[magosienne]

i was looking for some tea at the healthfood store when a box caught my eyes.


Maté (coming from the Quechua mathi, a small calabash used to drink maté) is an old beverage originally used by the Guarani, Indians from the South America. today, [quoting wikipedia] it is the national drink in Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay and a common social practice in parts of Brazil, Chile, eastern Bolivia, Lebanon and Syria.

The legend says the Goddesses of the Moon and the Cloud once came to Earth to visit but found a kind of jaguar about to attack them. an old man saved them and to compensate he got offered a new plant, from which he could make a "drink of friendship". nice legend, don't you think ?

Maté is made from the plant called Yerba/Erba maté, a type of holly. it is a small tree growing up to 15 meters tall. to prepare to beverage, the dry leaves are steeped in hot water. the taste is described by wikipedia as "strongly vegetal, herbal, and grassy". i totally agree with that description. it kind of reminds me the taste i get from green tea, matcha tea especially. people sometimes sweeten it with honey or sugar.
Maté contains caffeine, just as coffee and tea do. it also contains potassium, magnesium and manganese, vitamins B1, B2, C, phosphorus, iron and calcium. you will get the same effect you get from your usual tea or coffee from maté, meaning matré is an energizing beverage. but the studies show apparently the xanthine cocktail is different, so you won't get the drawbacks of coffee.

according to a french article i found, drinking a really good amount of it could fight against cancer. another interesting point is according to studies it's also a diuretic, and helps destroying fats and sugars. i've read it could also help stabilize blood sugar for diabetics (those who don't depend on insulin).

between spirulina and yerba maté, i'm starting to really love the South america

for those living in France, you will only find it from the brand called Guayapi Tropical (they have a website and a shop in Paris, some online shopping seems available). i also suggest you visit healthfood stores or shops selling products from around the world.

some links where i found info :
wikipedia article on the plant and the beverage
another article describing the process of making maté
the Guayapi tropical website

[Lia]

Actually, in portuguese it's called mate (mah-tee, with emphasis on the mah). Regards to the cancer info, the biggest issue is because of drinking it very hot, it's more common the presence of esophagean cancer on people from south (who regularly drink the tea), because it's drunk very hot.

Personally, i DESPISE mate tea because to me it tastes like grass.

[magosienne]

that's the part i didn't understand much, but apparently you really have to eat great quantities. i like maté, it's good, that said, i also love green tea, so it's probably the taste of grass i like lol.

[Lia]

That might be the answer. I'm not a fan of tea, anyways; prefer a good cup of coffee with milk

[magosienne]

yuck. i can't drink coffee, i don't like much the taste, especially with milk (i drink my tea pure, lol, no sugar or milk).