Anyone here have any opinions on the two? My guess is "no." :lol:

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

I have drunk both but don't they serve different purpose? Kinda?

I have a tea from Tazo called Focus with yerba mate in it, and it does just that.

Matcha is essentially 'concentrated' green tea isn't it? I don't drink it for any specific purpose.

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

from simply a tea drinking perspective:

i prefer the taste of yerba mate. I also like it because it doesn't have caffeine, but it has an "alternate" caffeine that doesn't give you the crash that caffeine gives you.

I've found matcha is a pain in the ass to mix and a lot of times my tea comes out chalky. even though it has a boatload of nutrients and antioxidants, I don't drink it as much as yerba mate... yerba is much simpler to make and tastes better, imo.

obviously, matcha has a lot more usability besides just drinking it. I haven't really tinkered around with anything other than drinking it though.

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

Interesting. I am almost done with a bag of Yerba Mate - I love it with a splash of whole milk. I didn't know it had that different kind of caffeine in it? I do really enjoy it, but I read, as you've stated W, that matcha is full of (more) healthy stuff > Yerba mate. I bought a bunch of matcha and will try it when it arrives. My overall favorite morning drink is kombucha with chia seeds, but I'm not spending $4/day on it.

oh and what makes it difficult to make? (Matcha)

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

[QUOTE=Garrick;1148462] I also like it because it doesn't have caffeine, but it has an "alternate" caffeine that doesn't give you the crash that caffeine gives you. [/QUOTE]

When I drink it in my tea it gets me into this crazy focus zone.

[QUOTE=floridaorange;1148477]

oh and what makes it difficult to make? (Matcha)[/QUOTE]

Matcha is difficult to dissolve. The Japanese use a bamboo whisk to mix it up properly:

[IMG]http://site.leadong-web.com/image?tid=22&id=dtUKfApBEqJT&lanCode=0&moduleId=smart&cache=0&r=1337315035330[/IMG]

I don't worry about dissolving it completely when I drink it as I can't be fucked buying a bamboo whisk or any kind of whisk to mix it up. From what I remember once you mix it up in hot water the stuff dissolves eventually.

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

yerba mate has mateina (like cafeine/cafeina) - not the same effect as with coffee, but if you drink it in the morning it really helps you get going.

about preparing a Mate (it's just made with hot water and yerba mate), here's a video in English:

[video=youtube;5bA4I-5nb0c]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bA4I-5nb0c[/video]

I've also seen where you can prepare Tea with Yerba Mate, but it has to be filtered, like with a coffee filter. You also have Mate Cocido (with is in the end like a tea bag made of yerba mate).

[IMG]http://www.prensa-salta.gov.ar/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/pag.3.mate-cocido.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://www.ar.all.biz/img/ar/catalog/63333.png[/IMG]

I usually drink a whole thermus of Mate in the mornings. Drinking Mate in Argentina and Uruguay is like the most common typical thing we do.

Never heard about Matcha. What is it?

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

^thanks man, I didn't know where it came from, or what the history was or how to properly prepare it for that matter, so cheers for posting that.

I heat up water in a glass, and add the Mate in one of these for about 5 - 7 mins.

[IMG]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/413ZA57DXZL.SX425.jpg[/IMG]

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

.... oh and Matcha, grown up green tea powder I think...

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

Yerba mate of course, we drink it a lot around here. Extra sweet for me, please .....

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

I want a bamboo whisk now. Seems quicker thank waiting for Mate to brew.

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

Matcha is green tea leaves ground up.

[QUOTE]Matcha is made from shade-grown tea leaves also used to make gyokuro. The preparation of matcha starts several weeks before harvest and can last up to 20 days, when the tea bushes are covered to prevent direct sunlight.[5] This slows down growth, stimulates an increase in chlorophyll levels, turns the leaves a darker shade of green, and causes the production of amino acids, in particular L-Theanine. Only the finest tea buds are hand-picked. After harvesting, if the leaves are rolled out before drying as usual, the result will be gyokuro (jade dew) tea. However, if the leaves are laid out flat to dry, they will crumble somewhat and become known as tencha (碾茶). [B]Tencha can then be de-veined, de-stemmed, and stone-ground to the fine, bright green, talc-like powder known as matcha.[/B][6]

It can take up to one hour to grind 30 grams of matcha.[citation needed]

Note that only ground tencha qualifies as matcha, and other powdered green teas, such as powdered sencha, are known as konacha (粉茶, lit. "powder tea").

