a packed gourd of loose leaf, and the stevia note isn't for everyone — but as a no-gear, no-sugar way to make mate taste better, it's the simplest answer. Let it cool below scalding before drinking.
- Type
- Tea bag (sweetened)
- Flavor
- Smooth, lightly sweet
- Sweetener
- Stevia (no added sugar)
- Certified
- Organic
- Where to buy
- Amazon
What we like
- Stevia-sweetened — no added sugar
- Softens mate's bitterness
- No gear required
- Cheapest per serving here
Worth noting
- Stevia aftertaste isn't for everyone
- Milder than a gourd
- No refills / no ritual
Who should buy it: Beginners and office/travel drinkers who want a smoother, lightly-sweet mate with no gear and no added sugar.
What we don't like: Stevia has a distinct aftertaste some people dislike, a bag is milder than a gourd, and you miss the ritual and refills.
Bottom line: If you want to brew flavored mate rather than crack a can, Wisdom's Maté Royale is the pick: organic tea bags sweetened with stevia, so they soften mate's natural bitterness with no added sugar and no equipment. Steep one in any mug and you've got a smoother, sweeter cup.
How we chose
For a flavor-first guide we rank on three things: how well each option tames mate's natural earthy, grassy, slightly-bitter profile; how clean the ingredients are (added sugar, certification, synthetic flavors or sweeteners); and convenience (grab-and-go can, steep-a-bag, or brew-and-add-your-own). For sweetened picks we note exactly what's doing the sweetening — sugar, cane juice, or stevia.
A note on health framing: yerba mate is a caffeinated beverage, not a supplement or a treatment. Cans are dosed at roughly 120–160mg of caffeine; bagged and loose-leaf mate is commonly cited at ~30–50mg per ~8oz serving (with refills). Flavored cans can carry meaningful added sugar, so we flag it; if that matters to you, choose a zero/low-sugar can or flavor loose leaf yourself. One genuine caution is temperature: the IARC classifies drinking very hot beverages above 65°C (149°F) as probably carcinogenic, so let hot mate cool below scalding. As with any caffeine, moderate your intake and be mindful if you're pregnant or caffeine-sensitive. This isn't medical advice.
Questions, answered
What is the best flavored yerba mate?
For most people, Guayakí Revel Berry cans — organic, fruit-forward, ~150mg caffeine, and available almost everywhere. If you want low sugar and bubbles, CLEAN Cause's sparkling variety pack is the cleaner pick; if you'd rather brew a bag, Wisdom Maté Royale is stevia-sweetened; and the cheapest flavored mate is plain loose leaf with citrus peel or mint added yourself.
How do you make plain yerba mate taste better?
Add flavor in the gourd. Traditional add-ins include a strip of orange or lemon peel, fresh or dried mint, other herbs (yuyos), and a squeeze of citrus juice; some drinkers stir a little honey or sugar into the water. Switching to an unsmoked, con-palo (with-stems) mate also makes a smoother, less bitter cup. And brewing with hot — not boiling — water keeps mate from turning harsh.
Is flavored yerba mate high in sugar?
It depends on the product. The sweeter ready-to-drink cans (like Guayakí Revel Berry) carry meaningful added sugar, while low-sugar cans (CLEAN Cause, ~5g) and stevia-sweetened tea bags (Wisdom Maté Royale) keep it minimal. If you want flavor with no sugar at all, flavor plain loose leaf yourself with citrus or mint. Always check the label for the exact number.
Does flavored yerba mate still have caffeine?
Yes. Flavoring doesn't remove the caffeine. Flavored cans are dosed at roughly 120–160mg per can, and bagged or loose-leaf mate is commonly cited at ~30–50mg per ~8oz serving (with refills). Many drinkers describe mate energy as smoother than coffee, but that 'no jitters' claim is anecdotal, not settled science.
What can I add to yerba mate for flavor?
Common add-ins are citrus peel (orange or lemon), a squeeze of citrus juice, fresh or dried mint, and herbal blends ('yuyos'). For cold mate (tereré), citrus and herbs are especially popular. You can also lightly sweeten the water with honey or sugar. Add-ins go right into the gourd against the packed leaf before you pour.
Is flavored yerba mate bad for you?
Flavored mate is a caffeinated beverage like any other mate — the main thing to watch is added sugar in the sweeter cans, so check the label and choose low-sugar or stevia options if that matters to you. The one well-documented caution for all mate is temperature: the IARC links drinking very hot beverages (above 65°C/149°F) to elevated risk, so let hot mate cool below scalding. Moderate your caffeine and be mindful if you're pregnant or caffeine-sensitive. This isn't medical advice.
Filed under Buyer's Guide
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