Mate is a tree native to South America. Indigenous tribes first cultivated it. Today, the herb grows in parts of northern Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and southern Brazil. These regions have humid, warm climates that mate needs. To grow it, seeds are planted in March and April. Seedlings are moved to a nursery. Locals share mate in a ritual using a gourd and bombilla. It has health benefits and lacks coffee’s jitters. It costs more than coffee due to quality and packaging. The mate tree reaches 10 meters high. It needs humidity, heat, and rich soil. Branches have green, stiff leaves. Grounded with more stems, the herb tastes lighter and sweeter.
Mate is a tree native to South America. Its leaves and twigs are used to make a herbal tea called mate. The French botanist Augustin Saint-Hilaire named the plant Ilex paraguariensis. It belongs to the holly family. Mate contains caffeine and antioxidants. It has a long history in South American countries. People often drink it in the mornings or evenings, hot or cold, sometimes adding sugar or fruit juice. Sharing mate is an important social custom.
Mate is an herb native to South America. It is used to make the national drink of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Southern Brazil. Mate is consumed 6 to 1 over coffee in these countries. Indigenous people referred to it as a "herb from the gods".
Mate trees grown in the wild can be over eight meters tall. Their oval-shaped leaves are around five inches long. If you grow mate indoors, keep temperatures above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The best tasting mate comes from leaves grown in the shade of the rainforest. Leaves grown directly in the sun are less flavorful.
Mate’s caffeine content is linked to increased alertness, improved concentration, reduced fatigue and enhanced physical performance. It has a smoother taste than green tea and antioxidants to boost immunity.
Mate is an evergreen tree that grows in the subtropical region of South America, mainly in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. The leaves are used to make a tea called yerba mate.
It contains caffeine, theobromine and antioxidants. It provides a mix of coffee’s strength, chocolate’s delight and tea’s health benefits.
The leaves are harvested from plantations. They are dried, roasted and ground into a powder or cut into small pieces to make tea. Hot water is poured into a gourd containing the mate to brew it.
Drinking it promotes digestion and provides an energy boost from the caffeine. It has less caffeine than coffee and does not cause anxiety or jitters like coffee can.
The ideal climate for growing mate is a subtropical region with moderate temperatures around 20 to 30 degrees Celsius and high humidity. Most mate today still comes from its native growing regions in South America.