The flavour of matcha is dominated by its amino acids.[citation needed] The highest grades of matcha have more intense sweetness and deeper flavour than the standard or coarser grades of tea harvested later in the year.[citation needed] [/QUOTE]

[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matcha"]Matcha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/url]

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

Do you really not get an energy crash after drinking yerba mate? I bought a box before but wasn't crazy about it, I'll have to try it again though.

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

yerba mate all the way! it has caffeine, man. Not as much as in the coffee, but it has it

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

[QUOTE=Rawrmune;1148536]Do you really not get an energy crash after drinking yerba mate? [/QUOTE]

What ?? No man, is like a tea or any infusion.

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

this is the article I read that talked about mateine when I first researched yerba mate. it does a pretty good job of describing it. I didn't mean to elude that there's zero caffeine. it's just a different kind of caffeine per se.

[URL]http://www.marksdailyapple.com/yerba-mate-benefits/#axzz3LPT4ioGo[/URL]

[quote]But the big draw for most yerba mate enthusiasts is the promise of a “clean” caffeine-like buzz, free of jitters and unpleasantness, which yerba mate is said to provide. Drinkers report being in control of their wakefulness; they can stay up for hours, alert and on their game, but sleep is always right around the corner – if they want it. Basically, yerba mate is supposed to give you energy without the negative side effects. A common claim is that yerba mate is actually completely free of caffeine and that its stimulating effects come from a mysterious compound called mateine. Mateine, they say, is a stereoisomer of caffeine, thus giving it the stimulating qualities with none of the downfalls.

Mateine is actually caffeine. It’s just a synonym, possibly derived from the word “mate” itself. In fact, the caffeine content of dry mate leaves is similar to that of dried coffee beans and tea leaves (though brewed yerba mate tends to have lower levels). How do we then explain away all the anecdotal evidence of jitter-free wakefulness?[/quote]

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

No crash that I have noticed Rawr.

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

Drinking mate right now... loads of it :lol:

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

Put a banana in it

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

Fuck me a thread on tea drinking.

[video=youtube;YgyEEu9NGN8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgyEEu9NGN8[/video]

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

Having my Focus tea with yerba right now :lol: This thread reminded me to bring it in to work.

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

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yerba Mate it's like a ritual in our cultures, i mean Uruguay Argentina Paraguay Brazil .. different ways in each

also is good if arrived to others around the world, involves sharing, meditate and different things for each

this custom comes from our ancestors, who lived in harmony with the Earth, that's important to understand

comes from a plant native from here [IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Ilex_paraguariensis_-_K%C3%B6hler%E2%80%93s_Medizinal-Pflanzen-074.jpg[/IMG]

also at this point of the game where almost everything is fucked by humans

I recommend only Organic, or in the best case, planting yourself

[/COLOR]

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

Picked up a box of yerba mate on my way home, it's better than I remembered :D

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

Full disclosure, I like to add a bit of milk and cayenne to mine. I find the heat from the cayenne brings out the flavor of the tea more, and milk is a must. It's so good.

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

i'll have to try the cayenne. that sounds good.

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

^Try to make sure the cayenne is Organic. it's much different and better.

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

yeah, I tried with just regular cayenne and didn't care too much for it. it was decent, but wasn't as good as straight.

what's the noticeable difference in organic cayenne? better taste? milder?

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

Healthier. I tried it today for the first time, more of a bite that quickly mellowed. You'll have to try it and see. paid twice as much for it, but it also is finer (smaller particles), so I think it should last longer.

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

Interesting, I didn't think milk would go with it.

Re: Matcha vs. yerba mate

Interesting thread. The two are different plants, different tea... so it's not like you're comparing latte vs mocha. Really up to your personal tastes. I brought back some yerba mate from Brazil (chimarrao) and i personally think it's not that great compared to Japanese green tea. I didn't know yerba mate didn't have caffeine... it sure feels like it tho. I get the jitters if I drink too much of it.

In terms of the Japanese culture, you don't typically drink just maccha everyday. Maccha tea (just maccha) is usually served in tea ceremonies and other special occasions but in everyday life, the Japanese just drink brewed green tea (leaves not maccha powder). There are tea leaves sold with added maccha powder but that's just one product line. Also, maccha makes some amazing desserts (maccha ice cream, mochi, frap, jelly, kitkat, and on and on and on). I've come to believe that maccha with anything makes whatever it is perfect :-) If you have some maccha powder at home, next time, sprinkle some on vanilla ice cream (Haagen Daz works well). It will become perfect.