Tea alternative to coffee

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Berthoud Weekly Surveyor September 29, 2022 Page 15

Yerba Mate — A South American Tea alternative to coffee

In Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, and parts of Chile, people can be seen sipping something from a small round container or decorative gourds through a straw. Yerba Mate (Mate) is brewed from the leaves and stems of the Yerba Mate plant, a tree that belongs to the holly family. It is in-

Surveyor Columnist digenous to much of the southern part of South America. And South Americans cannot get enough of it; ou will find it is part of most southern countries’ culture and is ingrained into their daily lives. They are sipping this tea while eating breakfast or standing on the corner as we would be sipping our pumpkin spice lattes. Yerba Mate is to South America as coffee is here in the States. Often, Mate is passed from one to another, sharing the same gourd or little metal pot, and adding more hot water as needed. There is a David Tisue whole etiquette to how it is drunk among family and friends. The history of Yerba Mate, or Mate, for short, goes back to pre-Columbian times. When the Jesuits controlled the region, it was used as a currency, and cultivation spread across most of South America. Today it is widely drunk in hot or cold form across most of South America and is a major crop for Brazil and Uruguay.

Studies have shown that the stimulants in Mates, like coffee or tea, boost energy levels and have other health benefits such as promoting weight loss, and the heightened energy doesn’t have the crash of caffeine. Mate is supposed to help with mental focus, enhance sports performance and reduces fatigue. Though probably the weight loss is also because Mate has no calories and you would never drink it with milk. Yerba Mate is also known to be high in antioxidants. Many people swear by drinking Mate. Even though coffee is now available around the world, Mate is still drunk as much as coffee in South America and is available here in the States. ou can find gourds and bags of erba Mate in many coffee shops and online.

I first learned about this strange tea when I had the privilege of visiting Chile 20 years ago. I was introduced to it in a gaucho ranch among the incredible Patagonian mountains. A group of us sat in one of the stables in a circle. The gaucho brought out this little round metal pot filled with what looked like grass and twigs and a metal straw with a tiny filter at the bottom (also known as a Bombilla) that he placed into the pot. The gaucho (South merican rancher) filled the pot with hot water and took a big sip through the straw. He then passed it to the first person in the circle, had them sip it, and taught us the rules of Mate drinking.

Among the rules are what to say, how long you can sip before passing to the server or host, not the next person, and it’s ok to slurp, to name a few. It was a fun experience and one that I still remember fondly. It stuck with me how much I liked the clean, fresh grassy flavor, and I wanted to enjoy it back in the states.

I have a great friend from rgentina who hooked me up with my first gourd and I have been a Mate drinker ever since. Yerba Mate is not for everyone. It is not sweet and has a flavor that some describe as drinking grass. ut I find it delicious, light and refreshing. ot that I don’t enjoy a peppermint mocha too. But Mate is often my drink of choice if I have time to sit and enjoy something hot. nd maybe I will benefit from losing some weight, having better energy and those antioxidants.

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