Our Pick: CLEAN Cause
Check price →The Best Yerba Mate Variety Pack (2026): How to Sample Mate
The fastest way to find your mate is to taste across the field, not commit to one kilo. Here are the best variety packs to buy — plus how to build your own loose-leaf sampler to taste con palo vs sin palo vs unsmoked.
By The Yerba Mate Reviews Desk · 8 min · Updated 2026-06-14
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Our top picks
Best Variety Pack
Sparkling Yerba Mate Variety 12-PackCLEAN Cause
Multiple flavors of low-sugar sparkling mate in one box — the easiest way to find your can.
$30–$40 / 12pk
Check price →Read review ↓Best Canned Flavor to Compare
Yerba Mate Revel BerryGuayakí (Yerba Madre)
The category-defining sweet, still can — sample it against CLEAN Cause's sparkling to find your format.
$30–$40 / 12pk
Check price →Read review ↓Best DIY Loose-Leaf Sampler
Build-Your-Own Loose-Leaf SamplerGuayakí · Cruz de Malta · Kraus
Buy a few small bags from different brands and taste con palo, sin palo, smoked, and unsmoked side by side.
Varies (a few small bags)
Check price →Read review ↓The short answer: if you want a true ready-to-drink variety pack, the CLEAN Cause Sparkling Variety 12-Pack is the best buy — multiple flavors of low-sugar, organic sparkling mate in one box, so you can find the flavor you like before committing. For canned flavor sampling, add a few Guayakí cans; and to learn what you actually like in brewed mate, build your own loose-leaf sampler from a few brands.
Here's the thing variety packs solve: mate is a wide category, and one bag or one flavor doesn't tell you whether you'll love it. A variety pack lets you taste several options for the price of committing to one — which is exactly what a newcomer (or a gift recipient) needs. For cans, that's a literal multi-flavor pack. For loose leaf, the smart move is to buy a few smaller bags from different brands and taste the styles side by side.
We cover both: the best canned variety pack to buy off the shelf, and how to assemble a loose-leaf sampler that teaches you the three things that define mate — stems (con palo vs sin palo), smoke (smoked vs unsmoked), and origin. Mate is a caffeinated beverage, not a supplement. Not medical advice.
The short version
- Best ready-made variety pack: CLEAN Cause Sparkling Variety 12-Pack — several flavors of low-sugar, organic sparkling mate, 160mg caffeine each.
- Best for sampling canned flavor: Guayakí cans (e.g. Revel Berry) — the category-definer; add one to compare sweet-and-still against CLEAN Cause's sparkling.
- Build your own loose-leaf sampler: buy small bags of a few brands and taste the styles side by side — that's how you learn what you like.
- The three things to taste for: stems (Guayakí/Cruz de Malta are con palo, smoother), smoke (Cruz de Malta smoked vs Kraus unsmoked), and origin.
- A loose-leaf sampler trio that covers the map: Guayakí (Argentine, con palo, unsmoked), Cruz de Malta (Argentine, con palo, smoked), Kraus (organic, genuinely unsmoked).
- Caffeine runs high in cans (~160mg for CLEAN Cause) vs ~30–50mg per 8oz of brewed loose leaf — sample, but mind the total.
- A variety pack is the cheapest way to find your mate — and the easiest mate gift.
| Pick | What it samples | Format | Caffeine | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLEAN Cause Variety 12-pack | Multiple sparkling flavors | Cans | 160mg / can | $30–$40 / 12pk |
| Guayakí Revel Berry | A sweet, still canned flavor | Cans | 150mg / can | $30–$40 / 12pk |
| DIY loose-leaf sampler | Con palo · sin palo · smoked · unsmoked | Loose leaf | ~30–50mg / 8oz | Varies (a few small bags) |
The best ways to sample yerba mate — a ready-made can variety pack, a flavor to compare, and a build-your-own loose-leaf sampler.
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You found us on Yerba Mate Variety Pack— 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 Variety Pack
Our PickSparkling Yerba Mate Variety 12-Pack
Multiple flavors of low-sugar sparkling mate in one box — the easiest way to find your can.
Lab report: Sparkling ready-to-drink yerba mate, organic, low-sugar, multiple flavors, 160mg caffeine per 16oz can. Company donates 50% of profits to addiction recovery.
