In our last Leaflet Newsletter, we featured Rooibos, which of course is not tea.  This month we feature one of our most popular offerings which surprisingly enough again is not tea:  Yerba Mate�    I know, some of our tea purists might question our sanity here, but in the attempt to be fair, we are just broadening your horizon.  So please bear with us.
I will admit, before establishing The Tea Smith I knew nothing of this drink.  So as we were setting up our initial offering I was not sure if it fit well.  But we did add it to our selection of herbals, and fortunately so as customers familiar with this herbal infusion walked in almost from day one asking if we carried Yerba Mate.
The plant from which this is made,  Ilex Paraguariensis, is found in a relatively small area of South America.  It is a small tree, or large shrub which can reach heights of 60-90 feet.  The drink has been enjoyed by the residents of Argentina, Paraguay and northern Brazil for centuries.
The Jesuits are credited with first commercializing production in the area in the 1600's.  This lasted until the late 18th century at which time they were pretty much tossed out of the area, and the commercial production declined. 
The traditional method of consuming Mate� is to prepare the drink in a hollowed out gourd, and sipped through a metal straw called a bombilla.  Often this is passed around in fellowship.  Today it is found in the traditional loose form, teabags, ready to drink, colas, and in energy drinks.

The taste of the green Mate� is vegetal and smooth when prepared properly, using water that is only around 150-160 degrees.  It contains caffeine antioxidants and vitamins and minerals from the soil in which it is grown.
If this sounds interesting, that's because it is! 
So if you are ready for something new, pick up a bit of the traditional Mate', or roasted Mate' or for a pick me up in the summer our NEW Mate' Fiesta.