![[Articles/Hobbies/Yerba Mate and Guayusa/IMG_20250201_123331_cropped.jpg]] Ceramic mate - Photo by 'Mateusz Adamczyk' / blog.amatthew.eu, [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)` ## Sections ### 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. ![[Articles/Hobbies/Yerba Mate and Guayusa/Pasted image 20250202182240.png]] Fruits of Ilex paraguariensis - Picture by **'©Oregon State University'** at [source](https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/sites/plantid7/files/plantimage/ilpar7862.jpg) on [website](https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/ilex-paraguariensis) (under kind permission of Pat Breen) ### 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 eastern Ecuador, northeastern Peru, northern Bolivia and southern Colombia. The name refers to *guañus*a, 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 mate 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). ![[Articles/Hobbies/Yerba Mate and Guayusa/IMG_20250201_130727_cropped.jpg]] Yerba mate with cocoa beans on the left. Guayusa with citrus grass on the right - Photo by Mateusz Adamczyk / blog.amatthew.eu, [CC BY-SA license]([https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/cclicenses/](https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/cclicenses/)) 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 with the tea up to around 30-40% volume (leaves expand), - then I heat up filtered 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. ![[Articles/Hobbies/Yerba Mate and Guayusa/IMG_20250203_203020_cropped2.jpg]] Stainless steel bombillas - Photo by Mateusz Adamczyk / blog.amatthew.eu, [CC BY-SA license]([https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/cclicenses/](https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/cclicenses/)) ## 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 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerba_mate - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilex_guayusa ### Section 4 - How to drink yerba - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerba_mate - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tereré - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_cocido - https://www.yerbamatelab.com/types-of-yerba-mate-gourds/ ## Metadata Date of creation: 2025.02.03 Date of revision: 2025.06.15