This is the literal answer to "best yerba mate variety pack": a single box with multiple sparkling flavors of CLEAN Cause's low-sugar, organic mate. Instead of buying one flavor and hoping you like it, you taste several and learn your favorite — which is exactly what a variety pack is for.
At 160mg of caffeine per can it's a strong can, so don't taste your way through four in an afternoon — pace it. And it's sparkling and lightly flavored, which not everyone wants; if you'd rather a sweet still can, sample a Guayakí alongside it.
- Samples
- Multiple sparkling flavors
- Caffeine
- 160mg / can
- Sugar
- Low sugar
- Certified
- Organic
- Where to buy
- Amazon
What we like
- A real multi-flavor variety pack
- Low sugar, organic
- Sparkling and refreshing
- 50% of profits to recovery
Worth noting
- One brand's sparkling style only
- 160mg per can — pace your sampling
- Sparkling isn't for everyone
Who should buy it: Anyone who wants to taste several mate flavors in one purchase, plus gift-givers who want a low-risk, crowd-pleasing sampler.
What we don't like: It's all one brand's sparkling style, and at 160mg per can it's strong — easy to over-caffeinate if you sample several quickly.
Bottom line: If you want a true variety pack you can buy off the shelf, this is it: a 12-pack of CLEAN Cause's sparkling mate in several flavors, so you can taste the range and find the one you reach for. It's low-sugar, organic, and the brand donates 50% of its profits to addiction recovery.
02 · Best Canned Flavor to Compare
Yerba Mate Revel Berry
The category-defining sweet, still can — sample it against CLEAN Cause's sparkling to find your format.
Lab report: Organic yerba mate, ready-to-drink, berry-sweetened, 150mg caffeine per 15.5oz can. Argentine/rainforest-grown leaf.
A good sampler isn't just flavors of one thing — it's different formats. Guayakí Revel Berry is the sweet, still, berry-forward can that defined the category, and tasting it next to CLEAN Cause's sparkling, low-sugar cans tells you instantly which direction you prefer.
It's sweetened (it has sugar), and at 150mg of caffeine it's a strong can too — so count it toward your daily total when you're tasting several.
- Samples
- A sweet, still canned flavor
- Caffeine
- 150mg / can
- Sugar
- Sweetened (berry)
- Certified
- Organic
- Where to buy
- Amazon
What we like
- The benchmark canned flavor
- Organic leaf
- Bright, easy berry flavor
- Great contrast to sparkling cans
Worth noting
- Sweetened (has sugar)
- A single flavor, not a pack
- 150mg adds to your sampling total
Who should buy it: Anyone sampling canned mate who wants to compare a sweet, still can against a low-sugar sparkling one before committing.
What we don't like: It's sweetened (not for the sugar-averse), it's a single flavor rather than a pack, and at 150mg it adds to your sampling caffeine total.
Bottom line: To know whether you like your canned mate sparkling or still, sweet or low-sugar, you have to taste both sides — and Guayakí Revel Berry is the still, sweeter benchmark to set against CLEAN Cause. It's organic, berry-forward, and the can most people have actually tried.
03 · Best DIY Loose-Leaf Sampler
Build-Your-Own Loose-Leaf Sampler
Buy a few small bags from different brands and taste con palo, sin palo, smoked, and unsmoked side by side.
Lab report: A self-assembled sampler: Guayakí (Argentine, con palo, unsmoked), Cruz de Malta (Argentine, con palo, smoked), and Kraus (organic, genuinely unsmoked). Buy small sizes to taste the styles.
Cans are great for convenience, but if you want to learn brewed mate, you sample the styles, not just brands. Buy small bags of a few mates picked to contrast on the things that define the cup. Our starter trio: Guayakí (Argentine, con palo, unsmoked — the smooth benchmark), Cruz de Malta (Argentine, con palo, but smoked — so you taste exactly what smoke adds), and Kraus (genuinely unsmoked, organic — the clean-and-green end).
It's more effort than grabbing a can, but it's the real education — and once you know your style, you buy that one by the kilo. Brew each below scalding (let hot water cool under ~65°C) and rinse your bombilla between brands.
