What is Yerba Mate?

Yerba mate is the legendary infusion from South America that is luring people away from their daily coffee fix.  Yerba mate first caught the attention of world-class athletes and health-conscious people, but now mate is becoming a favorite healthful daily ritual for all people taking their well-being seriously. Grown in the sub-tropical rainforests of Argentina, Brail and Paraguay, yerba mate has long been revered as the “drink of the gods”.
 
The legendary vitality beverage! 
For centuries, South America’s Ache Guayaki tribe have sipped yerba mate from a traditional mate gourd for its rejuvenative effects. These rainforest people find tremendous invigoration, focus, and nourishment in yerba mate.  The leaves of the rainforest mate tree naturally contain 24 vitamins and minerals, 15 amino acids, abundant antioxidants. In fact, The Pasteur Institute and the Paris Scientific society in 1964 concluded "it is difficult to find a plant in any area of the world equal to mate in nutritional value" and that yerba mate contains "practically all of the vitamins necessary to sustain life."

Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is a small tree native to the subtropical Atlantic forests of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. This evergreen member of the holly family was introduced to modern civilizations by the indigenous Guarani of Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil.  Yerba mate naturally contains 24 vitamins and minerals, 15 amino acids, abundant antioxidants, and is generally consumed for vitality, clarity, and well being.  Of the six commonly used stimulants in the world: yerba mate, coffee, tea, kola nut, cocoa, and guarana, yerba mate triumphs as natures most balanced stimulant, delivering both energy and nutrition.  Yerba mate is the uplifting and nourishing choice of health-minded individuals. 

There are many legends surrounding yerba mate, and it's known to the Argentine Gauchos (cowboys) as their "liquid vegetable", and to the native forest peoples who have survived periods of drought and famine by drinking yerba mate as the “Drink of the Gods”.  

The icon for yerba mate is the unique gourd from which it is consumed and shared, the Mate Gourd.  “Yerba” means herb.  “Mate” is derived from the quichua word,  "matí," which is the name of the gourd (Lagenaria vulgaris) traditionally used to drink yerba mate. So, literally, yerba mate means “herb cup”.  For centuries people have sipped yerba mate using a gourd and bombilla - a filter like straw.  It is believed that drinking yerba mate from the gourd is a joyful way to receive the healthful and invigorating properties of yerba mate.  The mate gourd is offered as a symbol of hospitality and is peacefully passed from hand to hand around a circle of friends while ideas are shared, stories are told, and a sense of community is created.  Yerba mate lifts the spirit. 

In Paraguay, yuyeras (herbalists) have been using yerba mate for centuries as the base of herbal medicine mixtures called “remedios” or remedies.  It is common to make “remedios” with yerba mate by steeping medicinal herbs in the water used to prepare mate in the gourd.  It is believed that by improving circulation and promoting balance, yerba mate acts as a catalyst to enhance the healing powers of other herbs.

Yerba mate contains caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine, well-known stimulants also found in tea, coffee and chocolate.  The caffeine content varies between that of green tea and coffee.  Unlike tea, yerba mate has a low tannin content so it can be strong like coffee with out becoming extremely bitter.  Unlike coffee, yerba mate is not oily and acid forming, so it is less likely to cause stomach acid and jitters.

Yerba mate is very versitile and can be prepared a variety of ways, from a tea infuser or French press to a coffee machine, even an esspresso maker.  It can be consumed hot, or cold, and served with with milk and honey or with lemon and mint.

Yerba Mate Defined
Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is a small tree native to the subtropical Atlantic forests of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. This evergreen member of the holly family was introduced to modern civilizations by the indigenous Guarani of Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil. An infusion, brewed from the dried leaves and stems of the tree, is consumed by millions of South Americans as a healthful alternative to coffee. Deemed “The Drink of the Gods” by many indigenous groups in South America and “the green gold of the Indios” by Europeans, yerba mate possesses a multitude of health benefits that have begun to attract the attention of American scientists and consumers.

Yerba mate was discovered centuries ago by the indigenous people in South America and has been revered as the “drink of the gods” and consumed to enhance health, vitality, and longevity. With 24 vitamins and minerals, 15 amino acids, abundant antioxidants and naturally occurring caffeine, yerba mate triumphs as nature’s most balanced stimulant.

Of the six commonly used stimulants in the world: yerba mate, coffee, tea, kola nut, cocoa, and guarana, yerba mate is the healthiest, delivering both energy and nutrition.

Yerba mate, is a shade subtropical. Like high quality coffee, high quality mate is shade-grown; delivering more flavor and containing more medicinal and nutritional properties than the commercially grown, sun farmed varieties. It thrives in its natural rainforest environment located between the 10th and 30th parallels, in high humidity with up to 1500 mm of annual rainfall.

How is Yerba Mate Grown?
In the wild, the tree needs about 25 years to develop completely, reaching a height of up to 15 meters. When cultivated, the mate trees are pruned to a height of 3-5 meters to allow for harvesting. The harvesting (or careful pruning) of the leaves and tender stems begins after 3-4 years of age. Harvest takes place annually between May and July in most regions. At maturity, yerba mate has a unique bittersweet flavor. The tree can produce for about 40 years making it a perfect crop when sustainably harvested.

Botanical Information
The yerba mate tree looks similar to an orange tree, with a grayish trunk usually measuring 20-25 centimeters in diameter. Yerba maté is ready to harvest after seven years of growth, and usually doesn't exceed a height of 15 meters.

The leaves are alternated, elliptical or oval, with the border slightly serrated. It flowers between the months of October and December. Yerba mate is a dioecious plant, meaning that the male and female flowers are born on separate plants. The fruit is a very small globular double berry that is green when new, turning a brilliant red-purple with maturity. Yerba mate leaves and stems contain 196 active compounds compared to the 144 are found in Asian green tea (Camellia sinensis).

Yerba mate is a dioecious plant, meaning that the male and female flowers are born on separate plants. Flowering occurs between the months of October and December. The fruit is a very small globular double berry that is green when new, turning a brilliant red-purple with maturity.

Yerba mate grows wild in Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Brazil. It thrives most efficiently between the 10th and 30th parallels. Yerba maté prefers high temp/high humidity and up to 1500 mm of annual rainfall. Yerba mate is most widely cultivated in Paraguay, typically mono-cropped in direct sunlight.

At maturity, yerba mate has a unique bittersweet flavor. Shade-grown yerba mate possesses more medicinal and nutritional properties. The Paraguayan method of curing lends a slightly smoky flavor.

Learn about Mate History

Common Mistakes about Yerba Mate
People often call yerba mate an "organic herbal tea", but "herbal" refers only to plants that are not caffeinated.  Mate is not a "green tea" either, as "green tea" is the camelia sinensis plant which comes from Asia, and yerba mate is Ilex Paraguariensis from South America.  They do share some similar qualities in the way the are produced and the way the enhance health in the body, although yerba mate has more active compunds in it than green tea.  Read More.

The term "mateine" has been used to refer to the stimulant in yerba mate. Some researchers feel that the stimulating compound in yerba mate does differ from caffeine. We have elected to use the phrase "Naturally Caffeinated" to share the most accurate scientific information currently available.  Read More.

Yerba Mate is sometimes incorrectly misspelled yerba matte, erba mate, yerbah mate, yerba madte,  yerba matr, yerba matt, yerpa matte.