| Size: | 5lb Bag. |
| Features: | Fair Trade, Certified Organic, Unsmoked, Pure Leaf Tea (no stems) |
| Origin: | Argentina |
Yerba mate leaves (aka yerva mate, erva mate) are the dried, roasted & aged leaves of a variety of South American holly (Ilex paraguariensis). They are traditionally steeped in hot water to make a tasty tea with an earthy, floral flavor that is known as yerba maté, Brazillian tea, Jesuit tea, or Paraguay tea.
Yerba mate is a particularly popular drink in Argentina, Brazil and many other South American countries.
Though yerba mate contains less caffeine than other common teas (25mg caffeine in an 8oz mug made with 2g of leaves), it is considered to offer a caffeine blend that offers a more balanced, lasting effect. See What is Caffeine for more information & beverage content comparisons.
Yerba mate is also believed to offer other health benefits, such as increasing one’s metabolism and aiding digestion while providing high amounts of antioxidants (roughly five times more than green tea), minerals, amino acids and B vitamins.
Storage: Store mate leaves in an air-tight container in a cool, dark, dry place (typically a cupboard or pantry).
Shelf Life: Stored properly, yerba mate will keep its potency for at least a year.
To make yerba mate tea, steep the leaves in hot (not boiling…around 170˚F) water until your desired level of flavor has been reached, about 4-5 minutes. We recommend 1 ½ - 4 teaspoons of yerba mate per 8oz mug of water.
In the US, many make mate by steeping the leaves, then straining them out, as you would loose-leaf tea. You can also use a French press to make mate, pressing the leaves to the bottom once the tea has reached your desired strength.
If you wish to serve mate in the traditional manner, you’ll need a gourd or gourd-shaped vessel (also known as a maté) and a bombilla straw. The leaves are left in traditional mate, and the bombilla has a built in filtering device to keep them from being drawn up the straw with the liquid.
To add additional flavor to your yerba mate, consider steeping the leaves with mint, citrus peel or zest (lemon or orange), or adding milk or brandy to the finished tea. Though maté is often not sweetened, some people add sugar, agave nectar or honey.
Yerba mate is also delicious iced. It’s frequently flavored with lime or lemon juice, and is more often sweetened than hot mate.
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