Alexis · Fondateur d'YVY Maté
Mate, as a new drink, is still poorly understood.
On one side, you sometimes read that 50 g of mate equals 500 cigarettes, or even that the drink carries cancer risks.
On the other, you read that yerba mate has multiple health benefits.
So, what are mate's health risks?
The risks of yerba mate
Caffeine
The South American drink has a certain caffeine content - it's actually the 3rd most-consumed caffeinated drink in the world.
Caffeine has a stimulating effect on the brain. It improves the ability to perform enduring physical tasks as well as cognitive ones. Caffeine is often said to "wake you up", owing to its excitatory effects.
Of course, excessive caffeine intake can bring unpleasant symptoms such as:
- Headaches
- Trembling
- Sleep trouble
- Anxiety
- A racing or irregular heartbeat
Excess of the substance can pose several dangers to humans, in the short term as in the long term.
So naturally, mate is no exception to the rules around caffeine. Its levels vary with how the mate is farmed.
We advise not exceeding 80 g of mate per day (around 3 gourds).
The drying
Depending on how it's produced, mate is dried after harvest either with or without smoke.
During smoke drying, the mate comes into contact with hazardous molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These molecules are released as the wood burns and pose health risks.
Fortunately, we've selected a mate that undergoes smoke-free drying - a longer, costlier process, but one with a considerable impact on the yerba's quality and its taste when brewed.
Smoke-free mate drying means:
- 110°C for 3 hours
- By conduction, with hot air blown through metal tubes
- With no health hazard
Smoke-free mate drying
Drinking temperature
Drinking mate too hot raises the risk of mouth and esophageal cancer… as do all hot drinks!
Brewing temperature is an important factor in preparing mate: we recommend between 70 and 80°C.
So take care to wait a few minutes before pouring the water into a mate gourd or a teacup, so as not to burn the leaves - and again before drinking your mate.
Yerba mate and its benefits
As you'll have gathered, yerba mate - Antoine Griezmann's favorite drink - offers benefits above all. The risky consumption lies, as with everything, in the excess.
Better still, the natural pairing of theobromine and caffeine in mate leaves makes this plant the perfect compromise between tea and coffee. Here are some of mate's benefits:
- Stimulating power thanks to the caffeine.
- Its many active compounds, like mateine, tannins, iron and a wide array of vitamins.
- Twice as many antioxidants as green tea.
- Fewer caffeine downsides like trembling, jitters, etc.
Drinking South America's hot beverage offers unique effects, now reaching an ever-wider audience - especially with increasingly high-quality yerba mate on offer, shattering the received ideas about mate's flavor and bitterness.
Athletes, workers and busy people: mate helps you thrive through intense days and recover the energy needed for the next ones.
The many ways to enjoy mate - in tea bags, in a mate gourd or with a tea infuser - let everyone fold the plant into their routine.
Enjoying mate in a mate cup
