YerbanLegend.com

A mate, bombilla, fresh yerba and some hot water – are all of the implements necessary for the great South American social tradition of sharing a mate. The ritual takes time; it’s not supposed to be rushed. The whole idea is to relax and enjoy the yerba mate experience.

But, have you ever wished that you could buy a bottle or can of yerba mate that was already prepared and ready to drink?

The ready to drink is now so prevalent in the beverage industry that these pre-measured, pre-mixed, pre-packaged drinks are referred to as Ready To Drink or by the abbreviation RTD. In today’s fast paced society, you should not be surprised to learn that yerba mate RTDs are rapidly gaining in popularity, and in space on shelves of specialty markets.

Matte Leao has been sold as an RTD in Brazil for more than 20 years. It is available as Original, and with added flavors like Lime or Peach, or with added Guarana, and there is even a Diet version. It comes in plastic cups or bottles of various sizes (i.e. 300, 500 or 1,500 ml). 

Mate Leao is just one of the innovative yerba mate beverages from a Brazilian company called Leao Junior S.A. Earlier this year, the Coca-Cola unit in Brazil announced the acquisition of this 100+ year old company. As a result of the acquisition, this popular RTD made from erva mate (that’s yerba mate in Portuguese) may soon be available in the United States.

Materva is a yerba mate soda that has been available in Cuba and other parts of Latin America for decades. The Materva Soft Drink Company started in Matanzas, Cuba in 1920, was nationalized by Castro in 1960 and all rights to the product were bought by Cawy Bottling Co. Inc. of Miami in 1965. (Cawy, a Cuban company founded in 1948, was re-established in the U.S. following the communist takeover.)

The Materva brand (a combining of the words mate and erva) is offered both as Original and Diet. It comes in 12 ounce cans, but not in bottles.

Think of it.  Now there is a soda with vitamins, minerals and other nutrients and antioxidants. What a concept! Materva tastes a little like cream soda, has less caffeine than Coke or Pepsi and it’s good for you. It’s a staple at most Cuban restaurants, just like empenadas, and is widely available across the United States.

Guayaki got into the act a few years ago with a 16 ounce bottled yerba mate energy drink. Energy drinks are the status beverage of the new century and these Guayaki offerings are very avant-garde. The original flavors were Empower Mint, Raspberry Revolution and, of course, Traditional Mate.

A few months ago I stopped by Guayaki’s U.S. headquarters and Chris Mann, Chairman of the Gourd, introduced me to the new rainbow flavors – Pure Passion, Pure Mind and Pure Endurance. There is also an Unsweetened Mate - so there is a flavor for just about every taste. The new flavors have added herbs, spices and fruit to add various health benefits. Thanks to great marketing – and market penetration -these seven RTDs are more available than most brands throughout the United States.

Sol Mate is a sparkling energy/soft drink that comes in two flavors: Original and Lemon Lime. More flavors are in the planning stages. This new organic RTD is made with roasted yerba mate and has about 60 mg of caffeine per 10 ounce bottle. It was developed in 2005 by three yerba mate enthusiasts with natural and organic food backround and experience. I should mention that this one tastes great. It is bottled in Canada by Sol Mate Beverage Group Ltd. and available throughout the United States.

Tea Scene is a new line of RTD teas. One of the “teas” from this new company is - Organic Iced Tea – Yerba Mate. All of their teas come in 16 ounce bottles. I expect other tea producers to start offering RTD yerba mate as a part of their product line too. Yerba mate is not really a tea per se, but there is a lot of commonality in the customer base – people looking for a non-carbonated alternative to soft drinks. Many large yerba mate growers are now growing tea, so it seems appropriate that the tea companies should also offer yerba mate. Tea Scene products are made by Tonic Scene Company and available mostly in Southern California at this time.

GingerAde Mate is a new RTD from Hawaii. It is from a line of organic juice drinks made by Big Island Organics. It is a combination of ginger lemonade and Guayaki yerba mate and comes in 16 and 32 ounce bottles. Watch out for this one – it’s different. The ginger taste is unique and refreshing, and very strong. Melting ice cubes on a hot day will dilute the potency, but you may want to add a few drops of stevia to smooth it out. GingerAde Mate is widely available in Hawaii and parts of California.

Mateveza is a yerba mate ale. The idea for an alcohol based yerba mate RTD had to happen I suppose. Each 22 ounce bottle contains 120 mg of caffeine and 5% alcohol. Mateveza (a combining of the words mate and cerveza) is brewed and bottled by Mateveza USA in California and is available throughout the United States.

There you have it. There is no longer a need to take a gourd, thermos, yerba, etc., etc. just to have a mate. If a tea bag isn’t convenient enough, there is a ready to drink yerba mate made for every occasion.

RTD yerba mate takes away most of the excuses people give me for not having their three mates a day for good health.

Salud!