FRENCH NAME  YERBA MATÉ ORGANIQUE
BLEND NO.  997

A fortifying stimulating herbal tea plucked straight from Argentina. Chock-full of good stuff to help you start your day. 

Populated by monkeys, parrots, jaguars, and armadillos, and dense with papaya and banana trees, the lush South American rainforest is also home to Ilex paraguariensis. Indigenous to Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil, Ilex paraguariensis is an evergreen bush and member of the holly family. The South American Indians called it the “drink of the gods” and it has been an important part of their daily diet for 100’s of years.

 

When the Jesuit missionaries came to South America over 300 years ago they noticed that although the South American Indians lived on an all-meat diet, they did not develop scurvy. This was attributed to their consumption of a “tea” made of a local plant, which they drank from cups carved out of gourds. The Jesuits named the tea “Maté” after the Spanish word for gourd, and began to cultivate the holly-like shrub. The Jesuits were also responsible for introducing mate to European colonists.

 

Maté is the most popular beverage consumed in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, and is also known as “Paraguay Tea” and “Jesuits Tea”. It is also a major ingredient of South America’s most popular soft drink.

 

Used by the South American Indians as a household cure for 100’s of years, Maté is thought to promote good health, vitality and longevity, and is used to fight fatigue, detoxify the body, and to treat illness and disease.

Reputed health benefits:  boosts the immune system (high in vitamin C), improves digestion; good for PMS (as a diuretic: relieves bloating); as a mild stimulant helps to improve mental clarity (comparable to a cup of black tea); a 6 ounce cup contains 50 milligrams of a caffeine-like substance called “mateine”, which has the same stimulatory effects as caffeine, but does not have the addictive side effect.

LOOSE TEALEAVES
AROMA: Grassy
PALATE: Bracing and brisk palate with exceptionally clean finish

Maté is the most popular beverage consumed in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, and is also known as "Paraguay Tea" and "Jesuits Tea". During times of famine it has sustained and nourished the hungry, substituting for grains and vegetables. It is also a major ingredient of South America's most popular soft drink, and almost every gas station is rumored to have a hot water dispenser for the sole purpose of refilling people's thermoses of maté. Used by the South American Indians as a household cure for 100's of years, Maté is thought to promote good health, vitality and longevity, and is used to fight fatigue, detoxify the body, and to treat illness and disease.