Frequently Asked Questions about Yerba mate

Many people write to us asking questions about Yerba Mate, so we thought it would be a good idea to record them here in our blog to help people get the answers they want on-line.

Questions about drinking Yerba Mate

Is mate tea legal?

Yes, its true, we get this question suprisingly a lot. And likely for two reasons, the first being the fact that the traditional way of drinking mate is to drink it from a small wooden gourd (the mate) through a straw (the bombilla). This looks similar to a water pipe (hookah/bong). After adding hot water from a flask the tea is ready to drink but often makes a sucking noise when you drink the remaining water and the sound is similar to that of a water pipe!
The second reason is likey to be the effects that drinking mate tea can have on the body and mind. It is a stimulant drink with low levels of cafeine but importantly it is rich in antioxidants and many of the trace elements that your body needs on a daily basis to operate at its peak. If your body is operating at peak and your alertness levels are raised I suppose you can be forgiven for thinking that it is too good to be true. But it is true. It is a healthy drink and improves digestive productivity - helping you avoid putting on weight and get through your day alert and energised.

I tried mate once and I didn't like it. Is there a type of mate that I will like?

Yes, good question. Many who try mate the traditional way for the first time are dissapointed with its taste. Although I said the same about red wine when I was yonger and believe me I love red wine now!
Some useful things to think about when choosing which blend is right for you are

• Do you prefer a strong tea?
• Do you prefer to savour the flavour?
• Do you like herbal flavoured teas?
• Will you be drinking the traditional way or with a tea pot or tea bags?

Depending on your answer above there are different blends to suit each of the above. This blog outlines the different types of yerba but I will repeat here the types and try to relate which type might suit you

• With stick (con palo) With stick is more flavoursome and smooth to drink. It depends on the drinker, but often with stick additional herbs and fruity flavours (such as citrus) can be added to enhance the experience. Kraus Silvestre already has a special blend of natural flavours (including peppermint)

• Without stick (sin palo) Without stick is usually a stronger taste and suits those who prefer to have only one hot drink a day and want to do it quickly

• Polvo (very finely chopped) This yerba is very popular in South America and because of its fine cut it can be difficult to drink if not prepared by an experienced tea preparer (cerbador).

• Aged (añejada) This yerba is usually naturally dried over longer periods and because of the slow process is usually made from the finer parts of the plant (as occurs with high end Chinese green tea varieties). The flavour is more full and the energy boost is often more noticeable.

There are other ways of classifying types of yerba which we do not cover here (because we only offer expertise on those brands we can recommend), but you can search the web for smoked and diet brands but they are usually more of a gimmick and often poor quality.