Origins and 6 benefits: all about mate

What is mate?

Mate is Argentina’s national drink. Argentinians drink it at least three or four times a day: mate is a real institution there!
First, a little history:

Mate is made by infusing the leaves of yerba mate, a tree in the holly family. The yerba mate plant (Ilex paraguariensis) comes from a tree in the holly family grown mainly in Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil and Uruguay. It was discovered by Indigenous people in South America, who were its main consumers. Although yerba mate is now enjoyed worldwide, it is still grown only in Argentina, Paraguay and southern Brazil.

At Kusmi Tea, you can discover the flavour of mate in several of our blends: our BB Détox, our spiced tea Boost, our pineapple-flavoured Blue Detox, or our organic lemon green tea Petit Déjeuner à l'Elysée. How can you make this plant part of your wellbeing routine with Kusmi Tea? Let us tell you!

Tea and mate: what’s the difference?

Is mate theine? No! But there’s a reason we’re talking about mate here: its connection with tea is easy to see.
Mate isn’t technically tea because it comes from a plant in the holly family, yerba mate, or Ilex paraguariensis, rather than from a tea plant.
Yerba mate is a tree that grows naturally beside streams in mountain forests at altitudes of 500 to 700 metres. It looks very different from a tea plant.
Before people thought to steep yerba mate leaves for their stimulating benefits, Indigenous South Americans preferred to chew them or soak them in cold water. Infusing the leaves came later. Once the yerba mate leaves have been roasted, crushed and steeped in hot water, the result is mate: a caffeine-rich, stimulating drink with effects similar to coffee or tea. That’s why mate is so often associated with tea.

Now you know all about the benefits of mate, it’s time to put that knowledge into practice.

How do you drink mate?

Part of what makes mate so distinctive is how it’s prepared and enjoyed. Preparing mate may seem daunting, but making it the traditional way is actually very simple. You just need to know the right techniques.
To prepare traditional mate, you’ll need the right equipment. For once, we won’t be talking about filters or teapots: yerba mate is drunk without a filter, from a gourd with a bombilla. Have we lost you?

A guide to preparing mate:

• The gourd : This is the round, squash-shaped vessel in which yerba mate is prepared and drunk. It’s also called a guampa or simply a mate. The gourd is made from a dried, hollowed-out squash
• The bombilla : A bombilla is a metal straw with a filter at the end, traditionally used to drink mate directly from the gourd.

Discover our mate straw, specially designed for enjoying your mate.

How do you prepare mate?

Here’s what to do:

1. Fill your gourd (or another vessel) ¾ full with yerba mate leaves.
   
2. Shake the gourd with your hand over the top to remove the leaf powder, letting it collect in your palm
3. Tilt the gourd to one side so that the yerba mate leaves gather on one side
4. Pour a little cold water over the yerba mate leaves
5. Place the mate straw, also called a bombilla, in the empty side of the gourd
6. Then add water that’s just below boiling (not boiling water, as it can alter the flavour of the mate).

Finally, enjoy your mate and its benefits. Take care not to move the bombilla now.

What are the 7 benefits of mate?

1. Mate is a stimulant

Mate is a natural energiser. With 1% caffeine in its leaves, mate sits somewhere between coffee and tea. Like coffee, it is a stimulant and can be a highly effective aid to concentration. When should you drink mate? Having some in the morning or before exercising may give you a little boost for the day. Unlike coffee, mate may be as relaxing as it is stimulating. Drinking it during the day may help you resist fatigue and concentrate better without compromising the quality of your sleep and rest.

Does mate keep you awake? The answer is: it depends. As with tea or coffee, caffeine’s effect on sleep varies from person to person.

2. Mate is an antioxidant

As well as caffeine, mate contains vitamins (B3, B2 and A), minerals (magnesium, potassium, zinc and iron) and antioxidant polyphenols. You may be interested to know that the polyphenols in mate help strengthen the body’s immune defences and slow ageing.

3. Mate may aid digestion

While mate may boost your mind and motivation, it could also give your digestion a boost. Mate can therefore be enjoyed after a meal to aid digestion or during the day to help manage hunger. Some people regard mate as a natural appetite suppressant. This may be due to the caffeine in the yerba mate plant. Beyond its digestive benefits, mate, like coffee, green tea and black tea, is also known for its diuretic properties. In other words, it can help counter water retention, among other things.

4. Helps with weight management: an ally for slimming down

Known for its stimulating properties thanks to its caffeine content, this drink made from Ilex paraguariensis leaves helps increase metabolism, supporting more effective calorie burning. That’s not all: mate can also reduce appetite, leading to less food being eaten throughout the day. Adding a cup of mate to your routine may therefore support weight loss, alongside a balanced diet and regular physical activity.

5. Immune system support: stronger defences

As pathogens keep coming, our body keeps defending itself, like a dancer who never leaves the stage. Drinking mate regularly may help that tireless dancer keep going. The antioxidants in yerba mate play a key role in protecting cells against oxidative damage.

Its saponin content helps reduce bad cholesterol, contributing to a healthier body better equipped to deal with external threats. Mate also contains various vitamins and minerals that support the body’s natural defences, making every infusion a real boost of vitality.

6. Nutrients: a wealth of vitamins and minerals

But mate does more than stimulate: it’s also packed with vitamins and minerals. Vitamins A, B1, B2, B5, C and E all play a part in its benefits, helping to strengthen the immune system and support cell regeneration. Trace elements such as iron, potassium, magnesium and manganese help maintain electrolyte balance and optimise muscle and nerve function.

7. An ally for athletes

Mate has become very popular in sport thanks to its natural stimulating effects. Its caffeine content, combined with other plant compounds such as theobromine, helps improve alertness before exercise and maintain concentration during training. Many athletes also value its ability to reduce feelings of fatigue, which may help them sustain exercise for longer. Some studies also suggest that mate helps the body draw more effectively on its energy reserves, a potential advantage for endurance activities. Unlike some commercially produced energy drinks, which are often high in added sugar, mate offers a more natural way to prepare for exercise. Enjoyed before a workout, it can serve as a natural pre-workout drink and fit into your training routine.

Mate-based teas at Kusmi

Although yerba mate is traditionally enjoyed on its own as an infusion, it pairs beautifully with green tea. That’s why mate has a natural place in several of our blends.
To enjoy mate with Kusmi, explore our detox teas and wellbeing range. Discover our mate-based teas for a lift in your day-to-day routine. Choose your wellbeing tea.

The Detox range: our three mate-based green teas