Yerba Matte

[Matt Lawson]

would Yerba matte be considered paleo friendly? if so...does anyone know much about it? ive read allot about it though people on this forum tend to have the skinny on stuff. Any thoughts?

[Troy Archie]

It's like tea but different. Pretty much no calories. Some good anti-oxidants. Tastes pretty good. Has some caffeine for a nice buzz...

I see nothing wrong.

[Garrett Smith]

Nothing wrong in particular, unless you are trying to control your caffeine intake.

Most yerba mate is smoked (you may or may not want the added potential carcinogens that smoking provides), I have recently seen yerba mate that is "raw", or not smoked at all.

I've tried yerba mate several times, I don't know if it's the smoking or not, it just doesn't sit well with me, nor do I particularly like the flavor.

[Robb Wolf]

I have a similar experience as Dr. G. Green tea and mate actually mess with me whereas coffeee does not (precious...)

There are several stimulant alkaloids in these products..theophyline(sp?) being one that actually makes it hard for me to think. weird stuff.

[Garrett Smith]

Robb, I get the same thing with green tea too...I tend to just feel unsettled and get the vurps really easily with both of those teas...weird, I know.

[John Alston]

Weird. I found the matte buzz less jittery than a strong caffeine buzz, though these days I'm a regular coffee guy, so I'm jitter resistant.

[Troy Archie]

Yeah "caffeine" isn't necessarily "caffeine". Different alkaloids can affect the body in different ways. As a barista I can have copious amounts of coffee and not feel any after-effects or sleep disturbances. Have a cup of black tea past 8pm and I'm tossing and turning all night. It's all what you're tolerant to...

[Dave Paton]

I have tried it several times in Argentina. I think it's tastes pretty nasty. I also believe the original purpose of it is too curb hunger pangs. If you wonder why every woman in Argentina is thin--and no, i am not generalizing--it's 2 things....mate and cigarettes.

[Scotty Hagnas]

I've had the same unpleasant response from the green teas, as well. I avoid them now. (meanwhile, sipping my La Llave)

[Greg Battaglia]

For those of you who have had issues with green tea, I think I have the solution. I used to have the same reactions when drinking any sort of green tea until I tried brewing the tea in lower-temperature water. Rather than boiling water and adding it right to the tea while it's steaming hot, I now heat the water only until there are a few bubbles at the bottom of the pot, and put my finger in the water to feel the temp. I've found that the best temp. is when it's hot, but not to the point of where you have to pull your finger out in order to avoid being burnt. I then pour the water in and let it brew for several minutes (5 mins usually), dunking the bag occasionally. When I drink it this way I find that it increases alertness, energy, and well-being overall. Coffee, on the other hand has a very acidic nature to it. It gives me heart burn and heart palps and makes me feel tired and fatigued after the buzz wears off. Green tea brewed in boiling water gives me stomach pains, headache, lethargy, fatigue, and makes me stupid and clumsy.