This South American super-herb is packed with antioxidants and energy-giving stimulants. As powerful a stimulant as coffee, it’ll keep you up and running as long as you like. Sweet, toasty, smoky and smooth, it never bitters and never gets old.

Yerba Maté is a species of holly native to sub-tropical South America and grown mainly in Argentina (the largest producer), Brazil and Paraguay. Pronounced "YER-ba MAH-tay," it’s a medicinal and cultural drink of ancient origins, first gaining popularity when the Guarani Indians of South America shared it with Spanish explorers.

Today in South America, this popular beverage is often called the drink of friendship and health, and is traditionally prepared in a gourd and sipped through a metal straw called a bombilla. More than a drink, mate is a social South American phenomenon. Although often enjoyed alone, it is also usually present during moments enjoyed by family, friends and lovers. In fact, it’s not uncommon to see a maté gourd with two or more bombillas for sharing.

What we call “maté” is actually just the liquor resulting from infusing yerba maté leaves in hot water. Fresh maté is not consumed in its raw form. The leaves are harvested and then flash heated in large dryers, or sometimes over wood fires. This is called “blanching,” and is very different than the processing of tea leaves from the Camellia Sinensis plant, which are not blanched but rather left to wither, then air dried at lower temperatures.

Once the fast “blanching” of maté occurs, they are slowly dried for 8-24 hours. This slow drying of maté brings out all kinds of different flavour characteristics.

Next, the really slow part begins: the yerba mate leaves are put in cement or cedar aging chambers, usually for 2-3 months, and up to 12 months! Once this meticulous process is over, the dried leaves are ground or broken up and ready to go.