Page 76 - #51 English

Tea
Story and Photos by Barbara Dufrene
Provided by Tea & Coffee Trade Journal

Yerba Mate is Gaining New Fans

Though it has many fans, Yerba Mate is still unfamiliar to most consumers,
but that is gradually changing as its nutritional value and health benefits
become known. by Barbara Dufrene

Yerba Mate, the little - known beverage from South
America, is gradually becoming popular in North America. The
leaves from this rain forest holly species, the Ilex Paraguariensis,
have the strength of coffee, the health benefits of tea and the
euphoria of cocoa. Yerba Mate also provides energy and a wide
range of nutriments without jitteriness and calories.

Since long before the arrival of Europeans in South
America, the indigenous tribes, the Guarani Indians, have sipped
this invigorating, rejuvenating and satiating brew from their
traditional gourds for its many beneficial properties, which arc
full of essential nutrients. In 1964, a scientific report from the
Pasteur Institute in Paris established that no other plant in the
world could deliver the 24 minerals (iron, manganese, potassium,
etc.), 15 amino acids and vitamins that are provided by mate
leaves.
The first to domesticate the plant were the Franciscan and
Jesuit monks, who had arrived in the wake of the Spanish coloni-
zation of the subcontinent in the early 16^ century. realizing the In order to attract younger consumers, mate is now bottled, canned and
many beneficial effects of the drink, they created commercial carbonated.
76