The caffeine content of yerba mate tea - caffeine in yerba mate tea

Introduction

It's no secret that caffeine is a stimulant. It's one of the most popular ingredients in energy drinks and caffeinated soft drinks, so in this article we're going to look at the caffeine content of mate tea and how much caffeine is actually in mate tea.

Yerba mate tea is a South American herbal tea made from the leaves and twigs of the yerba mate bush. The tea is very popular in South America and is traditionally drunk in a cup with a straw.

Table of contents

1. Caffeine in Yerba Mate Tea
2. How much caffeine is in yerba mate tea?
3. Caffeine content of yerba mate tea compared to other beverages
   1. Guayusa tea and mate tea comparison
   2. Green tea and mate tea comparison
4. Effect of caffeine on the body
5. Pros and Cons of Consuming Yerba Mate Tea
6. Conclusion: is mate tea better?

1. Caffeine in Yerba Mate Tea

The caffeine in mate tea is chemically identical to the caffeine in black tea, green tea, cocoa, coffee, guarana or guayusa . As always, the difference lies in the composition with other active ingredients. With mate, these are particularly tannins (which make the tea so bitter), theobromine and theophylline , as well as antioxidants , but only in small amounts.

If you are more interested in ingredients and their effects on the body, we recommend our article on the overview of ingredients and their effects !

2. How much caffeine is in yerba mate tea?

The caffeine content of yerba mate tea varies depending on the manufacturer, region and method of production. Studies have shown that the caffeine content of yerba mate tea is around 1%-2%.

The longer the fermentation and thus the drying process, the higher the caffeine content of the tea.

3. Caffeine content of yerba mate tea compared to other beverages

In the caffeine comparison, mate tea performs significantly worse than is generally assumed. The large number of different mate soft drinks over the last few years since ClubMate made it seem as if mate tea had a particularly high content. With 1-2% mate tea is slightly higher than black tea.

Mate is also often advertised in soft drinks, but it actually only contains tiny amounts of extracts. The existing caffeine is added to the drink, like sugar and flavorings, as an extract ingredient. In addition, this caffeine is not the caffeine in mate tea, but an extract from the coffee bean.

Guayusa tea and mate tea comparison

Guayusa and mate tea are two related plants. They also grow on the same continent. Nevertheless, they differ enormously! Mate tea tastes very bitter, while guayusa has almost no bitter substances and is therefore the only natural caffeinated drink in the world that does not taste bitter. There are therefore numerous methods of preparing Guayusa .

Both plants also differ in terms of ingredients. Guayusa has about twice as much caffeine, averaging 3% and up to 7.6%, and an amino acid called L-theanine , which isn't found in mate tea at all. You can find out more about the effects of L-theanine here .

The effect of Mate is much more sudden, with jitteriness and palpitations, with Guayusa creating a pleasant mix between body and head, which is particularly noticeable as a kind of focus state.

Find out more about the special effects of Guayusa .

Green tea and mate tea comparison

What many do not know is that green tea and black tea came from the same plant and are only changed by the processing. And it's not accurate to say that black tea generally has more caffeine, although this is mostly due to the fermentation process. Compared to green tea, mate tea has a much stronger effect on the body. Green tea, on the other hand, has a stronger effect on the head.

4. Effects of caffeine on the body

The effect of caffeine is always the same as long as it is pure, extracted caffeine. Caffeine increases heart performance, promotes blood circulation, stimulates the central nervous system and stimulates the digestive tract and metabolism .

Caffeine reduces the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone, by blocking a hormone responsible for its production. The result is less fatigue and poorer sleep.

The effects of caffeine differ enormously when combined with other active ingredients. This naturally takes place in plants such as yerba mate, cocoa and tea. Therefore, consuming Guayusa, for example, has no negative effects on sleep. Guayusa has a special active ingredient complex that does not affect sleep. Nevertheless, due to the high caffeine content, it is an ideal pick-me-up!

5. Pros and cons of consuming yerba mate tea

As with anything, you need to be clear about the purpose for which you want to drink mate tea. Is it pure enjoyment, or do you want more focus at work or sport? Do you want an extra healthy pick-me-up or just any alternative to coffee and energy drinks?

Mate tea is particularly suitable as a "social drink" if you drink it traditionally in a mate cup, you can share it with friends along with a straw.

However, mate is not so good if you are looking for a healthy alternative that is stomach-friendly. Problems can arise when mate is smoked. When it comes to antioxidants , mate tea doesn't do particularly well either.

Another, unfortunately extremely big minus point of mate is the destructive cultivation. Like green tea (unfortunately also very unknown), mate tea is grown almost exclusively in monocultures . Monocultures are very harmful to our climate, species diversity and biodiversity. You can find out why biodiversity is important in our article here .

Conclusion: is mate tea better?

Mate tea is definitely a great change from other caffeinated drinks. The taste takes a lot of getting used to at first. The effect is very fast with traditional drinking and is similar to a coffee kick. Mate tea quickly leads to heart palpitations and can have other unpleasant consequences similar to those of coffee.

Mate tea is therefore a good change, but not the optimal pick-me-up for more performance and focus in everyday life, work and sport. If you are looking for these properties, you should take a closer look at the active ingredients of Guayusa.