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| FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
* What is in the yerba mate tea?
* Is Yerba Mate a diet tea?
* Is Yerba Mate caffeinated?
* Is the yerba you sell organic?
* Do you support fair trade?
* Which yerba tea do I need to use?
* Can I just try yerba in a tea bag?
* What is the best method to store my yerba?
* Can I use my drip, perc, or French press coffee machine like I always do in
the morning?
* I love rich espresso flavor; it needs to be strong to be good. I like to cut
my coffee and tea with milk or soy or add flavors. What can I use?
* Which tea do I need to use for drinking from a gourd?
* What... are these bombillas... and what are they used for?
* Do I need to do anything to my bombilla? What about cleaning?
* Which mate (cup) do I need?
* How do I clean my mate cup?
* Mold in my mate cup?
SUBMIT YOUR OWN QUESTION
VIEW OUR WEBLOG.
Regarding the Tea:
What is in the yerba mate tea?
"Yerba" is not a mix. It is a different plant altogether from regular
black or green tea (camilla sinensis). The latin name of yerba mate is Ilex Paraguariensis,
common names are Paraguayan tea or Jesuit tea, and it only grows in Uruguay, Paraguay,
Southern Brazil, and Northern Argentina. The Ilex taxa is the holly family!!
Is Yerba Mate a diet tea?
Yes. It is known to lessen appetite--but it is certainly no substitute for a good
diet and ample exercise, etc. Yerba does, however, contain a high percentage of
vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants as well. It is a great addition to a healthful
diet.
Is Yerba Mate caffeinated?
Yerba mate contains caffeine or "mateine" and is a stimulant beverage.
The component chemicals are one of a category of chemicals found naturally in
some plants and which are classified as Xanthines. Mateine is a mild stimulant,
does not tend to interrupt sleep patterns nor cause "jitters" or the
"crash" associated with the caffeine of coffee. It also contains bromelain;
the same chemical found in chocolate. Unlike coffee yerba mate also contains vitamins,
minerals, and antioxidants. Much of the energy and "high" associated
with yerba mate is from this nourishment. For more information see properties
or links.
Is the yerba you sell organic?
For the most part, yes... but "no". Our La Merced Organic yerba is 100%
organic. As for the other brands... Argentina doesn't have the same certification
process as in the United States--nor the same growing interest in claiming "organic."
Yerba mate doesn't need pesticides nor herbicides in it's production--because
little attacks the plant. Skeptics that we are--we visited various of the plantations
in Corrientes and Misiones, Argentina whose yerba we sell. We never saw obvious
signs of pesticide control--as we do here in the United States on most modern
farms today.
Numerous North American companies which repackage yerba from South America take
this fact to mean their yerba is organic--and they state so to the consumers!!
Much of our yerba is not certified organic... but we are skeptical of others who
state theirs is. If it is certified by an objective third party group who has
examined the crop in the field, then it may indeed be "organic". We
have communicated to our suppliers the need for this certification and will gladly,
and preferably, sell organic if possible.
...Of course none of this matter seems to concern big-time yerba mate drinker
from birth, Grandmother Violeta who lived to 98 and in great health!
Do you support fair trade?
We pay a fair price to our artisans for all of the mate and bombilla craftwork
we sell (some of the items are made by family anyhow). As for actually certifiable
(I mean fair trade, silly, not our mental state) as far as we know, in all of
our research, there is no true fair trade certification for yerba mate tea. I
cannot speak for others [though like other companies we would like to say we also
support fair trade!!] For details please read our "Fair Trade" page in the Community box.
Which yerba tea do I need to use?
How do you plan on drinking your yerba? What do you normally do at home with your
tea or coffee... and how adventurous are you to try something new and different?
These are the questions to ask yourself and following are some suggestions:
Can I just try yerba in a tea bag?
We carry many tea bags; they're easy and delicious.
Can I use my drip, perc, or French press coffee machine
like I always do in the morning?
See our BREWING page. Canarias Brazilian or any of the despalada (leaf only) styles
are for you. Use it just as you would your regular ground coffee! No special grinding
or packing into tea bells is necessary. No special papers or filters; same technique.
Perc or French Press is especially good, because you can brew it as strong as
you like. Any of our teas may be used in a French Press with greatly varying strengths
and outcomes--all good.
I love rich espresso flavor; it needs to be strong
to be good. I like to cut my coffee and tea with milk or soy or add flavors. What
can I use?
The Canarias Brazilian (or any of the other despaladas) will do a great job of giving you the fullfilling espresso
experience. You can't use just any yerba mate for a "green espresso".
Other "grinds" and styles of yerba mate don't work nearly as well in
an espresso machine. Use almost like you would your normal espresso roast (see
BREWING)--and no additional grinding necessary!! Perfect for cafe use.
