If you're looking for instructions on yerba mate preparation, please click here.

Yerba Mate tea is made from the leaves of a small holly tree native to the semi-tropical forests of South America. At every stage of the way, our family farm partners employ techniques they have perfected over four generations to produce unsmoked yerba mate of outstanding quality.

The yerbateros who grow ECOTEAS Yerba Mate know that exceptionally flavorful and vibrant yerba mate requires rich organic soil. They never spray their land with chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or insecticides. Instead they rely on organic soil-building techniques such as cover-cropping, native tree reforestation, and weeding by hand. 

At harvest-time in the South American autumn, teams of local workers cut young yerba mate branches from the perennial trees with machetes. As part of their social responsibility contract, our farm-partners fund health and education services for this local community.

The freshly-harvested yerba mate leaves are hauled to an on-site drying facility, where the true artistry of our yerbateros is revealed. While most yerba mate is dried with smoke from the burning of huge quantities of firewood, our yerbateros employ a 100% smoke-free process, resulting in a clean flavor free of smoke byproducts.

After drying, the yerba mate is aged for 12 months. This crucial phase of the process allows the yerba mate's flavor to mellow and deepen.

Finally, our yerba mate is milled into four distinct cuts for use in a variety of applications: 1. a leaf/stem blend for traditional yerba mate sharing ceremonies, 2. a pure leaf blend that is the cut of choice for home brewers, food service, and beverage manufacturers, 3. a fine-leaf cut for tea bags, and 4. a powder for use in extract manufacture.

At every stage of the journey, we take great care to ensure we deliver the highest quality, cleanest, most potent yerba mate you will find at any price. We're confident you'll love our yerba mate once you try it. Simply follow the instructions below to get your free sample today!