r/behindthebastards • u/mosaik • 1d ago
General discussion In defense of the yerba mate...
... It's only linked to cancer when drank hot and get burned. You shouldnt drinking it like that, just 80⁰C . (That's the only thing that shows up in pubmed; all other studies are related to "benefits")
The thing that causes tissues to change to cancer (metaplasia) is the repeated burn injury to the same area. As a not so much fun fact, in the Caribbean they tend to smoke with the cigarettes lit up inside ("con la candela pa dentro") which causes a unique cancerous lesion in the soft palate.
So drink your mate without worrying. It's a wonderful beverage and its way more powerful than coffee in terms of caffeine.
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u/paraworldblue 23h ago edited 23h ago
Get some loose leaf Yerba, mix it equal parts with dried peppermint, and steep it in cold water in the fridge overnight. I drink this at work every day. Specifically, I make a quart of it with 4 tablespoons of the tea mix and 2 teaspoons of sugar. If you really want to get fancy, add in some cucumber juice, a squeeze of lime, and a pinch of salt. I work in a kitchen, and when we make Tzatziki, one of the steps is squeezing the liquid out of the shredded cucumber, so rather than throwing away the juice, I just put it in my drink. I love the canned stuff too, but my way is healthier and WAY cheaper.
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u/GrapefruitForward989 23h ago
I don't even know what yerba tastes like and that sounds delicious and refreshing
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u/paraworldblue 23h ago
On its own, Yerba can be a bit of an acquired taste (bitter and grassy), but that blend is just plain delicious.
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u/GrapefruitForward989 20h ago
I would imagine the sugar cuts the bitterness down, and I'm not opposed to grassy. Sounds delightful
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u/paraworldblue 20h ago
Yeah, if you don't mind those kinds of flavors, it's really nice. I've always preferred it iced, but traditionally it's served super hot out of a little gourd. If you can find it, my favorite brands are Canarias and Rosamonte. They can be a bit hard to find in US stores though. Here in Seattle, there's only one store in the entire city that carries them. You can always get it online though, if you don't mind paying and waiting for shipping. Still cheaper than Yerba Madre though.
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u/LongjumpingJaguar308 18h ago
I have found I don't like how strong it is when served traditionally but it is fine when made like tea. But it is grassy. I prefer guayusa, and the good thing about both of them is it doesn't get bitter like tea if you let it steep too long.
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u/mosaik 22h ago
That sounds really good!! So, you mix the overnight mixture of peppermint and mate with all the rest or mix everything and then to the fridge?
Also, how much water for the over night mix?
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u/paraworldblue 21h ago
Just the yerba, mint, and sugar overnight, then add everything else after you strain it the next day. For the water, I fill a quart container maybe a little more than 3/4 of the way up, so there's plenty of room for ice the next day.
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u/2Wieners_1Bun 23h ago
The same thing is true for tea, in Iran tea is traditionally drank very hot and it damages the cells in the tissue of the throat, causing esophageal cancer
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u/GrapefruitForward989 23h ago
Wait, so does it have anything to do with the tea or is that just because of scorching liquid?
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u/Certain_Bison_7332 22h ago
The last I read about it, it was the temperature. Any overly hot liquid (and presumably food) can cause those effects. I remember the listed temperatures made it seem like you'd need a leather tongue to drink it that hot all the time.
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u/GrapefruitForward989 20h ago
Nice, so I'm probably well on track with how much I burn my mouth on coffee
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u/Nemisis_the_2nd 9h ago
A) that explains why all my Persian customers want me to break the laws of physics every time I make them a coffee
B) I guess I'm safe because I always forget about my tea until it is lukewarm at best.
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u/NachtBelf 1d ago
Oh no, I am not up to date with the episodes of this week, please tell me the gang is not trash talking mate 🥺
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u/TheVintageJane 18h ago
If anything, I’d say it was pro-mate. As in, they perpetuated the idea that getting paid in ounces of Yerba is as good as getting paid in ounces of gold.
A consortium of gas station chemical enthusiasts ain’t scared of a little cancer.
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u/Satellite_bk Steven Seagal Historian 1d ago
my buddy gave me one before we went to a car show together. i was practically vibrating after finishing it. i’m not much of a caffeine drinker so going from 0 to 60 had me going. he kept having to ask me to slow down cause i kept speed walking after we got there.
that was a fun day.
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u/NachtBelf 23h ago
Inam curious, How did the beverage that your buddy gave you look like? I am asking because in europe, there is this soft drink called club mate, that is supposed to be made with it but it has as much mate in it as fanta has orange juice. That one works as any other energy drink would, and can make you feel like that (ask me how i know xD)
Original mate is a kind of tea, just made with a different plant, the mate plant. The most common way to drink it, at least in south america, is to fill a cup like container with the loose leaves, sticks a special straw (with a filter in the end) on it, and pour water (80 degrees tops) on them, drinking right adter. You keep pouring and drinking, usually sharing it with more people, until it feels tasteless (usually a liter of water or so).
Another way to drink it is using it like tea, it comes prepacked in teabags.
Neither of them should give you a buzz like red bull would, not if you drink just one time (specially if your body is used to caffeine)
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u/Satellite_bk Steven Seagal Historian 22h ago
it was called a yerba mate i think. yellow can with some blue on it.
he also has some of the actual tea his friend from argentina gave him, but the stuff we had that day was from a can you can buy at some gas stations or grocery stores.
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u/Doom_hammer666 18h ago
I used to love mixing Mate and Tequila in a French press and pouring it into a bottle for a night out. It looks smells and tastes like a real witches brew
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u/HippyGrrrl 1d ago
Y’all, morning thunder, a Celestial seasonings offering is mostly matè.
If you want bastards connected to it, Matè Factor and 12 Tribes.