From culture to taste, you'll like it

 Yerba Mate, it's benefits are everywhere

Argentina and mate have one of the best relationships that we can observe throughout history, and no wonder: the country is the main producer of yerba mate in the world. We Argentines get used to drinking the infusion from a very young age, it is an almost obligatory cultural experience, not only for us, but also for everyone who visits these lands. From the beautiful mountains and the lush Misionera jungle, the cradle of this tradition (at least on Argentine soil), to the most inhospitable and cold Fuegian places, in every place you visit, the ritual is the same: a mate, yerba, bombilla and hot water; in the morning, at noon, when the sun goes down, and at night for night owls. Each person complies with this ritual in their own way, some decide to stir the yerba inside the mate to eliminate the dust and thus generate the so famous "mountain" that allows the mate not to wash quickly, and others prefer the opposite, a soft and washed mate. We are sure of something, you are not going to taste a mate like another anywhere, each person leaves their magic and their love in each barley, giving each sip a particular taste, and how could it not be this way? Argentines consume more than 250 million kilos of yerba mate a year. And the tradition does not end here, mate is consumed in different parts of Latin America, but also outside of our continent: Syria is the country that imports the most yerba mate, this is due to the large number of people who migrated to Argentina from Syria and then they returned home, taking this tradition with them. 

But the benefits of mate are not only found in its taste and the way it brings people together; Yerba mate has 90% more antioxidants than tea, which helps to improve the body's natural defenses and protect it against cellular damage that causes the body to deteriorate. It provides vitamins B1, B2, more than ten different types of amino acids, iron, magnesium, sodium and potassium. Pssss! If you are taking exams, drinking mate could help you concentrate better, since yerba has Xanthine, or commonly called mateine, and its effects are similar to those of tea and coffee, stimulating the central nervous system.

Choose wisely, it's F-U-N-D-A-M-E-N-T-A-L

Before reaching our homes, the yerba completes a cycle of 5 years: the first four are those necessary fo

r the plant to grow and be harvested, this occurs in the provinces of Misiones and Corrientes, the only places where the plant can grow safe and sound; and then, it takes at least a year in specially conditioned tanks for the good treatment of the product that guarantee its quality. So, we can understand that not only the way in which each person prepares their mate defines the flavor, there are different types of yerba: although the plant is the same, there are more than one type of curing of them, as well as two processes fundamental by which parts of the sheet are discarded.

First we have the yerba that the Argentines choose the most, the one made with palo, with a higher concentration of dried and crushed leaves and a smaller portion of palo. Then we can talk about the yerba despalada, which has a portion of less than 10% stick, chips and fibers. These two varieties are the most common and used, but there is also yerba that go through a roasting process, intense grinding and the variety most used by Uruguayans, known for its high concentration of powder, and the list does not end there, some prefer the compound yerba, which contains herbs such as boldo, chamomile and linden, among others, or those flavored with natural essences, the yerba mate used to make tereré, an infusion that is drunk cold and has larger leaves and sticks, and there is also organic herb, produced in a special way to take care of the environment. Each type of yerba has its peculiarities and leaves different flavors when you taste them, the important thing is that you know which one you like! Argentines are used to polarization, to feeling excluded within our own communities, to thinking very differently from how the other thinks. We are passionate, enthusiastic and dramatic, but if something defines us, it is our resilience, our ability to adapt to adversity, our desire to share and help those who are close to us. We are united by tradition, culture, and, above all, the love we feel for a good mate.