The full botanical name of this plant is Ilex Paraguariensis, and the word mate comes from the language of the Guarani tribe. This drink has gained incredible popularity around the world, and in Russia it is already widely known. And yet hardly everyone knows about all of its medicinal properties. It was not for nothing that the mate was called the drink of the gods! Surprisingly, this tea contains all the necessary substances, vitamins and trace elements, useful resins, fibers, essential oils, antioxidants, tannins. Mate, for example, tones up better than any coffee, but you can not be afraid of such side effects as shivering, rapid heartbeat and anxiety. Vitamins B1, B3 and C and substances sodium, magnesium, iron, lithium (lithium oxide) accumulate in the body, which together with the substance matein help concentration of attention, help to cope with stress and depression, strengthen immunity. Agree, this is an indispensable drink for urban residents, surrounded by vanity, stress and not the best environmental conditions.
Anyone wishing to stay in good shape and have an ideal figure will also appreciate mate. The thing is that it reduces appetite, improves the activity of the digestive and excretory systems. Sports with mate is easier - it will help restore strength and prevent the accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles, thereby relieve the pain. Mate tea cells are rich in chlorophyll, which means that they contain oxygen, which perfectly cleanses and enriches our blood, and along with it all useful substances, vitamins and microelements come. Indeed, Mate is a unique and unusual product, it is difficult to find him any replacement in the world of plants. This tea was thoroughly examined in many scientific centers and laboratories, which confirmed its incredible healing properties.
And of course with tea Mate is connected with a whole story, or rather, a legend, which is several thousand years old. The goddesses of Jari and Arai wanted to thank the old Indian for saving them from the jaguar and sheltering in his house until morning. They thought for a long time and decided to thank him, his family and all people for their kindness, and give them a new plant - yerba mate, which will forever become a symbol of friendship for all. The daughters of the old man gave immortality and kindness. Then the goddesses taught the family how to make tea. Many years later, when the Indian and his wife had already died, their daughter fulfilled all the rituals and disappeared from the face of the earth. But from time to time she appears among the Yerba mate thickets in the guise of a beautiful blond girl whose eyes radiate kindness.
Knowing only this beautiful legend, you already want to honor and observe the ritual of brewing mate tea. The drink is prepared in a special dish - kalabas, "pumpkin" - in translation. Still there is a special tube with a filter - a bomb, through which and drink mat. Kalabas is filled by two thirds with tea leaves and poured with boiled hot water, but not with boiling water, otherwise tea will acquire a bitter taste. In a few minutes the tea will be boiled, and it can be drunk. Mate can be brewed several times. It has a light woody aroma, sweet and sour taste and a whole range of fine aromas. By the way, sugar can not be added, because mate is full of natural sugars. In Europe today, mate is brewed and as an ordinary tea in a mug with a small amount of tea leaves.
Mate is different: green, fried, golden. Green - has a dark green tint and is similar to small green tea. This product comes from Argentine lands and, unfortunately, the content of vitamins in it is much lower. In the markets, it is often called "Paraguayan tea".
Fried mate is the same green, only fried by a certain technology in ovens. It has a brown color, like coffee. In it, a high content of caffeine is observed, in which the most valuable matein passed, due to improper drying conditions.
The golden mate is prepared from fresh yerba mate branches, tied in small brooms that fold and project on the fires or in clay ovens, which are heated with a special tree. It has a golden light-pistachio shade. This sort of Mate is called the "green gold of Argentina".
Different ways of making tea mate can tell about the mood and attitude: with milk - respect, with zedra - sympathy, with honey - offer, with foam - care. A very hot mate will talk about passionate love.
Mate, which is cooked in Argentina, is called "the soul of tango" (after all, it helps to restore strength after a passionate dance). There are many admirers among the stars - Diego Maradona, Mel Gibson, Madonna, Julio Iglesias, Prince Charles, the actor's couple of Bezrukovs, he was adored by Evita, he was Che Guevara's favorite drink. Every day more and more people appreciate the Mate tea, the medicinal properties of the drink, which the gods gave to people along with kindness and their care.