Yerba mate is a rare herbal tea in that it’s one of the few plants that naturally produce caffeine. Whether making it hot or cold, yerba mate is a great herbal alternative to coffee.
What is Yerba Mate Tea?
- Yerba mate is an herbal tea made by steeping leaves and twigs of the yerba mate plant in water. Both the plant and the drink originated in South America.
- There’s caffeine in yerba mate tea, unlike most herbal teas. It has a strong, distinctive flavor.
- Traditionally, yerba mate is served in a mate, or gourd, with a bombilla, which is a particular kind of straw. I make mine in a teapot and pour the drink into a cup.
RELATED: Sparkling Hibiscus Yerba Mate
Health Benefits of Yerba Mate
1. Increases Energy Levels
Yerba mate can help you feel more awake. It contains caffeine, which increases your energy levels.
Yerba mate and coffee have similar amounts of caffeine. One cup of yerba mate has 78 milligrams, while one cup of coffee has 85 milligrams.
2. Provides Antioxidants
Yerba mate is a great source of antioxidants. Examples include polyphenols, flavonoids, theobromine, and vitamin C. Antioxidants are beneficial compounds that protect your cells from oxidative stress.
Caffeine, which is also found in yerba mate, also has antioxidant properties.
3. Reduces Inflammation
The drink contains more saponins than other teas. Saponins are important because they can fight inflammation, which can lead to chronic disease.
4. Manages Blood Cholesterol Levels
Research has found that yerba mate can lower high cholesterol levels. This is important for your heart, because high cholesterol can increase your risk of heart disease.
5. Lowers Risk of Neurological Disease
Oxidative stress can increase the risk of diseases that affect the nervous system. These are called neurological disorders.
The antioxidants in yerba mate might help reduce the risk by lowering oxidative stress.
6. Contains Vitamins and Minerals
Yerba mate is packed with essential vitamins and minerals. This includes vitamin C, vitamins B1 and B2, potassium, iron, and calcium.
Side Effects of Yerba Mate
Yerba mate contains caffeine. If you’re sensitive to caffeine, use caution when consuming the drink. You might want to try a small amount to start.
Drinking too much caffeine can lead to side effects like headaches, fast heart rate, restlessness, and sleep jitters.
Ingredient Notes
- Yerba mate tea
I prefer loose tea over tea bags since it’s easier to control the amount you want to use. - Water
Use filtered water whenever possible for a better tasting tea.
Steps to Make Hot Yerba Mate Tea
For complete brewing guide, full ingredients, and instructions, scroll to the bottom.
- Boil water.
Hot yerba mate doesn’t require boiling hot water, just simmered water. Using an electric kettle with temperature settings to heat water for tea makes it easy to get the water temperature just right. Boil more than needed since you want extra to warm up the teapot. - Warm up teapot.
Warm up the teapot by pouring some of the boiled water into a teapot. Swirl the water around and then throw the water out. - Put yerba mate tea into the teapot and add hot water. Cover teapot and steep.
- Strain yerba mate solids and pour hot tea into a teacup.
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Steps to Make Iced Yerba Mate Tea
It’s super quick and easy to make iced yerba mate since it only takes seconds!
- Put yerba mate tea and cold water in an airtight glass container. Cover container and shake for 15 seconds.
Use a cocktail shaker or a jar with a tight lid. - Strain yerba mate tea leaves and pour tea into a cup with ice.
There are a lot of small bits so use a mesh strainer to filter out the tea leaves.
Expert Tips
- There will still be little particles of yerba mate leaves in your cup after you strain, and that’s perfectly fine to drink. You can also strain it a couple of times to get rid of the smaller bits.
- Yerba mate tea isn’t usually sweetened, but if you want to it’s best to use simple syrup (half water, half sugar). It incorporates into iced tea the easiest. Even better, use lemon simple syrup since yerba tastes great with a little lemon or lime.
- You don’t need a traditional gourd to enjoy this tea properly. A teapot and cup does the job just as well.
- Buy yerba mate in small portions. It doesn’t go bad but the herbs do go stale over time, so buying smaller amounts will help maintain its flavor.
Questions You May Have
Yerba mate has a strong, earthy flavor that has an herbal aroma. It can also be slightly bitter, so the unusual flavor is definitely something that you have to get used to.
Yes, yerba mate naturally contains caffeine. In fact, it has nearly as much caffeine as a cup of coffee.
The drink was initially consumed for wellness because of its antioxidant properties which have been confirmed since then by scientific studies.
Yerba mate tea isn’t a real tea since it’s an herbal tea. To be a real tea, it needs to come from the camellia sinensis plant like black or green tea.
Related
- How to Make Rooibos Tea Properly
- 5 Easy Steps to Make Herbal Tea Properly
- Chamomile Tea
- Hibiscus Tea
- Butterfly Pea Flower Tea
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How to Make Yerba Mate Tea
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup water + more to warm teapot
- 2 teaspoons yerba mate
INSTRUCTIONS
- Boil water. Don’t use boiling hot water for yerba mate. Heat water to where it just starts to simmer. Turn off heat. If using an electric kettle with temperature setting, set it to 165°F. Filtered water is best.
- Warm up teapot.Pour some hot water into a teapot and swirl it around a bit. Discard the water.Warming up the teapot is an extra step that all tea professionals take the time to do, so that when the tea steeps, the water temperature won't drop drastically.
- Put yerba mate into the teapot and add hot water. Cover teapot and steep for 5 minutes.
- Strain yerba mate solids and pour hot tea into a teacup.
NOTES
How to Make Cold Brew Yerba Mate Iced Tea
- Put yerba mate tea and cold water in an airtight glass container. Cover container and shake for 15 seconds.
Use a cocktail shaker or a jar with a tight lid. - Strain yerba mate tea leaves and pour tea into a cup with ice.
There are a lot of small bits so use a mesh strainer to filter out the tea leaves.
Brewing Guide
Hot Yerba Mate Tea- TEA: 2 teaspoons yerba mate tea
- WATER: 1 cup (8 oz.)
- WATER TEMPERATURE: 165°F
- STEEP TIME: 5 minutes
- TEA: 2 teaspoons yerba mate tea
- WATER: 1 cup (8 oz.)
- WATER TEMPERATURE: Cold water
- STEEP TIME: 15 seconds, shaking water and tea in an airtight container
Tips
- There will still be little particles of yerba mate leaves in your cup after you strain, and that’s perfectly fine to drink. You can also strain it a couple of times to get rid of the smaller bits.
- Yerba mate tea isn’t usually sweetened, but if you want to it’s best to use simple syrup (half water, half sugar). It incorporates into iced tea the easiest. Even better, use lemon simple syrup since yerba tastes great with a little lemon or lime.
- You don’t need a traditional gourd to enjoy this tea properly. A teapot and cup does the job just as well.
- Buy yerba mate in small portions. It doesn’t go bad but the herbs do go stale over time, so buying smaller amounts will help maintain its flavor.