the Yerba Maté thread
-
Anyone here like to drink yerba maté?
I do not think it's a decidedly exclusively healthy product to consume, as I suspect it might suffer from some of the same downsides as certain teas. What's promising about it is the caffeine, the micronutrients, the fact that it's grown in South America where the soil is a lot cleaner and finally the way I feel consuming it. Any research on the health effects, as well as some tips or experiences are great topics for this thread.Some ways to avoid negative health factors:
-
In large parts of South America they drink smoked yerba maté and from what I've seen it coincides with negative health effects that are mostly absent when drinking unsmoked yerba maté.
-
Ideally the product is unsmoked as mentioned, but also does not contain a lot of dust, because that enters the holes of the bombilla straw and probably messes up your throat and intestines. I have found one brand that is pure leaf (means the branches aren't included, it's a flavor I prefer) but also does not have an powder whatsoever. At first I avoided it in favor of brands like Kraus because it seemed 'inauthentic' but it turned out to be the best one I've had. It's called Natural Green. Very solid choice if you can get it.
-
I put lots of sugar and a piece of lime in my maté. You can experiment a lot with it. Steeped cold yerba maté as an ice tea. Or add it to cocktails. etc
Overall I highly recommend trying it. It's maybe a hassle to setup but the rush and temperature increase I get on it is unparalelled.
-
-
@CO3 I do drink yerba from time to time but I haven't experimented enough with the brands to state my preferences. But I have tried a few cups and can confidently say that Palo Santo cup is the best - much better than any metal cup.
I've never even thought of adding sugar to it. Do you add it to water? If you add it to cup it will quickly "rinse out", no?
-
@zawisza I have a classic gourd in Spain, but want to buy a Palo Santo at some point for sure. The stainless steel is just my choice atm because I bring it places and wanna rinse it out easily.
I add sugar like under the bombilla. Like i push the bombilla away from me and add it so most of the sugar is at the bottom when i slowly pour the water in. It works very well but you have to add a little extra. With a gourd it means you can't leave it out standing too long especially with warm weather.
I read somewhere the most classical way of drinking might be out of a hoof. I'm not sure if that's accurate since the gourds make the most sense practically. But either way I'm obsessed with owning one of these:
-
@CO3 You really are the biggest fan of cow's feet
-
@oliveoil they are heckin adorbs
-
Ray mentioned to me when discussing a soda idea, that caffeine from Yerba Mate would be good to use.
I wish I asked him what he thought about yerba mate itself, and why that caffeine specifically!
-
@LetTheRedeemed I never knew of an instance of him mentioning yerba maté! I know maté soda is hyper-popular in Germany, especially Berlin, but it's zogged. It has barely any sugar and citric acid in it.
A sort of maté-based red bull type drink (with the same basic vitamins and some taurine) and thenlime juice instead and quinine added would be just about the most bio-energetic commercial product to ever exist.
-
@CO3 yeah that would be a cool drink I’d definitely choose over redbull!
Unfortunately, I don’t know why he told me “caffeine from Yerba mate…” I never heard him mention it anywhere else
-
@LetTheRedeemed A mysterious man.. Maybe because it would be cheap?
-
@CO3 yeah, maybe cleaner?
