What is Yerba Mate?

Yerba mate is an herbal tea claimed to have the ability to stimulate the mind and many medicinal and healthful properties. The low caffeine levels make this herbal tea a fantastic substitute for coffee. "Ilex Paraguayans" is a medium sized tree cultivated in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil. Also during the time the Ottoman Empire ruled Syria, Lebanon and Egypt, many Arabs emigrated to Argentina, and there they learned to drink yerba mate.

Syria is also the biggest importer of yerba mate in the world, importing 15,000 tons a year. It is mostly the Druze community in Syria and Lebanon who maintain the culture and practice of mate. This evergreen member of the Holly family was introduced in South America by the Guarani Indians of these regions, who called it " the drink of the Gods" It is the leaves that are desirable. The need to be "deactivated" to release the natural enzymes. This process can be done by holding cut branches over open fire. The foliage are dried, toasted and crushed to produce a fine, flaky leaf tea.

The mate is a drink that tastes like "Tea" and it is usually and traditionally a social drink. Groups of friends and/or family have "mate" anytime during the day, alone or with somebody else, and the particularity of this drink is everyone drinks from the same mate. To drink the "mate" we need a "bombilla", which is a small metal straw with a grid rounded at the end, that it used as a filter. The "bombillas" also come in different sizes, materials and designs, being the most common of metal one and the most exclusive is the one made of silver. The other component is the water; hot water that is considered to "ideal" at a few degrees before boiling. If the water boils, the "mate" it not good, because the "yerba" gets inconsistent.

The mate is a container that holds an infusion that Argentines call a mate. Both the container and the drink are called the same name, so whenever you ask for a mate, you will can either receive the mate recipient or the recipient with the drink. The word "mate" comes from the Quechuan word "mati", which means "gourd" and is traditionally drank in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and in the south of Brazil.

There are different types of mates; the traditional one is made from the "calabaza" (gourd) but there are also made with other materials like wood with a smooth exterior; some with engravings or carved with drawings and landscapes and others made of silver.

The benefits of yerba are many: it's lower in actual "caffeine" [sometimes called "theine," or "mateine"--a compound in the molecular class of "xanthines"] than regular tea and its unique composition is the best way to produce stimulation without many of the health risks or side-effects people are accustomed to with coffee or espresso.. To drink yerba máte) is to enjoy the health benefit of a tea with vitamins and antioxidants.

It can:  Detoxifies the blood Improves digestion Boost the immune system Induces mental clarity Increases endurance Antioxidant Diuretic

1. Warm up the water and take away from the heat a few minutes before it starts boiling.
2. Fill 3/4 of the mate with "yerba".Cover the top with your hand, turn it upside down and tap the base softly - so that the dust of the yerba (herb) stays in the surface.
3. Hold the mate in  45 degree angle and introduce the bombilla (metal straw) all the way down.If you want to have a sweet mate, pour some sugar in.
4. Pour the hot water softly until it reaches the edge of the mate. After a few seconds, the water will be absorbed by the herb and will go down.
5. Wait a few seconds and pour some more water until the top of the mateAfter these simple steps, the mate is ready. Once the water is drank, serve it again, and so on. The mate is deemed "washed" when it starts losing its taste, so just throw away the yerba and put some more in.

The mate is a home loving tradition, it is not served or sold as a drink in public places. It is not very common to be served in restaurants or bars. If you have the opportunity to go to a family house and they offer you a mate, do not say no, at least try one as a courtesy.

Yes there are some rules as mentioned in noborders.net, but for us mate drinkers, we are not told of them, but we just learn them from our elders

• Don't ask for sugar
  • Many people are accustomed to drinking sugar in their coffee and tea, perfectly fine to ask for it. Many people also drink sugar in their Mate. But when you are asked to join a Mate fellowship, you could make the worst sacrilege ever imagined by asking for sugar.
• Don't say that Mate is unhygienic
  • You may feel that it is unhygienic to put your mouth where everybody puts theirs. Of course it is, but that is expressly why sharing a Mate is such an intimate experience. The offer to share something so intimate is the highest honor of all. If you don't want to be that close to someone, don't share a Mate with them. Otherwise, don't say anything about the hygiene of the experience
• Don't say the Mate is too hot
  • If everyone else is happy with the temperature it would be considered rude to ask them to cool it down, or to wait until it cools naturally.
• Don't leave the Mate half-way
  • Despite the great similarity between Mate and the peace pipe, there are some basic differences. While everyone just takes one puff in the calumet and passes it on, don't ever do that with Mate. You must sip all the water until hearing the noise signaling the gourd is empty. See the next rule.

• Don't feel ashamed of the noise at the end
  • If, after sipping, you hear the gourd "snoring," don't feel ashamed. It is all right, no one will look upon you as being rude. It's what you are suppose to do.
• Don't stir the gourd
  • The gourd may get clogged from time to time, due to itself, to the Yerba or to who prepared the Mate. If that happens, you have all the right to complain. But, please, don't stir the gourd. Talk to who offered you the Mate or passed the gourd to you. But don't stir the gourd, don't stir the gourd and, above all, don't stir the gourd.
• Don't change the order
  • A Mate round works like a clock. The gourd passes from hand to hand, always in the same order. If you are being served, hand it back to the server. If people are pouring their own water, which happens in some places, always pass it the next person without changing the order.
• Don't slow down the rhythm
  • Drinking Mate alone is an excellent way to meditate on the things in your life. You drink leisurely, thinking about whatever drifts your way. To have a Mate in a circle of people is quite different. The essence is not meditation but rather integration. In a Mate round, you talk, discuss, laugh, swear; you are part of a community; it is a fraternization. Don't forget to sip; the other people are waiting.
• Don't condemn the server for being the first to drink
  • If you say the server is rude because he or she prepares the Mate and is the first to drink, well, you are the rude one. The strongest sip is the first one, and whoever takes it is seen as doing the group a favour

(Sources; easybuenosairescity.com, noborders.net)