Translation from Spanish: Herb
Yerba Mate (pronounced YEHR-bah MAH-tay), or mate as it is called in Spanish-speaking locales, is a drink made from the beautiful plant pictured here, ilex paraguariensis.
The plant, which is from the holly family, is native to South America and its leaves are packed with antioxidants, minerals, and amino acids.
Yerba Mate has a mild flavor, primarily being vegetal, grassy and herbal. It's an easy flavor to drink and enjoy year round, thus its popularity. Typically Yerba Mate leaves contain slightly less caffeine on average than tea (camellia sinensis), and much less caffeine than coffee and guarana.
Yerba Mate is often enjoyed as simple tisane with its' leaves brewed in hot water. It also pairs well with other flavors. Store-bought bottled mate is sometimes brewed strongly and mixed with citrus or peppermint and sweetened with sugar or stevia.
Here at Good Karma Tea Co. we offer Mint Mate which is a blend of Yerba Mate Leaf Green and spearmint. The Leaf Green variety of Yerba Mate is warm air dried for 9 months to develop a smooth and drinkable tea. It is beautifully herbal and refreshing, and it’s my tea of choice on a quiet but focused afternoon at work.
Today we're introducing a new Yerba Mate blend, Mateado Vanilla! This smooth, well rounded tea blends Yerba Mate with bourbon vanilla bean and vanilla extract, creating a warm, creamy, slightly earthy flavor. It's a welcome sipping drink when you're on-the-go.
If you've made it all the way through this blog post then it's official...YOU'RE-BA MATE too now!