Organic Yerba Mate Loose Leaf Tea - 100% Unsmoked Traditional Cut from Argentina - 5 lb Bulk Bag - Caffeine Boost for Energy & Focus - Perfect for Morning Rituals, Workouts, and Study Sessions

I'm a long-time coffee drinker (sometimes 4+ cups a day), but switched over to yerba mate 2 months ago because of health concerns. Yes, there's conflicting literature that comes out every few years going back and forth on the benefits or harm of coffee, but I've never heard anything bad about green tea or yerba mate, so why not drink that instead? Plus, I hated the way coffee made my pee smell like coffee. Instead of buying the bottled mate from places like Whole Foods, I decided to shop around for bulk tea to make my own.This is my first experience with dry mate, so I have no basis for comparison to other loose yerba mate brands. Price, of course, was a factor, but sourcing and sustainability are also important to me. I love that the product is organic and fair-trade certified. Even the packaging is eco-friendly, being just a paper bag with a pliable metal cinch strip at the top. Mine arrived from Amazon without incident.I make mine strong in a coffee press and pour it over ice when I'm at home. At the office, I make a liter pitcher or two of it almost every day to share with coworkers. Taste-wise, it can be bitter to some people, but people accustomed to drinking green teas (particularly Japanese green teas like sencha) will have no problem adjusting to its "grassy" taste. I like the flavor much better than the bottled stuff from Guayaki. Now, that stuff to me is bitter.5 lbs is a lot of mate. It's like a small pillow of tea! At my rate of consumption, it will last me about 6 months. There is a fair amount of dust that flies up when handling the tea (powderized leaves from processing), but I take it as part of the territory. This is a traditional "whole plant" mate, which includes some stem. I'm not sure what the percentage is, but one guide I looked at states that a traditional blend is typically around 12% stem. The stems not only serve to bind the tea together in the bombilla and act as a natural strainer of sorts, but they also mellow out the taste.I make mine in a coffee/tea press. If you're super eco-friendly, you can throw the remains into the compost bin. The finely-ground tea particles will stick everywhere though, so you will need to rinse well.UPDATE: 5/21/16 - Six months in, I'm still on my first bag (there's about 1/4 left), making this a superb value. I don't drink it every day, but that ought to give you some idea of just how much mate there is in here!UPDATE: 9/28/16 - I'm re-ordering this 5 lb bag. I still have about a week's supply left. This bag remains one of the most cost-effective ways I've found to enjoy my own mate. One bag lasted almost a year. The bag is compostable (plastic lining inside is plant-based). Just be sure to remove the metal cinch before composting.