Yerba Mate Tea

When it comes to the mention of the word tea, green, white, black and oolong varieties come to mind. Not many are aware of the yerba mate tea, for the simple reason that it's still a young and growing variety. In the natural the plant is not what you would call a tea type, though research has suggested that it is its leaves and stems can be harvested for tea. In many texts, yerba mate tea has been compared to green tea, though there are apparent differences. When it comes to the antioxidants concentration, yerba mate tea has 90% more than that in green tea.

Preparation of yerba mate tea is reminiscent of black tea. Dry leaves and sometimes twigs are steeped in hot water. It's important to ensure that the water is not boiling as this would create a bitter taste in the tea after the brewing is complete. Some Brazilian drinkers prefer a toasted version of the tea. It works well as a hot beverage, served with fruit juice or milk or as an uncarbonated cold drink. Either way it still delivers on the flavor, but the toasted variety is considerably less bitter. When it comes to the flavor itself, yerba mate tea has a grassy or herbal taste, which is why it's compared to green tea.

Traditionally, yerba mate tea is served in a gourd and sipped through a metal filter to avoid intake of the leaves. There are some places where the tradition is observed though it would not be unusual to find it served in a tea cup instead. It's available as bagged yerba mate tea and loose leaf, where a tea restrainer is needed. The latter allows a drinker to regulate the strength of the brew.

Benefits from drinking yerba mate tea are many, though there is an ongoing debate on just how much you should take in a day. With the high level of antioxidants in the tea, the body benefits from eradication of free radicals in the various systems which means better health, and lesser predisposition to cancers and coronary heart diseases. Yerba mate tea has anti-obesity characteristics. These can be used in fighting weight loss and increasing fat metabolism to maintain a healthier body without too much unneeded fat. It also reduces LDL (low density lipoproteins; bad cholesterol) which is not good for the heart. Yerba mate tea contains a myriad of vitamins and minerals which are necessary for proper functioning of the body systems.