Yerba Mate

Thought of in South America as a gift from the Guaraní God Tupá, this is a very popular tea in many parts of that continent. “Yerba” means herb and “Mate” refers to the gourd in which it is traditionally drunk.

This tea is obtained from “Ilex Paraguayensis”, a tree generally between 8 and 10 metres in height, although it can also reach 16 metres. It only grows in subtropical conditions and to propagate from seed, the seeds need to have passed through a bird’s digestive system to germinate, although it can apparently also be achieved by washing the seed repeatedly in water, to get rid of an outer coating.

The most highly regarded tea is “Yerba Caaminí”, only made from the leaves. The Spanish later started making it with stems included. This kind is called “de palos” or “con palos” and is considered inferior quality to the other, for being less concentrated.

However, yerba mate contains a brain stimulant, metal-xantine, also known as mateína, a substance similar to caffeine, but that does not produce heart palpitations. I initially tried a normal mate without stems that they sell in Spain, where I lived for many years, on the island of Mallorca, and I found the stimulant in it too concentrated for me. Even drinking the tea in the morning prevented me from sleeping the following night. My mind simply could not rest, but my heartbeat remained normal.

Therefore, I then tried the mild, or “suave” version, after having had that recommended to me in Puerto Pirámides and buying some on the spot to take home with me to Ireland, where I was living at the time and where one can’t get any in the shops, just like in Scotland, where I live at the moment, and bingo, I could sleep at night! The “suave” kind, however, is made as far as I know only with stems, the inclusion of which in the mixture, I should imagine, lessens its potency.

I hope this has cleared up this point sufficiently well for you.

Now, why drink Yerba Mate at all? Well, because it contains a wealth of beneficial vitamins and minerals like calcium, magnesium and iron, anti-oxidants, aids against osteoporosis, helps to fix phosphorous necessary for the nervous cells,... and no, it is not an addictive drug.

All these ingredients and properties (excellent regulator of the digestive system, too) makes on think of it being more of a soup than a drink!

The Guaranís filtered it through their teeth, which the Spanish understandably found rather revolting, so they set to work inventing a sieve-like contraption with a tube attached to it, through which just the liquid could be sucked as through a straw. This contraption was henceforth called a “bombilla” and is generally made of some kind of metal, originally silver, as this was what was available in abundance to the Spanish over there at the time.

The “Mate” gourd vessel can nowadays also be found in a metal version, especially handy if it is only meant for one person’s use. I found, for example, small enamel mugs with two handles on sale in many shops in Argentina for this purpose and it is what I use, too. The tea packets usually have instructions printed on their sides on how to prepare this tea properly, but take a look, for example, at the “Urushop” website, where this is also explained. Find it on my links page. As far as I know, this is the best place to buy Yerba Mate online in Britain and where I buy mine too. You might have to bring your enamel mug over from Argentina, though, as “Urushop” doesn’t as yet seem to feature it amongst their goods.