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Yerba Mate tea is a typical South American drink that is one of the most popular drinks in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. Yerba Mate is also becoming increasingly popular in Europe, be it as a natural energy drink, an appetite suppressant for a diet or simply because it tastes good.

mate-tee.de offers you a wide selection of varieties of yerba mate tea from the best and most famous brands in South America.

In addition to mate tea, we recommend other selected specialties from South America and Spain.

What is Yerba Mate?

YERBA MATE is the name of a tea-like infusion obtained from the leaves of Ilex Paraguarensis, which grows in Paraguay, Uruguay and Northeast Argentina, and is also grown in Brazil, mainly in the Parana River basin. Well known to the Guarani Indians, valued by them mainly as a remedy against fatigue and soothing the feeling of hunger, Yerba Mate came to Europe in the 17th century, thanks to Jesuit missionaries who popularized it as an alternative to tea imported from Asia. They also gave the infusion a name that derives from the word hierba (yerba in Old Spanish), meaning herb, and mati, the name Quechua Indians used for its drinking vessel. What makes drinking Yerba more and more popular? How often can you drink it? What types of Yerba Mate are on the market?

Properties and action of Yerba Mate

YERBA MATE contains as many as 196 active components, which is more than, for example, green tea. Research at the Pasteur Institute in Paris has shown that it has almost all the vitamins necessary to support life. Moreover, it is rich in carotene, magnesium, potassium, iron, calcium and many other minerals. Of course, this does not mean that it is the only drink we need to live, but that drinking Yerba has a lot of useful properties. Yerba mate stimulates the central nervous system, stimulates and increases the ability to concentrate at the same time, without causing side effects such as irritation or nervousness. It relaxes the muscles, lowers blood pressure and improves circulation. Yerba Mate has many properties that you should know about:

• generally stimulates the body, while alleviating the symptoms of fatigue (and unlike coffee, it contains traces of caffeine),
• supports concentration,
• soothes the feeling of hunger,
• improves metabolism,
• thanks to the content of xanthines (mainly mateine), it supports the treatment of asthma.

Scientifically proven health properties

Since the action of Yerba Mate seems to be a remedy for many ailments, it quickly became the subject of research by many scientists. Thanks to them, a lot of studies have been created that confirm or refute the previous findings:

• Yerba Mate has great antioxidant properties. As a result, it is very helpful in the prevention of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, inflammation and liver disease. However, only regular drinking of Yerba helps maintain its antioxidant effect in our body.
• Supports anti-cancer prophylaxis. It protects against the development of cancer cells by destroying the already formed ones and protecting healthy cells.
• It has a positive effect on the work of the circulatory system. It lowers the level of bad cholesterol and raises the level of good cholesterol, which is also important in the prevention of atherosclerosis. In addition, it has been proven that Yerba Mate has a protective effect on the heart - it alleviates its dysfunction and rebuilds damage.
• It has a slimming effect. Yerba Mate has a positive effect on the digestion of fats. Moreover, studies show that it contributes to reducing the time needed to achieve a subjective sense of satiety.
• It helps to cope with diabetes. Chlorogenic acid, a component of Yerba, is involved in the regulation of glucose release from the liver, which is important in insulin-dependent diabetes. In addition, the ingredients contained in Yerba Mate protect against complications in diabetes.
• Yerba Mate has anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and anti-parasitic properties. Thanks to this, it can have a supportive effect both in the case of internal and external diseases, e.g. in the case of dandruff, pneumonia.

The healing effect of Yerba Mate is still under research. Perhaps in the next few years we will get to know other useful properties of this drink.

How often is it recommended to drink Yerba Mate

Very often the question arises as to how often you can or even need to drink Yerba Mate, what the amounts are. It is difficult to give an unambiguous and specific answer. For example, in South America, Yerba remains a drink consumed on a daily basis in the amount of up to a dozen cups a day. The most important thing in quantifying yourself is to observe your reactions and listen to how your body responds to such a stimulating drink. Yerba does not work the same for everyone, so when you start it is worth trying suave yerb, which are very mildly stimulating. For some, such stimulation is enough and they do not have to reach for stronger species.

The most important types of Yerba Mate

There are many Yerba Mate brands on the market and a wide selection of them can be found in our store. The multiplicity of genera is due to the large number of species. These, in turn, result from the climate in which holly matures, the soil in which it grows, or the country where it is grown. The latter factor is important because growers from different countries also have different traditions of caring for plants and subsequent leaf processing:

• Yerba Mate from Paraguay has a very strong and intense flavor. The leaves are usually dried over fire smoke, which gives them a smoky flavor. Among the dried leaves you can also find small sticks.
• Yerba Mate from Argentina has the most varieties and species. The drying process is shorter, so it is not as intense as the Paraguayan one, and therefore good for everyone.
• Yerba Mate from Brazil is known as Erva Mate. This type of Yerba usually has a delicate flavor. It is available in a dust-free version with a coarse-cut leaf, a fine-cut leaf and in the form of very finely ground dried, even to such an extent that it resembles flour or dust. Finely ground Erva Mate after brewing creates a rather thick infusion and it is necessary to use a special bombilla called "bomb".

Usage method

Mate - a traditional Yerba Mate tea pot. It is made of natural gourd fruit, also called gourd or pot, decorated with metal.

Bombilla - a metal tube with a detachable strainer finished with a gold-plated mouthpiece. The swelling at the mouthpiece is decorative and functional as a cooler. As a result of use, bombilla may become discolored, which is the natural process of using bombilla.

Before using for the first time, the vessel must be properly prepared. To do this, you need to:

1. Pour the boiling water into the gourd and leave it with water for a maximum of 12 hours;
2. Pour the water from the vessel and use a spoon to gently clean the sides and bottom of the gourd from seeds and membranes by scraping. During cleaning, special care should be taken not to damage the conical outgrowth of the fruit protruding in the center inside the vessel, which is the end of the gourd. If damaged, the gourd may leak;
3. After cleaning, the inside of the vessel will not be perfectly smooth, which is a normal property of a gourd and is not harmful to health;
4. Both the gourd and its seeds and membranes are not edible products;

Caution. The cookware may "sweat" (water may condense on the outside of the cookware). This is a natural phenomenon and does not prevent proper use. The smell of burnt wood that characterizes a scalded gourd is a natural phenomeno.

Storage: after use, the vessel should be rinsed only with running water and left to dry in an upright, open position (face up) to ensure air access to the inside of the vessel. Yerba infusion should not be kept in a vessel for more than 10 hours. Gourds should not be preserved with oil or other fats or washed with chemicals. None of the products are dishwasher safe. You should also use cookware for microwave ovens or for direct heating over a fire. Complaints resulting from improper use, such as: symptoms of mold, mechanical damage, will not be accepted. The product should be stored in a dry, ventilated place.

 

Brewing yerba: put the tube into the vessel and then pour Yerba Mate volume of mate. Pour fully boiled and cooled water to 70-75⁰C and wait 3-5 minutes for the full taste of the infusion. The brew prepared in this way will allow you to enjoy the unique aroma and taste.