Green Yerba Mate - 16 oz Tea Cut  (Certified Organic)

Botanical Name: Ilex paraguayensis

Also known as: Yerba mate, St. Bartholomew's tea, Jesuit's tea

The infusion called mate is prepared by steeping dry leaves (and twigs) of yerba mate in hot water, rather than in boiling water like black tea. Drinking mate with friends from a shared hollow gourd with a metal straw (a bombilla in Spanish).  Just as coffee is used as a social drink in North American culture, Yerba mate is the social drink of the south.  We have the gourds to drink from available along with the bombillas.  

The flavor of brewed yerba mate is strongly vegetal, herbal, and grassy, similar to some varieties of green tea. Some consider the flavour to be very agreeable, but it is generally bitter if steeped in boiling water. (Using boiling water is not recommended; traditionally the water temperature is between 160–180 °F (71–82 °C) when steeping the leaves. The water should be steaming hot yet not quite boiling.)

Yerba Mate infusion can also drunk as a cold or iced beverage.

The word hierba is Spanish for grass or herb; yerba is a variant spelling of it which is quite common in Argentina. Mate is from the Quechua mati, meaning "cup". "Yerba mate" is therefore literally the "cup herb."

Often used as a stimulant to relieve mental and physical fatigue. It is also used as a weight loss supplement. Contains caffeine.