Aviva Message From Our Founder

It is August already, but what an enjoyable summer it has been in the great Northwest. I know summer is not over, but for the last four days it has been raining (and I mean a downpour) in my world! What an active summer for me... river rafting in July, our annual golf outing in British Columbia... what a great time! One thing in common during all activities for me is the inclusion of yerba mate. During the river trip we steeped Passion Berry and Chai Mate tea bags in bottles. Because the temperature was between 95°and 100°, it was a great way to keep hydrated and put something good in our bodies.

I had some great comments from our river guide after I shared some iced mate with him. A while later, he commented on how the yerba mate really gave him a boost and he was still feeling great! And this was just after he set up camp! Not an easy chore. During our golf trip, while everyone would start the morning with coffee, I would drink hot brewed traditional yerba mate. By the end of the trip, I had converted a couple of the golfers. They liked how they felt more alert without being wound up and jittery-feeling.

We've always marketed yerba mate as a healthful alternative to coffee. Well, it appears we can easily make the same claim in regard to soft drinks. How many of you enjoy a regular cola every day? WELL, you may want to think twice before reaching for that can. A recent study conducted by researchers from Harvard University suggests a link between sugary sodas and a heightened risk of diabetes.

A Look Ahead.... Our Latte lovers are going to enjoy this one. We have three new options for you. All you need is an espresso machine. This is a real good reason for all of us own own a espresso machine but keep it under the counter, because we could never make the late or mocha taste like the coffee shop down the street, to get them out.

Our different versions of our original matelatte are perfect for someone wants to pamper themselves with a little latte indulgence. All versions of our product are ground finely. This process is necessary in an espresso machine to get the proper extraction of yerba mate. The contact time (when water comes in contact with the yerba or coffee when making a traditional coffee latte or a matelatte) is crucial . A good example is using coarse yerba or yerba with sticks and stems. If you were to brew these in an espresso machine, you would have little extraction because the water would run through the espresso machine head too fast. With our finely ground matelatte, it causes the water to run through slowly and this increases the extraction of the yerba, giving the latte drinker more of the good stuff packed in the yerba mate. In the industry, from the time you start your espresso pour until you have the desired amount of liquid is called "pour time", very important. This time tells you if you extracted a proper shot or an improper shot. For all you coffee drinkers, a good standard for coffee is one ounce of liquid in between 20 and 25 seconds.

Here is a list of our new offerings:

Matelatte – Made with 100% traditional yerba mate. Meant to be brewed the same way a traditional coffee latte is brewed, two ounces of liquid yerba, 90% steamed milk,10% foam and three quarter to one ounce of flavor of choice.
Shaman Matelatte - Made with 100% traditional yerba mate with organic lavender buds. This was designed to be blended with white chocolate and soymilk. Any other latte flavors or other milk works just as well.
Bengal Chai - Made with 100% traditional yerba mate, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, all spice, and cloves. We added a little extra ginger in this compared to our regular mate Chai. It gives it a nice spiciness like a traditional Chai from India. Our Bengal Chai contains no black tea. With this drink, it is meant to be made with a shot of vanilla; we use the sugar free at 0 calories compared to a shot of regular vanilla syrup at 60. Again, on this drink I prefer soy. Silk soy milk is a good brand.

Along with the three new matelatte’s, we are introducing vanilla syrup with two options, plain and sugar free. Not only are they great with the matelatte’s, they also doctor up traditional mate brewed with a coffee pot or French Press.

A bit windy this month, but I had a lot to say. I think you will enjoy our new offerings. These products will be available in the near future and announced as a monthly special in our newsletter. You'll be the first to know! Ohh the anticipation :-)

Don't forget, you have one week to take advantage of our August special, any 1 pound bag of teabags for $35.00. Also, our extended special for the month of July is still available. Five pounds of regular mate or any of our blends for only $50! That's almost 40% off the already special bulk price of some of our products. Big savings for VIP'S, our customers. The Aviva storefront is a great place to start.

*Both of these specials will terminate on August 31st.