Which tea do I need to use for drinking from a gourd?
Any of our kilo bags of yerba will make a great mate. Try the Cruz de Malta or
any of the suaves if you are new to mate... or think a milder/mellower flavor
is your style. You will find the teas rated on our yerba mate page. The strongest
will be the despaladas, Rosamonte Especial, or Canarias. We also carry flavored
varieties for hot summer days and great teas for digestion, liver health, and
nice teas to drink as a healthful change of pace. The variations are endless.
What is the best method to store my yerba?
Cool and dry. Dry above all. Do not store in the freezer like coffee. A glass
jar or clean container on the shelf or pantry is fine. If you use the yerba pretty
quickly in the bag on the shelf is fine. See our weblog in the "Other Info" box
for more fun facts.
The Bombillas:
What... are these... and what are they used for?
Hey now... don't look like that. They aren't pipes for smoking! They're paraphernalia
for tea drinking. They're tea filter straws--bombillas (pronounced "bohm--beezhas"
or "bohm--beelee-us"). You can drink any kind of tea with them (not
just yerba mate) and you won't need tea bells, tea balls, or tea bags.
Do I need to do anything to my bombilla? What about
cleaning?
Mostly the bombillas don't need any kind of service... however we advise that
you clean it well before you use it the first time to wash off any possible residues
from the metal fabrication--or any bit of metal which may remain. For the occasional
cleaning we sell bombilla brushes which work on almost all of our bombillas. An
occasional rinse is all that's necessary--sometimes with a bit of vinegar. Openable-end
bombillas facilitate this cleaning better.
The Mates:
Which mate cup do I need?
Pick one for the amount you would like to drink per sitting--or how many people
you often entertain. A small 2-3oz. mate makes a great "personal" mate.
A Brazilian cuia or gigante (see our BIG mates page) is just the thing for passing
around with friends or at a party. The artisan 4-oz. just seem perfect for a couple...
but these are just ideas. Drinking yerba is a way of life; a ritual that changes
in every moment--the way our lives do. We have about a half dozen mates in rotational
use in our house and they all have their moments and days of the week... one for
the car, one for mornings, one for afternoon, one for guests.... It all depends.
We have attempted to give you as much information as possible in our listings;
the ounces of yerba a mate will hold is a good basis for comparison. (These oz.
listings are the average volume of yerba they will reasonably hold--NOT total
fluid ounces of interior volume.)
How do I clean my mate (cup)?
Read MATE CURING if you haven't done so already.
First of all the mate gourd should never, of course, be put in a dishwasher--and
one should never use soap with it. That said it leaves us a few options for cleaning.
Mostly we just rinse ours out with water. If a gourd is left with yerba for several
days, moist, and begins to mold... we rinse it and scrub it inside with water
only--and then coat the inside with baking soda. This can then, after it dries,
be rinsed out with vinegar. (Marisa loves this process, because it has the effect
of powerful chemical reaction--whether the effect is as powerful as the chemical
reaction is left for scientific study.) After this you can rinse it out with water
again. Rinsing, scrubbing and thoroughly drying your gourd with a paper towel
or cloth will help keep the mold from growing. The cloth will turn green, but
this is from the yerba residue--not the mold. If you are more careful than we
are you will never leave one of your gourds with wet yerba for long periods of
time. Also--as much as we become attached to any one of our mate gourds--the fact
remains that gourds were not meant to last forever.
Mold in my mate (cup)?
Having a problem with your mate? Read above and MATE CURING page.
Mold will grow in any humid condition where it has a growth medium. You either
need to eliminate the moisture or the growth medium. Letting the mate dry out
between use will help. Scrubbing it out with a clean, abrasive dish sponge and
water (no soap) will help. Don't ever let the mate sit with yerba in it after
use (like we do)--except during the curing process. After it has been "washed
out" by many mate drinkings the wood or gourd should lose its ability to
harbor mold.
When the gourds are finished curing they will be completely green/black inside. Most of this coloration is due to the tea itself--though I would be unscientific to state that there was no mold at all; it is nearly impossible to not have any mold at all. The stain occurs mostly under the rim due to the strong concentration of tea that rises to the surface of the mate there.
Following the curing information we send with our products it is possible to cure a mate for drinking... then after that the mate will continue to cure as we drink with it. (Mostly, in the case of the gourd mates, we are trying to remove the very bitter pulp and inhibit rampant mold growth--not the green-black staining.)
If you have any further questions please feel free to contact us--or go to www.yerbamateteagourd.blogspot.com and use the search box at the top of the page; enter "mold".
Here's another good link: www.markrice.com/0305argentina/ArgentinaMateAndYerba.htm |
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