Yerba mat\u00e9 is not technically considered real tea because it doesn’t come from the Camellia Sinensis plant, but rather from the South American yerba mat\u00e9 tree, Ilex paraguariensis. Unlike many other tea-like beverages, this infusion contains caffeine. It is traditionally consumed from a gourd using a metal straw called a “bombilla.” In Latin America, it holds a significant cultural role and represents a moment of togetherness, often shared from the same gourd. This variant originates from South Brazil, but it’s also grown in Paraguay and Argentina.<\/p>\n
The stimulating effects of yerba mat\u00e9 are quite potent. If you want less caffeine, opt for a longer infusion time.<\/p>\n
Yerba mat\u00e9.<\/p>\n
Yerba mat\u00e9 is officially called “mat\u00e9,” but in some countries, it’s known as Chimarrao or cimarron. It consists of leaves from the Yerba Mat\u00e9 plant or tree that are dried and pulverized. Originally, before the arrival of Europeans in Latin America, it was exclusively consumed in Paraguay by the indigenous Guarani people. Today, it’s the national drink of Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It’s also consumed in Bolivia, Chile, Brazil, and somewhat surprisingly, in Syria and Lebanon (the largest importers of mat\u00e9). The leaves are infused in hot water, although the preparation is slightly different. Yerba mat\u00e9 plays a significant social role in Latin America and is consumed both hot and cold during social gatherings.<\/p>\n
The Yerba mat\u00e9 plant or tree thrives in a tropical climate with constant high temperatures, high humidity, and ample rainfall. Fortunately, Latin America has these conditions in abundance!<\/p>\n
Growing<\/strong> Yerba Mat\u00e9 trees is not an easy task. The seeds cannot be simply planted. The Spanish discovered this when they arrived in Latin America and attempted to cultivate yerba mat\u00e9 bushes. The seeds proved to germinate more readily after being digested by birds. For a time in history, actual birds were used to ripen the seeds before planting. Later, the method shifted to soaking the seeds in water after washing them several times. Today, they cultivate the bushes in a nursery for the first 9 months to a year, quite similar to what is done with the tea plant, Camellia Sinensis. Harvesting can only begin after four years, and truly commercial results are only seen after seven years.<\/p>\n When the bushes are ready, the leaves are harvested, typically by hand. It’s primarily the smaller leaves that are used, so there’s an immediate quality check during harvesting to select only the right leaves.<\/p>\n Next, the leaves must be dried. There are two steps in the drying process known as “sapecado<\/strong>” and “fogueado.” Sapecado is a step reminiscent of the production process of green tea. It’s about preventing oxidation, and it must be done within 24 hours of harvesting by briefly exposing the leaves to high temperatures through direct fire. It’s a delicate process to ensure the leaves do not burn, as it would alter the flavor of the mat\u00e9.<\/p>\n Then comes the “fogueado<\/strong>,” a further drying phase. During this step, the leaves are placed on a conveyor belt and dried for about 2 to 12 hours above hot air at temperatures ranging from 80 to 100 degrees Celsius.<\/p>\n The next step is called “canchado<\/strong>.” In this phase, the dried leaves, which have already lost about 80% of their moisture at this stage, are crushed but not yet to the ultimate small size. This makes it easier to transport the bags of canchado (which is also the term used for the end product of this stage).<\/p>\n Finally, it’s time for the mat\u00e9 (still called canchado at this point) to undergo a maturation process.<\/em> This is somewhat similar to the process for Pu-Erh tea. The bags of mat\u00e9 are stored for 9 months to 2 years in controlled environments where temperature, light, and humidity can be carefully monitored. It’s during this phase that yerba mat\u00e9 develops all its characteristics.<\/p>\n In the last phase, the mat\u00e9 is once again crushed<\/strong>, this time even smaller, to a few millimeters or even almost dust. Just as with Camellia Sinensis tea, yerba mat\u00e9 has “tasters” who diligently monitor quality and adjust the production process as needed. They may also create blends with other herbs, for example.<\/p>\n Mat\u00e9 is prepared in many different ways, depending on the type you’re using and what you want to achieve in your cup or gourd. Here’s a guide to the most standard preparation method for mat\u00e9, which is also the most popular.<\/p>\n You will need the following:<\/p>\n Enjoy!<\/p>\n This is how it’s done according to tradition, but you can certainly use a shorter version. In this case, shake the leaves and pour hot water immediately. However, be diligent about monitoring the water temperature. Just like with tea leaves, yerba mat\u00e9 is highly sensitive to temperature, and high temperatures above 80\u00b0C will negatively affect its quality.<\/p>\n This Latin American beverage comes from the yerba mat\u00e9 plant, cultivated in Brazil. It contains caffeine and is traditionally consumed from a gourd. This yerba mat\u00e9 pouch contains 100 grams.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":14343,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":""},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[232,220,227],"product_tag":[],"class_list":["post-14340","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","product_cat-infusions","product_cat-loose-leaf-tea","product_cat-matcha-and-mate","first","instock","taxable","shipping-taxable","purchasable","product-type-simple"],"bundled_by":[],"bundle_stock_status":"instock","bundle_stock_quantity":null,"bundle_virtual":false,"bundle_layout":"","bundle_add_to_cart_form_location":"","bundle_editable_in_cart":false,"bundle_sold_individually_context":"","bundle_item_grouping":"","bundle_min_size":"","bundle_max_size":"","bundle_price":[],"bundled_items":[],"bundle_sell_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thee.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/14340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thee.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thee.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thee.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14340"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thee.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thee.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thee.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=14340"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thee.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=14340"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thee.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=14340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}How to Prepare Yerba Mat\u00e9<\/h3>\n
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Instructions for Making Mat\u00e9<\/h3>\n
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A few more tips:<\/h3>\n
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