Here's something most people don't know about canned yerba mate: the majority of it isn't really brewed at all. Around 90% of the European market is made from powder extract - a concentrate stirred into water. We Mate does it the honest way: we brew the whole leaf, the way mate has been made for centuries.
Extract vs brewed - what's the difference?
Extract is fast and cheap: take a powder, dissolve it, carbonate or sweeten it, done. Brewing means actually steeping the whole yerba mate leaf to draw out its flavour, character and gentle lift - then canning that. It's slower and harder, but it's the real thing. As we like to put it: yerba mate is a plant with a 400-year ritual. You either brew it or you fake it. We brew it.
Why it matters in the can
Whole-leaf brewing gives a rounder, greener, more authentic mate taste - not the flat, one-note profile of a reconstituted extract. It's the difference between real steeped tea and instant powder. You can taste the leaf.
European brewed mate
We Mate is a European brewed mate: whole leaf, brewed in Europe by our co-packer, for a company based in Amsterdam. Lightly sweetened with real brown sugar - no artificial sweeteners - and around 70 mg of caffeine per 330 ml can for a calm, steady focus. Not a spike, not a crash: awake without the drop.
FAQ
What does "brewed not extract" mean? We steep the whole yerba mate leaf to make the drink, instead of dissolving a powdered concentrate like most canned mate.
Does brewed mate taste better? We think so - rounder and more authentic, closer to a traditional mate than an extract-based drink.
Where is We Mate made? Brewed in Europe (whole leaf) by our co-packer; the company is based in Amsterdam.
