Yerba Mate and Guayusa
Ilex paraguariensis, the tea of Jesuits and the southern natives of South America
Yerba Mate (ka'a in Tupí, kaʼay in Guarani) is a traditional energising herbal infusion from the southern regions of South America. The name refers to Maté (MAH-tay), which is a word derived from French and American Spanish.
The original name from Brazil is chimarrão, which in Spanish is cimarrón and roughly used to mean 'feral'. Hence in the colonial times, the name may have referred to the Guaraní and Tupi natives who used to consume the bitter drink in the wild form.
Ilex paraguariensis is a Latin name of the plant, given after a Jesuit territory of 'Provincia Paraguaria' (Paraguay). The territory back then included parts of modern:
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Chile
- Paragua
- Uruguay
The Jesuits were the first to domesticate the plant and establish the plantations in 17th century. The re-domestication took place again in between the 19th and 20th century by joint efforts or Brazil and Argentina. Nowadays the biggest producers of yerba mate are Argentina, southern Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. The plant is an evergreen tree that blooms from October to November and produces red-brown fruits from green-white flowers.
Ilex guayusa, the tea of the northern natives of South America
Guayusa (Waísa/Wayusa in Kichwa, Wais/Wayus in Jivaroan) is also a traditional energising herbal infusion from the northern regions of South America. It is native to the Amazonian regions, such as Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and southern Colombia.
The name refers to guañusa, which was used by Jesuits. Nowadays the plant is known as simply guayusa (Gwhy-YOU-sah).
The earliest evidence of the plant gathering dates back to a 1500 years old bundle of guayusa leaves found at Bolivian Andes in Niño Korin. During the colonial times, the plant was observed by the Jesuits to be popular amongst the Kichwa and Jivaroan natives (also known for using curare poison arrows and darts).
Nowadays the biggest producers of guayusa is Ecuador. The plant is an evergreen tree that blooms from late Spring to mid Summer and produces small red berries from white flowers.
Reasons for drinking yerba
Both Yerba and Guayusa may be drank in the same fashion and the brewing process is not different (although there are different styles of the drink). They may be consumed cold or hot, with or without additives. In South America they may be served as soft drinks, sometimes sold in supermarkets.
There are certain variations in the processing methods of the plant leaves, but all in all they share lots of similarities with the generally perceived forms of tea (Camellia sinensis, mint tea or different infusions).
Ilex paraguariensis (on the left) contains:
- Caffeine (0.7% to 1.7% of dry mass),
- Theobromine (also present in Camellia sinensis, kola nut),
- Theophylline (also present in Camellia sinensis, coffee, chocolate, guarana, kola nuts).
Ilex guayusa (on the right) contains:
- Caffeine(1.73% to 3.48% of dry mass),
- Theobromine (also present in Camellia sinensis, kola nut),
- L-theanine (also present in Camellia sinensis).
Both of the hollies are a great replacement for coffee. Some people (myself included) do not like coffee, either due to the taste or the effects (e.g. heightened heart rate). Guayusa tends to be milder in taste, while yerba mate tends to have a bitter taste (with the intensity depending on the brewing temperature, but also the processing method).
How to drink yerba
If you live in Paraguay, then maté is the national drink. I would not tell anyone how to drink it, but as a European I may share how maté and guayusa may be consumed.
Some popular styles are:
- chimarrão/cimarrón/kaʼay - traditional (Guarani people), served hot in a mate (calabash gourd) or guampa (bull horn).
- tereré - traditional (Guarani people), served cold in a mate, cuia (a different part of the calabash gourd) or the bull horn. May be served with spices or herbs.
- chá mate/cocido/kojoi - the non-traditional form, served pre-brewed in a glass, hot or cold (cheaper and more popular, served as a casual beverage).
How I drink yerba:
- first I take my ceramic mate and fill it up to 30-40% (the leaves soak in and expand),
- then I heat up water in an electric kettle up to 70C (never boil the water to 100C),
- I pour in some water, include my bombilla (straw) and gently stir the content (to disappointment of some people),
- finally I fill it to the brim and let it set in for a while before drinking from it.
Such brewing process may be repeated up to 2-3 times. The first brew is the most flavourful.
You may wonder how I can get away with stirring maté using a bombilla. It's simple, I don't use the 'coil type' bombillas.
References
Section 1 - Ilex paraguariensis, the tea of Jesuits and the southern natives of South America
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maté
- https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provincia_jesuítica_del_Paraguay
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8622869/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_yerba_mate
- https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/ilex-paraguariensis
Section 2 - Ilex guayusa, the tea of the northern natives of South America
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilex_guayusa
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311981728_Ilex_guayusa_Aquifoliaceae_Amazon_and_Andean_Native_Plant
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/295085067_Amazonian_Guayusa_Ilex_guayusa_Loes_A_Historical_and_Ethnobotanical_Overview
- https://pubs.sciepub.com/jfnr/6/7/8/index.html
- https://www.waisamama.ca/pages/what-is-guayusa
- https://eol.org/pages/5225245/articles
Section 3 - Reasons for drinking yerba
Section 4 - How to drink yerba
Member discussion