As teas from across the world grow in popularity in the United States, we have ever more brands and varieties of tea to contend with, each with their own individual properties.
Today I'd like to introduce you to a "new" kind of tea called Yerba Mate.
Famed for it's "clean buzz" - a caffeine high that isn't accompanied by shaking or the crash commonly associated with coffee or traditional teas.
Yerba or Evra mate (pronounced mah-tay) is a species of holly native to South America.
As a herbal drink, it is prepared by steeping the leaves and twigs in hot water (not boiling).
The produced drink is referred to as "mate".
Flavor: Similar to green tea in many ways, the flavor of brewed mate is somewhat vegetal, and grassy.
Infused flavors with mint or citrus rinds are also common.
In Brazil and Argentina a toasted version is also popular, known as "mate tea", and is served sweetened either hot or cold with fruit juice or milk.
Toasted Yerba Mate has less of a bitter flavor and is more spicy.
Chemical Properties and Health Benefits: Yerba contains on average a smaller amount of caffeine compared to tea or coffee, with only 0.
7-1.
7% of it's dry weight (compared to around 3.
2% for dried ground coffee).
Studies have found that Yerba mate relaxes smooth muscle tissue while stimulating heart muscles, compared to the caffeine content of tea and coffee which tend to affect the central nervous system more pronounced than muscle tissue.
In terms of health benefits, research has primarily revealed both anti-obesity and cholesterol lowering properties.
Additionally, it has been shown to have the highest antioxidant potential of all species of ilex.
Though yerba has also been shown on in many studies to have anti-carcinogenic properties and cancer-fighting abilities, other studies have associated yerba mate consumption with an increased incidence of various types of cancer.
The jury is still out, and nothing conclusive has been proven either way.
The Culture of the Yerba Mate: Throughout South America societies, yerba mate is consumed in several servings throughout the day, often communally.
During cold weather, mate is served hot, while in hot seasons it is mixed with lemonade.
Due to it's bitter taste, mate is often sweetened with lemonade or milk and honey when drunk by younger children.
During a mate meeting, the host or whoever brought the mate prepare the drink and refills the communal gourd from which everyone drinks.
The gourd is passed around the group, each person drinking until it is empty, and returned it to the host to add more hot water.
A metal straw with a filter on one end prevent the drinker from getting a mouthful of leaves.
Paraguayans have a particularly toxic habit of mixing mate with the crushed leaves, stems and flowers of the plant "agosto poty" during the months of August, which contain alkaloids - though we don't suggest you try to copy this as it is known to lead to a rare liver condition called veno-occlusive disease, or liver failure.