How is Yerba Mate different from Coffee?
- science
This week, I want to talk about another caffeinated drink I enjoy - Yerba Mate.
I first heard about yerba mate on a Huberman Lab episode where he mentioned drinking it for sustained focus. Naturally, I had to try it.
Finding yerba mate in India turned out to be a treasure hunt. After scouring Amazon, I discovered Matero – apparently the only company selling yerba mate here back then. I tried and thought, "Okay, this is interesting."
A couple of months later, my coworker from Argentina sent some authentic yerba mate with a traditional gourd and bombilla. That's when I realized I'd been missing something special.
Switching the gears a bit for the caffeine dose
— Aravind Balla (@aravindballa)
6:13 AM • Jun 26, 2024
It was actually better and the difference felt similar to how speciality coffee and instant coffee were.
What is Yerba Mate?
Unlike coffee (from coffee beans) or tea (from tea leaves), yerba mate comes from a South American holly tree. Yes, a holly tree. The leaves are dried, crushed, and traditionally drunk from a hollow gourd through a metal straw called a bombilla.
The traditional way involves sharing – one person prepares the mate, takes the first sip (it's the most bitter), then passes it around. Everyone drinks from the same bombilla, refilling the gourd with hot water. It's a social ritual that brings people together, kind of like how we share coffee conversations, but more intimate.
In fact, a lot of famous people drink yerba.
Coffee vs Yerba Mate: The Real Difference
Your regular cup of coffee packs about 95mg of caffeine. That's its main weapon.
Yerba mate brings ~80mg of caffeine, but here's the kicker – it also contains theobromine (the stuff in chocolate that makes you feel good) and theophylline.
Coffee hits you like that friend who shows up loud and leaves suddenly. You get that immediate kick, your heart rate jumps, and 30 minutes later you're flying. Then comes the crash.
Yerba mate, much like matcha, plays the long game. The energy builds slowly and stays for 2-3 hours. No dramatic peaks, no sudden crashes. My stomach, which sometimes protests against coffee's acidity, actually handles yerba mate pretty well.
Mostly no jitters, I should say. Drink too much and you'll still feel wired. I keep drinking it the whole day, refilling it with hot water in the same gourd.
My Honest Take
Yerba mate tastes grassy, earthy, and bitter. If someone told you it tastes like drinking liquid hay, they wouldn't be entirely wrong.
But remember your first black coffee? That wasn't love at first sip either. Yerba mate is an acquired taste that grows on you.
I reach for yerba mate when I need sustained energy for the entire day – like during long coding sessions or back-to-back meetings. It's also my go-to when coffee's acidity acts up, or when it's late afternoon and I need caffeine that won't destroy my sleep.
How can you try?
There are less, but good options in India.
https://chadotea.in/products/yerba-mate
https://matero.in/ (they also sell gourds)
So {{ first_name | friend }}, would you try yerba mate? If you have, let me know how it compares to your coffee experience.
That’s all I have. Have a caffeinated weekend.
See you.
Keep on brewing!