Where to get Yerba Mate tea (brands?)

[bulletheas]

Hello, I've been recently into a tea kick, I have had yerba mate before but it was a mass market lemon flavored iced tea kind of drink I bought at a convenience store.

Question, I would like to try yerba mate, more traditionally. I would prefer an easy way to make it, like from a tea bag or something. Does anyone recommend any brands? I just came back from the local supermarket and they had none in their tea isle, also the nearest health food store near me closed awhile back. So I'm looking for online sources.

Thanks a lot if anyone has any recommendations.

[bulletheas]

I have picked some Yerba Mate up from Adagio, I see they had tea bags available. Looking forward to this,

I heard the real stuff like I ordered gives you a nice lift, I could definitely use that.

[Poohblah]

I quite frequently drink mate with breakfast. It can give a good buzz even though it's lower in caffeine than a similar amount of coffee. I used to share gourds of mate with my friends in high school. I would recommend three brands (in this order):

1) Mate Factor
2) Guayaki
3) EcoTeas

You should be able to find all three brands at natural food stores, such as Whole Foods and Natural Grocers. However, sometimes the grocery stores mark up the price quite a bit. You should be able to find each of those for around $10 per pound. Be careful, because an open bag of mate goes stale after a few months. I once tried ordering a 5lb bulk bag, but I had to toss around a third of it because I had it for 6 months and it was no longer good. In my experience, mate sold off of the grocery store shelves is sometimes not very fresh. One reason I prefer Mate Factor brand is because they vacuum-seal their bags, which increases the shelf life a bit.

[bulletheas]

thanks for the feedback, I'll wait to see if I like the pure Yerba Mate. If so I'll look online for the brands you mentioned. I appreciate the help.

[edkrueger]

I'd go for the cheap brands that aren't sold in health food stores, they taste better.

[Evan Draper]

I'd go for the cheap brands that aren't sold in health food stores, they taste better.

Look in to some Hispanic groceries. They will have large quantities of it for cheap. In my experience tea retailers usually mark up their mate so it's more in line with the rest of their prices but it's still the same "bag o' lawn clippings."

[Poohblah]

I'd go for the cheap brands that aren't sold in health food stores, they taste better.

Look in to some Hispanic groceries. They will have large quantities of it for cheap. In my experience tea retailers usually mark up their mate so it's more in line with the rest of their prices but it's still the same "bag o' lawn clippings."

That's a really good idea. I have to confess, though, that I've never come across a Hispanic grocery store in the states.

[Evan Draper]

I have to confess, though, that I've never come across a Hispanic grocery store in the states.

Uhh...was I supposed to call it a Latin grocery? Or like, a grocery store in a Hispanic neighborhood?

[Poohblah]

No, it's just not something I've seen in the area near me, so the idea of checking a Hispanic grocery store for mate never crossed my mind. I've come across plenty of Asian markets, but not Hispanic markets.

I googled for one and it turns out that the nearest one to me is about an hour's drive away. So there you go

[yalokinh]

Is the quality between of mate between guayaki and ecoteas any different?

[Poohblah]

Is the quality between of mate between guayaki and ecoteas any different?

Not really. I think they're definitely competitors; they're both catering to the same market. I think guayaki is maybe slightly better, but I believe the larger factor affecting quality is the time that the product spends on the shelf.

[yalokinh]

So i did some snoopin around the internet, and while guayaki, mate factor and eco teas have a good selection of stuff, i think the best place ive found price wise and selectionwise is ma-tea. A cheap, smallish gourd is about 6$, not bad. All teas are under 10$ for a kilo (2.2lbs).

[jayinhk]

I was into mate back in '06 or so, but found it got me TOO wired. I end up biting my fingernails down too far and then my fingers hurt! It happens every time. The alkaloids in it mess with me more than caffeine!

[Poohblah]

Interesting - I found that mate tends to affect me less than other sources of caffeine. I have to drink a pretty heavy dose of mate to feel the buzz.

[jayinhk]

For me it's fingernail biting without the caffeine kick...not for me at all!