Looking for a coffee alternative that packs the same energetic punch? Try yerba mate tea for a healthy way to boost your day. Herbal health trends come and go—and coffee and tea will remain perennial favorites—but what if you could enjoy a beverage that has the invigorating properties of coffee, the health benefits of tea, and the rich decadence of chocolate? It may sound too good to be true, but yerba mate is a beverage that will make you a believer. Yerba mate is an herbal tea made from the leaves and stems of the evergreen shrub Ilex paraguariensis, native to South America. Related to the North American holly bush, the green, waxy leaves are harvested and dried to make the specialty tea that is used as a coffee alternative around the world. History of Yerba Mate Yerba mate’s historic value stretches back to the indigenous peoples of South America, where …