Gramps,:
Have you heard of Yerba Mate? If so, what are your thoughts on the matter?  Is Yerba Mate an herbal tea or would it be considered green tea?
Layne, from American Fork, Utah

Dear Layne,
Yerba mate, Ilex paraguariensis, is a species of holly from the family Aquifoliaceae. It is native to subtropical South America in Argentina, eastern Paraguay, western Uruguay and southern Brazil. The yerba mate plant is a shrub or small tree growing up to 15 meters tall. The leaves are evergreen, 7–11 cm long and 3–5.5 cm wide, with a serrated margin. The flowers are small, greenish-white, with four petals. The fruit is a red berry 4–6 mm diameter.
Yerba Mate is the common drink in the regions where it is grown, much as would be tea in England and coffee in the United States. The drink is prepared  by steeping dry leaves (and twigs) of yerba mate in hot water, rather than in boiling water like black tea. It is a slightly less potent stimulant than coffee and much gentler on the stomach. Drinking mate with friends from a shared hollow gourd (also called a mate in Spanish, or cabaça or cuia in Portuguese) with a metal straw (a bombilla in Spanish, bomba or canudo in Portuguese) is an extremely common social practice in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, southern Chile, eastern Bolivia and Brazil, and also in Syria and Lebanon.
The flavor of brewed yerba mate is strongly vegetal, herbal, and grassy. Many consider the flavor to be very agreeable, but it is generally bitter if steeped in boiling water, so it is made using hot but not boiling water. Unlike most teas, it does not become bitter and astringent when steeped for extended periods, and the leaves may be infused several times.
When the yerba is harvested, the branches are dried sometimes with a wood fire, imparting a smoky flavor. Then the leaves and sometimes the twigs are broken up. There are many brands and types of yerba, with and without twigs, some with low powder content. Some types are less strong in flavor (suave, “mild”) and there are blends flavored with mint, orange and grapefruit skin, etc.
Mate contains xanthines, which are alkaloids in the same family as caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine, well-known stimulants also found in coffee and chocolate. Mate also contains elements such as potassium, magnesium and manganese. Caffeine content varies between 0.3% and 1.7% of dry weight (compare this to 2.5–4.5% for tea leaves, 1.5% for ground coffee and 0.3 to 0.7% for milk chocolate ).
Gramps