Most yerba mate is dried with smoke from wood fires. Yerba mate dried with wood smoke has a strong taste that many people associate with the herb. Some people love this smoky taste, but many others do not.
There are byproducts in all smoked foods called PAH’s. PAH's have been linked to many health issues, including some forms of cancer. Many people drink yerba mate for its promise of healthy energy. If this is the case with you, an unsmoked alternative might be a better choice.
Another issue with smoke-drying is ecological. Local sources of firewood in the yerba mate region have been depleted. Nowadays, most of the firewood comes from a distant area of Argentina called the Gran Chaco. The Gran Chaco is experiencing rapid deforestation as a result of demand for yerba mate.
At ECOTEAS, we sought a better solution. We wanted to go beyond organic and fair trade. We dreamt of creating the most delicious, healthiest unsmoked yerba mate in the world.
Our family farm partners already had a clean air system that didn't expose yerba mate to smoke, but it still used firewood to heat water, which was then passed through metal coils over fans. We wanted to completely remove smoke from the equation.
Our search brought us to a university in Posadas, Argentina. A professor there had drawn plans for a two-stage drying process using clean air instead of smoke.
With help from a fair trade development fund, our family farmer partners constructed a functional system based on these plans.
Our drying system is efficient and clean. First, we flash-heat the yerba mate with hot air. Then we slow-dry it with warm air at 175 degrees Farenheit. Both stages are 100% smoke-free. This helps us achieve a clean, smooth taste that is worthy of the name, Unsmoked!
We provide loose leaf unsmoked yerba mate in one pound and five pound bags. We also provide convenient tea bags for folks on the go.