Yerba Mate Cherry

Brew & Taste

Cherry maté gives a light yellow-green infusion. Its aroma comes from its earthy and smoky flavor and is distinctly cherry-like. The fruit is also identified in the taste. It has a very refreshing impression. It can be flavored with sugar, lemon, orange, rum or bourbon.

Origins

Although we speak of mate as a tea, it is not a true tea. It is not made from the leaves of the tea bush, but from the leaves of a tree grown in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil and Chile. We're talking about the Paraguayan holly, an evergreen tree that can grow up to 20m tall. Its favorite habitat is shaded riverbanks. Every 3-4 years, the leaves are trimmed with the terminal twigs and processed into a tea popular worldwide.

The leaves and twigs are stuffed into large bags where they naturally ferment and oxidize. The process is completed by a few seconds of high temperature. The material is then dried and coarsely ground. It is returned to the jute sacks in which it is aged for 12-24 months. It is then ground once more, sorted and packaged.

We have added cherry pieces and natural flavorings to balance the flavors and aromas. We buy our fruit from a certified supplier in the EU, so we can be sure it's organic and processed as gently as possible. The cherries are freeze-dried, retaining all the important sensory properties and up to 90% of the vitamin content. The purely natural aroma does not cause heartburn, acidify the body nor irritate the stomach.

Benefits of maté

Known as green gold to the Native Americans, maté has been known for over 500 years. It was brought to Europe from South America by Jesuit priests, which is why it is known as 'Jesuit tea', especially in Spain. It was probably used by the native tribes as far back as 2,000 years, according to the archaeological findings show. Apparently it helped them to overcome long periods of food shortage and physical and mental exhaustion. It reduces hunger and contains caffeine, which has excellent stimulating effects. Mate contains many minerals, antioxidants, vitamins and trace elements. It strengthens immunity, counteracts many allergies, and rejuvenates the body in general. It can support the cardiovascular system as well as natural detoxing of the body and promote digestion. Regular drinking of maté can normalize the sleep cycle, blood sugar levels, and improve the quality of hair.

Traditional maté preparation

1. 1. Traditionally, mate is prepared in a mate gourd (dried and hollowed-out gourd) and savored hot or chilled trhough a bombilla (special metal straw).
2. Add 2-3 teaspoons of leaves into the gourd and cover with slightly warm water to give the leaves a firm consistency.
3. After a few minutes, pour hot water over the leaves and let steep for 3 minutes.
4. Slide a bombilla into the mate gourd and sip the refreshing drink slowly. There is a small strainer at the bottom to prevent any leaves from getting into the straw. Avoid using too much mate to prevent the bombilla from clogging.
5. You can repeat this process up to five times from one batch of mate. However, always re-steep for a maximum of 3 minutes. If desired, use sugar, lemon, orange, rum, cognac or milk to flavor.