- Samples
- Con palo · smoked · unsmoked, across brands
- Trio
- Guayakí · Cruz de Malta · Kraus
- Format
- Loose leaf (brew it yourself)
- Caffeine
- ~30–50mg / 8oz
- Where to buy
- Amazon
What we like
- Teaches you the real styles of mate
- Taste smoked vs unsmoked directly
- Pick exactly what you want to compare
- Leads you to the right kilo
Worth noting
- You assemble it yourself
- Needs brewing gear
- Small bags cost more per gram
Who should buy it: Anyone serious about finding their favorite brewed mate, who'd rather taste the styles side by side than commit to one kilo blind.
What we don't like: You assemble it yourself (no single 'pack' to buy), it needs a gourd or French press, and small bags cost more per gram than a 1kg commitment.
Bottom line: True loose-leaf 'variety packs' are rare, so the best way to sample brewed mate is to build your own: a few small bags chosen to cover the styles. Our trio — Guayakí, Cruz de Malta, and Kraus — lets you taste con palo, smoked vs unsmoked, and different brands side by side, which is how you actually learn what you like.
How we chose
We judge variety packs on how well they let you taste the real spread of mate before committing: number of distinct flavors or styles, ingredient quality (organic, non-GMO), value per serving, and how beginner-friendly the sampling is. For cans, that means actual multi-flavor packs; for loose leaf — where true 'variety packs' are rarer — we recommend assembling a sampler from a few small bags that deliberately cover con palo vs sin palo, smoked vs unsmoked, and different origins.
A note on health framing: yerba mate is a caffeinated beverage, not a supplement or a treatment. Canned mate is dosed high (CLEAN Cause ~160mg, Guayakí ~150mg per can) versus ~30–50mg per ~8oz of brewed loose leaf, so when you're sampling several in a day, the caffeine adds up — pace yourself, and more so if you're pregnant or caffeine-sensitive. (The IARC's documented caution about mate is specifically about drinking it *very hot* — above 65°C/149°F — not about cold cans; let any hot-brewed sample cool below scalding.) This isn't medical advice.
Questions, answered
What is the best yerba mate variety pack?
For a ready-made can variety pack, the CLEAN Cause Sparkling Variety 12-Pack is the best buy — several flavors of low-sugar, organic sparkling mate in one box (160mg caffeine each). To compare formats, add a Guayakí can (sweet and still). For brewed mate, there are few true 'variety packs,' so the best move is to build your own sampler from a few small loose-leaf bags.
Is there a loose-leaf yerba mate sampler?
True loose-leaf variety packs are rare, so the smart approach is to assemble your own: buy small bags from a few brands chosen to contrast the styles. A good starter trio is Guayakí (Argentine, con palo, unsmoked), Cruz de Malta (Argentine, con palo, smoked), and Kraus (organic, genuinely unsmoked) — that lets you taste con palo, smoked vs unsmoked, and different brands side by side.
How should I taste-test different yerba mates?
Sample for the three things that define mate: stems (con palo vs sin palo), smoke (smoked vs unsmoked), and origin. For cans, taste a sparkling low-sugar one (CLEAN Cause) against a sweet still one (Guayakí). For loose leaf, brew a smoked mate next to an unsmoked one to learn whether smoke is for you. Rinse your bombilla between brands, and pace your caffeine since it adds up fast.
Is a yerba mate variety pack a good gift?
Yes — it's one of the easiest mate gifts because it's low-risk: instead of guessing the recipient's one favorite, you give them several to try. The CLEAN Cause variety 12-pack is a crowd-pleasing, ready-made option, and a self-assembled loose-leaf trio is a thoughtful pick for someone who wants to learn to brew.
How much caffeine is in a yerba mate sampler?
It depends on format. Canned mate is dosed high — CLEAN Cause ~160mg and Guayakí ~150mg per can — while brewed loose leaf is roughly 30–50mg per ~8oz serving (though you refill a gourd many times). When you're sampling several in one day, that caffeine stacks up, so pace yourself and mind your total, especially if you're pregnant or caffeine-sensitive. Not medical advice.
Should I start with canned or loose-leaf yerba mate?
Start with whichever matches your effort level. Cans (a variety pack) are the zero-equipment way to find out if you like mate at all. Loose leaf teaches you the real styles and is far cheaper per serving, but it needs a gourd or French press. Many people use cans to get hooked, then move to loose leaf to go deeper and save money.
Filed under Buyer's Guide
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Con Palo vs Sin Palo: The Yerba Mate Stems Guide
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