yerba mate | Caffeine and You

Orange-Spiced Tea with Organic Lime-Maté Boost

March 4, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

Orange-Spiced Tea with Organic Lime-Maté Boost

Makes 1 serving; about 120 mg caffeine

by Kate Heyhoe

If you prefer tea to coffee and savory to sweet, this is the bumped-up brew for you. One cup packs more than twice the caffeine of regular black tea, with a balanced citrusy taste that’s neither bitter nor sweet. The sophisticated flavor is one that’s good to sip on, and the brew surpasses coffee when it comes to the morning jolt.

The Guayaki Yerba Mate Organic Energy Shot is a bit pricey at over $3 for 2-ounces, but you can use part of a bottle and refrigerate the rest for up to 5 days. It’s handy for customizing your buzz level: 1 tablespoon contains 35 mg of caffeine. (One 2-ounce bottle = 4 tablespoons, or 12 teaspoons). I like the flavor, and it doesn’t have that faux-sweetener aftertaste found in other energy shots.

In this recipe, orange-spiced black tea (like Constant Comment) meets half a bottle of Guayaki’s lime-tangerine flavored mate energy shot, which injects 70 mg of caffeine to the tea. Assuming an 8-ounce cup of brewed black tea contains 50 mg of caffeine, then this bumped up brew boasts a minimum of 120 mg of caffeine – more than in a cup of coffee.

Recipe:

1 (8-ounce) cup brewed orange spice black tea [about 50 mg caffeine]
1 fluid ounce (about 2 tablespoons) Guayaki Yerba Maté Organic Energy Shot, Lime Tangerine flavor [70 mg caffeine]

Stir the maté shot into the hot tea. Enjoy it plain or add sweetener as desired.

Note: The caffeine content of tea depends on many factors, including how long it’s brewed and the type of tea leaves. This book uses 50 mg of caffeine as an average for black tea, but one 8-ounce cup can range from about 15 to 75 mg.

EXCERPT from Caffeine Basics:

Product Profile: Guayaki Yerba Maté Organic Energy Shot, Lime Tangerine

A 2-fluid ounce bottle sells for around $3
140 mg caffeine
35 calories
USDA organic; fair trade certified, vegetarian, kosher
Main ingredients: organic yerba mate, goji berry, acerola cherry, and ginger (with purified water, citric acid, organic lime and tangerine extracts)
Sweetener: organic evaporated cane juice
Contains: 1670% of Vitamin B-12 RDA, 100% of Vitamin C RDA; antioxidants
NO: GMO’s, High Fructose Corn Sweeteners, Preservatives, Artificial flavors or Colors.
Also comes in Lemon and Chocolate-Raspberry flavors.

2. Natural Caffeine: Coffee, Tea, Chocolate, and Other Plants

January 2, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

No one knows for sure when humans first consumed caffeine. Africa was the starting point for coffee, and probably fueled early man. Tea has its roots in Asia. Cacao, the source of chocolate, is native to Mesoamerica, while guarana and maté originated in South America. Kola nuts hail from Africa.

Today, we get our caffeine from the same plants, though in different forms, with complex processes ranging from simple steeping to grinding, fermenting, and roasting. Before jumping into energy drinks and caffeine-enhanced products, let’s start with the basics: caffeine in its natural forms as coffee, tea, cacao, guarana, and yerba mate.

Mate or Yerba Mate Profile

January 2, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

For a caffeine boost, some people drink a tea made from mate, also known as yerba mate. Mate’s bitter flavor is an acquired taste, especially when brewed alone, without tempering by other flavorings. It’s often a natural ingredient in energy drinks and energy shots.

What is mate or yerba mate? The mate plant, Ilex paraguariensis, is a type of tropical evergreen in the holly family. The word maté refers to the tea, which is traditionally drunk scalding hot through a straw; and also to the richly decorated, hollowed out gourd used by natives as a vessel for brewing and drinking.

Where does mate come from? Maté hails from rainforests in Paraguay, and is also found in Argentina and Brazil. Native tribes discovered its properties by brewing a tea from the smoke-dried leaves and twigs.

How much caffeine does mate yield? As a stimulating beverage, maté’s buzz is fairly low, with caffeine levels comparable to weak or very strong tea: between .7 and 1.7 percent (tea typically contains .4 to .9 percent caffeine). Maté’s caffeine is sometimes called mateine.

What else does mate contain? Maté’s theobromine content ranges from a low .3 to .9 percent; it may contain a tiny amount of theophylline or none at all (depending on the species).

Is mate safe? Studies have indicated that frequent, large consumption over prolonged periods may increase the risk of cancers of the mouth, lungs, and esophagus; but evidence suggests that in the subjects tested, drinking mate at high temperature, heavy consumption, and tobacco smoking are responsible for the carcinogenic results. Like guarana, mate is classified as GRAS, generally recognized as safe, by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Most experts also consider it safe in moderate amounts, though research has been sparse.

Caffeine Basics: Table of Contents