Yerba Mate

Description

Yerba Mate

Greenish and vegetative. Yerba Mate is rich in caffeine and was used as a caffeine beverage in Latin America before the advent of coffee.

Brazil Green Yerba Mate is also known as Paraguay tea.  Mate is an herb prepared from the leaves of a South America evergreen shrub, Illex paraguayensis, a relative of the common holly. The leaves are oval and about 6 inches long. Flowers of the plant are small and white. The fruit appears in small clusters of tiny red berries growing close to the stems of the plant. Like guarana and yopo, mate is rich in caffeine and was used as a caffeine beverage source by the native population of Latin America centuries before the European settlers arrived to establish coffee plantations.

Yerba Matte is called “The drink of the gods” by many of the indigenous people of South America who have brewed it for centuries. It was however, a people who believed in a different God that are responsible for the first commercial Yerba Matte plantations, the Jesuit missionaries. Upon arriving in the new world, the Jesuits quickly adopted the native practice of drinking Yerba Matte as a tea. At the time, Yerba Matte leaves were only being harvested from wild stands of trees. Owing to its widespread popularity, the Jesuits realized the large economic potential of the plant and founded the first Yerba Matte plantations during the mid-1600’s.

Mate leaves are processed somewhat like tea leaves. The tips of the branches are cut just before the leaves reach full growth and the leaves are steamed and dried (in fired mate the leaves are dried over fires) The dried leaves are sifted and allowed to age in order to enhance the flavor of the mate. The caffeine content of mate is comparable to that of mild coffee.

If you like Mate, then you need to check out our Samurai Mate, Mate Cooler, Roasted Chocolate Nut Mate.

Hot tea brewing method: Bring filtered or freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 teaspoon, for each 8oz of water in the teapot. Pour the boiling water into the teapot. Cover and let steep for 5-10 minutes according to taste (the longer the steeping time, the better the flavor as more fruit or herb flavor is extracted). Garnish and sweeten to taste.

Iced Tea: For a Liter or quart use 6 heaping Tbsp. of loose tea into teapot. Pour 1 1/4 cup boiling water on tea. Steep 5 minutes. Quarter fill serving pitcher straining tea. Add Ice.

Contains: Green Mate