Peach Mate

This will take you back to the care free days of summer where you spend long evenings outside sipping on a jar of tea, at least that's what it does for me. I took all the pictures for this recipe at the end of Summer just when the leaves were barely starting to think about changing. I've been wanting to share this recipe for quite sometime.

We are a Sweet Tea lovin family. We've always kept a pitcher of the liquid gold in our fridge year round we've introduced it to Mid-westerners, Westerners and Yankees. As you might have gathered from recent posts I'm trying to be the healthiest I can be. Having sugary filled water at my disposal isn't exactly what I would consider best for my health. Even though I only ever drank sweet tea with dinner I still wanted to find an alternative. That's when I found Mate. I actually found Mate years ago but just never realized I could replicate it amazingness at home. When I found a couple bags of Mate on the discount rack at my local grocery store I decided it was a good time to start experimenting. Have you ever heard of Mate? 

My husband actually introduced me to Mate. Over a summer in college he worked in Colorado, in Historic Manitou Springs located at the foot of Pikes Peak. There is a place at the end of town called the Mate Factor Cafe. Since he was working nights he frequented this place for a drink called Mate that would give him the energy he needed to make it through the eventful nights which often consisted of chasing off bears and an occasional streaker.

My husband of course fell in love with Colorado so when his company wanted to move us there (the first time, you might have just read a previous post and yes we're moving back) he jumped at the opportunity. When we lived there he took me to this place and I couldn't get Mate out of my mind. I would crave that drink. We actually lived in Denver so we couldn't get it often but when we were within a 30 mile radius of this place we would always stop by. Now I'm thrilled to be able to make something much similar to what we had at the Mate Factor although nothing can replace the experience of actually going to there, which it looks like I will be able to do soon! If you're ever near Manitou Springs you've got to check out this place.

You might be wondering what Mate is? Mate comes from Yerba Mate which is an evergreen plant that's leaves are used to make a tea enjoyed traditionally by many South American cultures. There are many health benefits to drinking this tea. From what I understand it has more antioxidants than green tea and is filled with vitamins and minerals. I have read that it can help control allergies, reduce stress and cleanse the body. We've made the swap from traditional sweet tea to Mate and aren't planning to go back. All of our guests who've tried it really like it too and always ask how to make it.

Peach Mate is our favorite but cranberry is a close second. What makes this Mate so unique is the addition of juice concentrate. Don't be afraid to experiment with flavors and find one that you like. The steps to making Mate are not hard and don't stress if you don't have a French press.  Just put the Mate in a pot of water and bring to a boil, let steep, then using the lid pour the liquid into the pitcher leaving behind the tea leaves.

If you prefer hot tea or just want a cup one day, no worries; pour yourself a mug of Mate from the fridge then heat it up in the microwave.

If you have difficulty finding Mate you can always buy some from the Mate Factor's online store. Or my go to place is Vitacost. If you're new to Vitacost click HERE to get $10 off.

 I hope you ENJOY this recipe as much as we do!