TeaChat

kodama wrote:From what I have heard, mateine is caffeine is theine - absolutely and without debate.

Kodama got it right. Mateine and caffeine are the same.

Separation and identification of compounds from ANYTHING are routine procedures. This is nothing the scientific community is debating over.

Certain SHADY companies really love to play up the fact that they can call caffeine "mateine" in their marketing and go as far to say there isn't any caffeine in mate. This is deception! From what I've read there is A LOT of caffeine in mate!

They get away with it because mate does cause less "jitters" than tea and coffee as many others stated, because it lacks other compounds that tea and coffee has.

I'm not a physician, but if you can't have caffeine for medical reasons, probably the best thing to do is to stay away from mate!

I've been drinking yerba mate all my life, first few sips are always bitter, but eventually you end up really liking it and get used to it.
I myself drink http://www.ma-tea.com/Product.asp?ProdID=m226a

I've never really been a big fan of canarias because brazilian yerba tends to be cut smaller and thus is harder to make in a traditional gourd. But if you don't typically use a gourd, then it seems like a good option to me.

I tried mate for the first time the other day and I loved it immediately! I don't see why people say it's bitter or have any problems with it--I thought it was sweet and delicious.

Of course, I've seen several places suggesting that it has the taste of "coffee and tobacco" and I like both of those, so that might have something to do with it.

TeaFanatic wrote:I've never really been a big fan of canarias because brazilian yerba tends to be cut smaller and thus is harder to make in a traditional gourd. But if you don't typically use a gourd, then it seems like a good option to me.

Hmm, see, i actually drink Canarias out of a traditional gourd(straight from Uruguay).

My bombilla is pretty old, I will have to buy a new bombilla and give canarias another try. My gourd is from the patagonia region in Argentina...it is beautiful. I will buy a new bombilla (straw with filter) and give canarias another try.

I tried Yerba Mate for the first time the other day and loved it. I was wondering if there was a post about Mate on the board (assuming there was)...and I see this was a very popular post. I'm not sure I have much to add to the conversation. As with any tea - It's a matter of taste, understanding fully that the taste will also depend on where you buy it, how much you use and how long you steep it. So many variables almost make it into a game. I steeped approx 1tsp for about 10 minutes (having no gourd or bombilla on hand and having heard of its strength, I figured I'd start off easy...maybe ease into it.

The fact that it's good for you is another bonus, but what tea isn't good for you?

I use to buy Yerba Mate at www.guayaki.com. they recently moved their wearhouse to CA (or headquarters). I hope you find this useful.

I do know that Yerba Mate is not for everyone. I have tried it when I started looking at all the teas that are aviable out there. I found this site adagio.com and the one I shown above as a good starting point. For me I found that Yerba mate was too strong, and tasted like grass clippings from fresh cut lawn.

aptivapeople wrote:Hi just real quick, was wondering if you guys could get some yerba mate. it preps up really nice in the inginuetea maker. i just have really developed a taste for it and would appriciate a selection from you( you guys do a great job with varietes etc.) it is by no means a substitute for wonderful green teas but it is a nice addition. thanks alot

Hi,

Please help out posting information on where to buy Mate locally.

In Minneapolis there is Bill Imported Foods on 721 West Lake Street 612-827-2892.

To make this type of information easier to use/find, follow this link:
http://wherecanibuymate.wikia.com/ (anyone is encourage to edit it with more locations).


BTW, does anyone know where to buy Mate locally in Washington D.C. ?

hey guys i have found that mixing yerba mate and green tea is a good way to mask the flavor of the mate plus by mixing the two togather you can get twice the health benefits