Green Yerba Mate Herbal Tea - Loose Leaf

The Green Yerba Mate Herbal Tea blend from English Tea Store is an herb prepared from the leaves of a South American evergreen shrub, Yerba Mate is also known as Paraguay Tea. The shrub, Illex paraguayensis, is related to the common holly; the leaves are oval and about 6 inches long, the flowers are small and white, and the fruit grows in tiny clusters of red berries that are close to the stems of the plant. Much like guarana and yopo, mate is our only herbal tea that contains caffeine - and it is actually rich in it - the content is comparable to that of Arabica coffee.

Sometimes called "The Drink of the Gods" by many indigenous people of South America, this tea has been brewed for centuries. First cultivated by Jesuit missionaries, the first mate plantations were founded in the mid 1600's. The leaves are processed similarly to tea leaves - the tips of the branches are cut just before the leaves reach full growth, and are steamed and dried. The dried leaves are then sifted and allowed to age to enhance flavor.

How to Make Tea

Available in 3 sizes (Please select from the options above):

• First time trying English Tea Store's Green Yerba Mate Herbal Loose Leaf Tea?

  Try our Sample Size of 1 ounce.
• Contents loose leaf tea net weight 4 ounces
• Contents loose leaf tea net weight 16 ounces (1 pound)

Caffeine content: Medium - This tea contains natural caffeine found in the L. Camellia Sinensis family. A cup of green tea steeped in boiled water for 5 minutes will contain between 22 to 29 milligrams of caffeine. An equal sized cup of coffee will contain between 80 - 100 milligrams of caffeine. Caffeine quickly becomes soluble in very hot water. If you wish to reduce the caffeine level in this tea, briefly rinsing the tea leaves in extremely hot water will reduce the caffeine content between 25-50% with only a minor effect on taste.

Antioxidant Content: Very High - The longer you steep your tea the more polyphenols will be extracted. (Test results based on 5 minutes steeping time. Polyphenol percentages may fluctuate with lot, grade of tea, testing method, temperature of water and freshness of tea). More antioxidants are extracted from tea (L. Camellia Sinesis) the longer it is brewed. And the more tea is used, the greater the antioxidant benefit.