The caffeine content of mate tea - caffeine in yerba mate tea
Introduction
It's no secret that caffeine is a stimulant. It is one of the most popular ingredients in energy drinks and caffeinated soft drinks, so in this article we will look at the caffeine content of mate tea and answer the question of how much caffeine is really 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
- Caffeine in Yerba Mate Tea
- How much caffeine is in yerba mate tea?
- Caffeine content of yerba mate tea compared to other drinks
- Effects of caffeine on the body
- Benefits and Disadvantages of Consuming Yerba Mate Tea
- Conclusion: Is mate tea better?
1. Caffeine in Yerba Mate Tea
The caffeine in mate tea is chemically identical to that caffeine of black tea, green tea, cocoa, coffee, guarana or Guayusa. The difference, as always, lies in the composition with other active ingredients. In the case of mate, these are particularly tannins (which make the tea so bitter), Theobromine and Theophylline, as well as Antioxidants, but only in small quantities. Mate tea is still one of the natural teas Nootropics and can be used by you to improve cognitive skills.
If you are more interested in ingredients and their effect on the body, we recommend our article on 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. Research has 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 usually is.
3. Caffeine content of yerba mate tea compared to other drinks
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 have given the impression that mate tea has a particularly high content. At 1-2%, mate tea is slightly higher than black tea.
Mate is often advertised in soft drinks, but actually only tiny amounts of extract are contained. The caffeine present is added to the drink as an extract ingredient, like sugar and flavors. In addition, this caffeine is not the caffeine in mate tea, but rather 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 good very bitter, Guayusa On the other hand, it has almost no bitter substances and is therefore the only natural one caffeinated drink in the world that doesn't taste bitter. There are therefore numerous options Preparation methods of Guayusa.
Both plants also differ in terms of ingredients. Guayusa has approx. twice as much caffeine, on average 3% and up to 7.6%, and an amino acid that is L-Theanine which is not 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 a racing heart Guayusa creates a pleasant mix between body and head, which is particularly noticeable as a kind of focus state.
Find out more about the special one Effect of Guayusa.
Green tea and mate tea comparison
What many people don't know is that green tea and black tea come from the same plant and are only changed through the processing process. And it is not accurate to say that black tea generally has more caffeine, although this is usually the case due to the fermentation process. Compared to green tea, mate tea has a significantly 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 the performance of the heart, promotes blood circulation, stimulates the central nervous system and stimulates the digestive tract metabolism at.
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 it is combined with other active ingredients. This occurs naturally in plants such as yerba mate, cocoa and tea. Hence the consumption of Guayusa e.g. no negative effects on sleep. Guayusa has a special complex of active ingredients that does not affect sleep. Nevertheless, it is an ideal stimulant due to its high caffeine content!
5. Advantages and Disadvantages of Consuming Yerba Mate Tea
As with everything, you have 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 a particularly healthy stimulant or just an alternative to coffee and energy drinks?
Mate tea is particularly suitable as a “social drink” if you traditionally drink it in a mate vessel, you can share it with friends using a straw.
However, mate isn't great if you're looking for a healthy alternative that's easy on your stomach. Smoking mate in particular can cause problems. Also in things Antioxidants Mate tea doesn't do particularly well.
Another, unfortunately extremely big, disadvantage of mate is its destructive cultivation. Mate tea, like green tea (unfortunately also very unknown), is used almost exclusively in... Monocultures cultivated. Monocultures are very harmful to our climate, species diversity and biodiversity. Why biodiversity is important, you can find out in our article here.
If you still decide to buy mate tea, we recommend it Caa-Mate company. We know these personally from trade fairs. They offer you a large selection of mate varieties.
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 quick when drinking traditionally 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 ideal stimulant for more performance and focus in everyday life, work and sport. Anyone looking for these properties should take a closer look active ingredients from Guayusa deal with.
