Yerba Mate is a great substitute for coffee! Mate is the national drink of Argentina, Uruguay, Southern Brazil and

Roasted Mate

Paraguay and many people in that area of the world prefer it 6 to 1 over coffee.  Mate comes from a plant grown in the Argentinian rainforests and is sold either roasted (brown) or raw (green).  I prefer the roasted to the green.  The green is a bit too plant-like (for me.  Roasted mate, however tastes a lot like coffee and is wonderful when blended with ingredients such as caramel, hazelnut, or even chocolate.  Mate has the strength of coffee but won’t cause the jitters or caffeine crashes that are often experienced as a result of drinking coffee.  Instead, mate offers a balanced alternative with many of the same health benefits of tea from the camellia seninsis plant, such as theophylline, theobromine and of course – caffeine.  These stimulants are also in chocolate and coffee.

If you are new to brewing loose leaf tea, Mate may be for you because it is easy to deal with. It is very low in tannins so it is nearly impossible to “mess-up” during the brewing and steeping process and turn it bitter.  Mate is very simple to prepare and you can even use your coffee equipment.  A coffee maker/machine works great, as does an expresso maker, french press, or tea infuser.  Once brewed, you can drink Mate either iced, or hot.  Some drink it with milk, honey or even garnished with mint or lemon.

In Argentina, 90% of people drink their Mate in the traditional way, using a gourd and bombilla straw.  The Mate is infused inside the gourd and the straw has a filter on the bottom that allows the Mate drinker to slurp without getting the leaves in their mouth.

Traditional Mate Gourd with Bombilla Straw