What is Yerba Mate?
Yerba mate, the national beverage of Argentina, is a naturally caffeinated tea-like super-beverage. It’s made from the dried Ilex paraguariensis and is packed full of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and polyphenols. It’s got the strength of coffee and the health benefits of tea! It was first consumed thousands of years ago by the indigenous Guarani of Paraguay and has become incredibly popular throughout South America.
While Argentina is the world’s leading producer of yerba mate, it also grown in Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil. The harvest is from April until September and is done manually. After the harvest, the tree regenerates its yerba mate and grows new leaves. The leaves are dried, chopped, and ground into a mixture called yerba. Traditionally, the drying process occurs over a fire. However, to avoid polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (some PAHs are classified as carcinogens), our yerba mate is air-dried for the quality and safety.
Like most teas or coffees, yerba mate can be served hot or cold. It is traditionally enjoyed from a mate (a gourd made from many possible materials including dried pumpkin, wood, etc.) with a bombilla (a metal filtering straw), like this 🧉. While many South Americans enjoy yerba mate daily like North Americans enjoy coffee, this was originally a communal drink. Gatherings of people would sit in a circle to share a gourd of yerba mate. It was known to symbolize friendship.
We searched Argentina for the finest yerba mate and what we found is a balanced, naturally caffeinated, and healthy alternative to coffee. Our yerba mate comes from a family farm in the Misiones province of Argentina that uses organic and ecological farming practices to minimize impact on the surrounding forest.
