Yerba Mate – The Drink Of the Gods
Or at least that’s how indigenous peoples referred to it. In our opinion, whenever people of various geographies refer to plants with this kind of reverence it is usually worth investigating. What do we see when we did deeper into this interesting South American herbal tea? Well first off there are many reported health benefits. So much so if we were to tout all of them you might think it snake oil. But here are a few; purportedly yerba mate can help reduce fatigue, increase energy and endurance. It is also said to be rejuvenating and increase focus. As if that wasn’t enough it is also thought to burn fat as well as increase libido. In addition, Yerba Mate is said to assist in many more beneficial ways.
What is it about Mate that gives it these life-enhancing qualities? It’s the nutritional properties of course! Mate contains a plethora of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and amino acids. This is probably why we’ve heard that in South America some call it a liquid vegetable. It’s also been reported that during times of famine natives have sustained themselves by consuming this miracle drink.
We will cover the in depth the traits and benefits in Yerba Mate in future posts. And there is much documentation as well as many studies one can find if you are looking to validate this miracle drink. It should be noted though that there are two “flavors” of mate available. One smoked and one is not. The smoked flavor has more of a strong woodsy, earthy and of course smoky taste, where as the un-smoked has a light vegetal and green tea like flavor. We think the flavor of the un-smoked has a more universal appeal and the smoked variety falls into the acquired taste category, although some will love it.
At Tea Vue we don’t carry the smoked variety because the smoking process creates carcinogens. Why on earth would you ad carcinogens to such a health promoting plant for consumption?! Also, some Mate’s are aged for up to two years for consumption as where ours is as fresh as possible in order to preserve the freshness and vital nutrients.
* We hope you have found this post helpful or at least interesting. If you are in the market for a Mate check out our organic Yerba Mate offering. We search high and low to find the highest quality teas from around the world to make available to our customers. Also, be sure to Subscribe to our RSS feed and follow us on Facebook as our inventory changes quickly.