Rooibos and Yerba mate

Rooibos is obtained from African rooibos grown in South Africa. The leaves (needles) are harvested in January, cut into short sections, usually fermented and dried in the sun. Rooibos infusions do not contain caffeine. However, we find in them some minerals (potassium, magnesium, calcium, fluorine, zinc, copper, iron), a lot of polyphenols (benzoic acid, cinnamic acid, quercetin, rutin, luteolin), which have anti-diabetic (asplatin glycoside), anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antifungal and antiviral, antimutagenic. Rooibos are brewed with boiling water (95 C) for 5 minutes. The infusions are honey-spicy in taste, with a light fruity aroma.

Yerba mate are dried leaves of Paraguayan holly growing in some South American countries. There are Paraguayan, Argentinian, Brazilian and Uruguayan yerba mats. They differ in the length of drying and crushing of the leaves. Paraguayan is the most "smoky", dried over a fire, and therefore the most aromatic and strong in taste. Yerba mate contains matein (a form of caffeine), but there is little of it, so it does not stimulate as much as coffee. Yerba mate infusions do not flush out valuable minerals, but even provide them. We find here a lot of magnesium, potassium, copper, phosphorus, B vitamins, some E, C. There are many saponins with a bitter aftertaste, polyphenols (chlorogenic acid, quercetin, rutin), which have the same effect as above. Yerba mate is poured with water at a temperature of 70-80 degrees C for 2-3 minutes. It should be flooded several times.