Yerba Mate Tea

Today, the yerba mate industry is an important industry exporting to countries far away, including the Middle East countries.

The container in which the mate is prepared, is the "mate", which can be the traditional one made with a treated gourd, or a small enamelled or wooden mug.  The infusion is sucked through a bombilla (similar to a metal straw), and can be prepared bitter or sweet. The water for the preparation is kept inside a thermos flask and is considered to be "ready" a few degrees before boiling. If the water boils, then it cannot be used for the mate. We can also drink the infusion prepared from small sacks of yerba, similar to those of tea, which makes the consumption more agile.

This typical habit of the countries of the River Plate was originally used by the Guarani tribes, which used yerba mate as a natural energizer. Jesuits, who settled in the area now occupied by the province of Misiones (northeast of Argentina), improved the crops, hence the yerba mate plants of the highest quality are located in that place.

Nowadays drinking mate is a very common social practice in some countries in South America, such as Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and south of Brazil. People drink yerba mate as a form of entertainment. Mate is drank when out for a walk, during sport activities, and work. It is also very popular in student life activities, since it has a wide range of properties, among which, it is an excellent antioxidant.

The leaf of said tree is roasted and dried before being packed and sold. These procedures are the origin of the aromatic substances which appear in the yerba mate. The name mate derives from the Quechua word Mati. The legend tells that the god of good, Tup

Yerba mate is the result of a very demanding process of production which has as raw material the leaf of a tree