Can you get this South American tea in Canada?
Easily find it in over 1000 stores across Canada. It is mainly a specialty drink, so order it online or ask for it in stores. I can’t speak for Montreal, but you can buy Guayakí brands in Vancouver grocery stores.
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The retail price range is CAD 9.45-17.55 per kilogram in Ottawa and Montreal.
Brands and Stores
Ferba Products has Paraguayan brands like Select, Pajarito, Colon, and Kurupi, plus accessories.
Maté Factor is fresh, green, organic, and pesticide-free. The mild flavor makes it an ideal base for herb blends.
Search for brands and stores able to ship to your country. PampaDirect is a great online store with excellent service and prices.
Yerba.ca offers 50+ types of this South American tea online in Canada and the US, plus brewing accessories.
Its popularity comes from myriad health benefits.
Avoid very hot tea above 65°C due to cancer risks from PAHs. Caffeine can also cause migraines, hypertension, miscarriages.
The taste varies by region. The soil quality influences xanthene alkaloids, affecting flavor.
Why is this South American tea so addictive?
It can have many health benefits but also some risks.
It contains antioxidants. It may help weight loss, concentration and digestion. The Indigenous Guaraní first consumed it. They saw it as a gift from the gods to enhance stamina.
Seeds need to be digested by specific birds to germinate. This makes the herb precious.
Drinking very hot tea increases cancer risk. Pregnant women should consult doctors before drinking it since caffeine raises miscarriage risk.
Which country has the best brands?
It is an herbal tea made from the leaves and twigs of the Ilex paraguariensis plant. The leaves are dried over a fire, and then infused in hot water to make the tea. This tea is typically consumed from a container called gourd and sipped with a metal straw that filters the leaf fragments floating on the surface.
Drinking very hot tea at temperatures of 65°C or warmer is connected to higher cancer risks, possibly due to PAHs which are carcinogenic. Pregnant women should also speak to their doctors before drinking it, as too much caffeine increases the risk of miscarriage and low birth weight.
Drinking very hot tea at temps of 149 degrees F or warmer (65 C) is connected to higher cancer risks. It may be due to PAHs which are carcinogenic.
Our favorite brands combine great flavor with responsible production practices, reasonable pricing, and ease of use. If you’re new to tea, you may prefer a non-traditional blend with added flavors and fewer stems.
The approximate wholesale price range in Canada is between $2.22 and $4.13 per pound. The retail price range in Canada is between $4.29 and $7.96 per pound in Ottawa and Montreal.
South Americans safely drink upwards of 1–4 liters of this tea per day. In North America, it’s not uncommon for an avid drinker to consume at least 1–2 liters per day. It’s been highly revered for its ability to increase energy, boost mental focus and speed up metabolism.
The yerba mate herb is native to South America, where it’s incredibly popular as a hot beverage, served considerably more frequently than coffee. It’s thought to be a gift from the gods to enhance stamina, which is a priority from a historical nomadic, warrior society. The most fascinating aspect of yerba mate is how it is grown. The seeds apparently only germinate after being digested by very specific native birds. This, as you can imagine, makes commercial cultivation more difficult.
In South America, yerba mate is almost exclusively consumed with the traditional method. According to my experience, in North America and Europe, it’s also common to use tea bags or French press for brewing this tea. Therefore, the above-mentioned average caffeine content of a cup of yerba mate tea might not be the most suitable way of measuring.