South American Tea
April 5, 2011 | 
Author Tea (camellia sinensis) contains caffeine and is, therefore, a good energizer; however, there are other popular plants in this category as well.
In South America, yerba mate (pronounced mahtay) is the most popular energy drink. It’s a subtropical species of holly, and it’s traditionally brewed in a gourd and drunk through a nickel straw. Besides caffeine, yerba mate contains B vitamins; these are the ones you get when you feel run down. One of the most energizing yerba mates on the market is mixed with guarana and is called Energia.
Tea Guys’ energy spa tea, called Energize, also contains guarana as well as spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom. Guarana is one of the most potent of the plants containing caffeine, and ginger is a known stimulant. Tea Guys also have a caffeine free energizer called Pick Me Up. Interestingly enough, the major ingredient is lemongrass, which apparently is a mild sedative. Pick Me Up, though, relies on flavor and aroma impact to get your attention and make you feel energized: it’s quite sour and very minty.
Roland at Tea & Treasure
Energize & Energia
Posted in Herbal Tea, Uncategorized, Yerba Mate | 
Tags: caffeine, energize, energy tea, ginger, guarana, yerba mate | 
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Native American tribes in South America have used yerba mate for centuries as a beverage with healing and energizing powers. European settlers realized the beneficial qualities of yerba mate early on. Charles Darwin drank it on his famous voyage of the beagle.
Today, in northeast Argentina, there is a model company that produces organic yerba mate of the finest quality. But the main reason I’m mentioning them is for their social and environmental responsibility.
They provide free schooling, medical care, recreation facilities, and subsidized housing for their employees and their families. The mate is grown without pesticides and herbicides and with special attention to soil conservation.
In addition, Las Marias funds conservation programs for wildlife and native forests in northeastern Argentina. They sell their mate under the La Merced brand name, and you can learn more by going to their website, YerbaLaMerced.com.ar (Spanish only).
Roland Petrov
Posted in South American Tea, Yerba Mate | Tags: La Merced, Las Marias, yerba mate tea | No Comments »
The Bolivian large leaf black tea I tried today is grown at 3,500 feet at the Chai Mate tea gardens in Northern Bolivia. The leaves are large and brew up yielding a bright amber mild and fruity tea.
This tea will not hold up to milk or cream, and in my opinion it doesn’t need sweetening either as the tea is very light in astringency and tannins, even when brewed for longer that usual. Also, the delicate fruitiness of the tea would be compromised by adding anything to it.
The tea I purchased was organically grown, and sales of this tea improve the lives of families living in a very poor part of South America. A tea to savor and feel really good about.
Roland Petrov
Yesterday, I found out that Peru is a tea growing country (as in <em>Camelia sinensis</em>); however, when I went online and typed in “tea in Peru” all I got were numerous sites touting coca tea.
In the early ’80s I was on a Bolivian train puking my guts up as the train climbed to fourteen thousand feet. The remedy, when I got to the world’s highest city, Potosi, was a nice hot cup of coca tea, well known to help with altitude sickness (though in truth the amount of alcohol I’d consumed the night before in a bar in Sucre…..but let’s not go there).
Coca tea is an infusion from the dried leaves of the coca bush; yes, <strong>that</strong> coca bush, the one from which cocaine is produced. It’s a bit like green tea and, like green tea, is mildly stimulating and healthy.
Coca leaves are rich in vitamins, protein, calcium, and iron. In Bolivia, and elsewhere in South America, coca for tea is sold commercially in tea bags packed into boxes just like any other tea.
s coca tea legal in the U.S.? Somes websites say it isn’t while other websites are selling it. Either way, just be aware that you can’t possibly produce cocaine from a box of coca leaf tea bags.
Roland Petrov
More than one customer has come into my store, seen the utensils for drinking yerba mate tea, and remarked, “That looks like drug paraphanalia!” They were referring to the Yerba Mate Bombilla: this is most often a natural gourd which has been cut open and had a rim attached, and a nickel plated straw with filter attachment at one end.
Yerba Mate (pronounced mahtay) is poured into the gourd from a mate pouch or directly from a bag of mate, hot water is added, the straw is inserted, and the sipping of the mate begins. The gourd can be refilled up to four times or so before the mate is discarded and fresh mate is used.
In countries like Argentina and Uruguay, many people sip all day long. They’re on the train with their mate, the gourd and straw, and a flask of hot water. Or they’re at their desk with these essential items, or walking around with them.
And until recently, in Uruguay, they were drinking mate while driving. The accident rate, as they steered the car with their chin while refilling the bombilla gourd with scalding water, prompted the government to put a stop to that.
I’m not sure if refilling one’s gourd while driving is still legal in Argentina or not; maybe someone out there knows and will share this tidbit. I mentioned the health benefits of yerba mate in a previous blog post, now here are the dangers:
- Don’t open your hot water flask while driving.
- Unless you live in South America, don’t have a mate gourd and bombilla on prominent display unless you want to be asked what you’re smoking.
Roland Petrov