The Organic & Green Living expo came and went and although we didn't get to attend any of the excellent seminars we did hear some excellent feedback about many of the presentations that were open. Some people came to both days so that they could see presentations that they missed due to clashes on the first day. The mayor Len Brown flew past our stand when he noticed that "Fonterra is in the house" (his words not ours) but we did notice that people were genuinely excited about the Auckland Plan.We were impressed with how well the show was run. The event organiser Tina Rines had arranged for woofers to volunteer helping out with the setup and smooth running of the show from start to finsih. I was taken aback when one had asked me if I wanted a hand lifting some heavy boxes, but by the end of the show I was being offered help from other stall holders and even some of the people who had come to see the exhibits. A stark contrast to the Auckland Food Show where it is often a first come first serve type attitude. Another thing that stuck out from other trade events for us was the difference in people that it attracted.
On the Saturday when many families are often tied up with sports there was a strong mix of green lifestyler types. On the Sunday there was more of a family feel. Interestingly the comments we received from the audioence after tasting our samples were not too different from any other event. The tea tottlers and connosiers preferred the full flavour of the traditional brews (in this case we were sampling the fair trade certified organic Ecoteas brand), whilst the peppermint infused Silvestre brand was popular with the occasional tea drinkers.We received lots of very good questions that we hadn't thought about before that we wanted to answer here in this blog - since we were unable to answer them on the day...
Does yerba mate have good iron absorption properties?
One of the visitors to our stand explained that black tea and coffee both inhibit the body's ability to absorbe iron (which the body needs to regulate cell growth and move oxygen to where it is needed).
After some research we discovered that tannins do inhibit iron absorption - actually the consumption of most teas (including yerba mate) at or around meals may inhibit the absorption of metals such as Fe, Zn, or Cu by decreasing their bioavailability. If you have personal concerns about the levels of these elements in your diet, we recommend care with any tea.
Does yerba mate contain tannins?
Tannins are what give yerba mate its earthy flavour. The tannins in yerba mate contain a polyphenol named chlorogenic acid. There is a lot of research on the matter and much of it relates to many of the other questions that we were asked, such as: Does it contain cancer causing carcingens and why does it give some people a natural high. We refer you to this Wikipedia file on the beverage yerba mate. It discusses how overly hot water and smoked varieties of yerba mate have been linked to cancer. This is why La Pachamama only sell unsmoked yerba mate - meaning that it is slowly aged using dry hot air maintaining the antioxidants and flavour.
Is yerba mate a green tea?
Well it is green. And it is tea. But, is it related to the green teas of Asia?
Well it is green. And it is tea. But, is it related to the green teas of Asia?
According to Wikipedia, it is a species of holly (family Aquifoliaceae). Green and black tea are from the Camellia family and Rooibos from the legume family therefore yerba mate is unrelated to any of these other tea plants.
(1810), in Buenos Aires. The result was the ousting of Viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros and the establishment of a local government, the Primera Junta (First Junta). These events are commemorated in Argentina as "May Week" (Spanish: Semana de Mayo). The May Revolution is considered the starting point of the Argentine War of Independence, although no formal declaration of independence was issued at the time and the Primera Junta continued to govern in the name of the deposed king Ferdinand VII. The May Revolution is also considered one of the starting points for the Spanish American wars of independence.
