Is Yerba Mate Better Than Energy Drinks? A Clean Energy Comparison

Ola Mate here. Many of our friends have been looking for alternatives to traditional coffee, black tea, and sugar-heavy energy drinks, because they’re tired of the jitters and subsequent crash. They want cleaner, more sustained energy.

Naturally, we introduced them to yerba mate. The most common question we get from new yerba materos is: “Is yerba mate actually better than energy drinks?””

We put yerba mate head-to-head against traditional energy drinks to find the answer to this question. If you’ve been sipping tea or coffee for a while and are looking for a healthier, cleaner, and more natural way to stay focused, energized, and calm, you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, we’ll take a look at yerba mate compared to traditional energy drinks when it comes to energy, focus, and vitality. We’ll also focus on the following topics:

• What yerba mate is

• How traditional energy drinks work

• Yerba mate versus energy drinks

• Key ingredient differences between yerba mate-infused beverages and energy drinks (think: caffeine, sugar, and beverage quality)

• Which option wins for daily energy

• How to choose a clean energy drink alternative

What is yerba mate?

Yerba mate is a traditional, caffeine-rich infused herbal drink that hails from South America, specifically Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, and Argentina. Mate, meaning “gourd,” and yerba, meaning “herb”, come from the leaves of the Ilex paraguariensis holly tree that’s native to South America.

This loose-leaf mixture is often sipped through a bombilla (a metal straw) from a gourd (also called mate). It often has a rich, earthy, herbal, and slightly bitter taste that some say is a mix between the bitterness of coffee and tea.

Like coffee and tea, it includes a smooth, slow-releasing caffeine that helps provide steady, long-lasting energy without jitters or a subsequent crash. As such, many people often use it as an ingredient in beverages to stay energized.

But yerba mate is very different from traditional carbonated energy drinks.

How traditional energy drinks work

Traditional energy drinks give you, well, energy. They rely on two main ingredients.But traditional energy drinks differ from soft drinks and sports drinks in that they contain two main ingredients:

1. Sugar

2. Caffeine

Beyond these base ingredients, they also include a list of other additives including, but not limited to:

• Ephedrine: Often used in weight-loss products and to treat asthma and low blood pressure, it stimulates the central nervous system and the heart.

• Taurine: An amino acid that helps regulate heartbeat and muscle contractions.

• Ginseng: An herb traditionally believed to help reduce stress and boost energy

• B-vitamins: Help convert sugar to energy and support muscle health

• Guarana seed: A highly potent stimulant from South America.

The effect of these ingredients is amplified by sugar and synthetic caffeine to provide a jolt of energy, endurance, and stamina for the day ahead.

Yerba mate vs. energy drinks

Energy drinks tend to pose higher risks for children and teens because they can disrupt sleep, increase stress, and disrupt focus. National Institute of Health data reported more than 32,400 caffeine energy-related product exposures to U.S. poison centers between 2011 and 2023, most exposures of which involved individuals 20 years or under.

Especially for young adults, combining synthetic ingredients and sweeteners in high quantities can affect physical and neurological development. In contrast, sipping organic, all-natural, plant-infused drinks is a healthy way to receive long-lasting, steady energy that doesn’t pose a health danger.

Plus, yerba mate traces its history back more than 300 years, reflecting the longevity and strong, grounded roots of its culture. Commercial energy drinks like Red Bull only hit Western shelves in the late 1990s.

Yerba mate culture has existed for centuries and has been consumed just as it is, sans synthetic additives, to provide long-lasting, smooth, and focused energy without the jitters, crash, or wired feeling of synthetic energy drinks. 

Key differences: caffeine, sugar, and ingredient quality

Yerba mate’s longevity and health benefits stem from its simplicity as a consumer good; it’s sourced directly from the earth. All that’s needed is a straw, a gourd (or a cup), and a yerba mate blend of leaves, and stems.

What’s more, in terms of energy drinks versus yerba mate drinks, many energy drinks come with 50-65 grams of sugar per can, nearly 125% of your recommended daily intake of sugar. Comparatively, pure yerba mate has no sugar.

Compared to coffee and teas, in terms of caffeine content, yerba mate falls somewhere in the middle.

• Coffee: contains about 95 milligrams (mg) per 8-ounce cup

• Yerba mate: contains about 80 mg per 8-ounce cup

• Black tea: contains 30-70 mg per 8-ounce cup

• Green tea: 30-50 mg per 8-ounce cup 

Compared to synthetic energy drinks, yerba mate has far less caffeine, though its all-natural compound structure makes for steadier energy without the jitters, crash, or unwanted side effects mentioned above.

Which option is better for daily energy?

If your goal is long-lasting, steady energy that fuels your day and helps you focus in the quiet moments at work and in the hustle-bustle of town, yerba mate is the clear winner.

Why? Because yerba mate provides six health benefits, including:

1. Clean, steady energy to fuel your day

2. Powerful antioxidants for recovery

3. Immune system support

4. Heart and circulation support to keep you moving

5. Support for your gut to aid in digestion

6. Natural metabolism support to help you reach your training goals

Synthetic energy drinks provide a spike in energy, but with a subsequent crash. Plus, they do so without the support of naturally occurring vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and immune support that your body needs to live and thrive.

For these reasons, we think yerba mate offers a more balanced, natural, and body-healthy option for daily energy.

How to choose a cleaner energy drink

The next time you visit your local grocery store, supermarket, or bodega, we recommend choosing beverages that offer sustained energy that comes from an all-natural caffeine source. Look for drinks with few synthetic additives, sugars, and ingredients that you wouldn’t otherwise recognize.

Instead, seek out beverages that include the following:

• Adaptogenic herbs: like lion’s mane mushroom or ashwagandha

• Plant-based caffeine: like green tea extract, yerba mate, or coffee beans

• All-natural sweeteners: like stevia extract, monk fruit, or agave are healthier than synthetic additives like aspartame (those pink sugar packets called Equal), sucralose (Splenda), or erythritol (a sugar alcohol derivative).

• Real fruit juice: grapefruit juice, orange juice, raspberry juice, and more instead of artificial flavoring

Beverages with all-natural ingredients tend to be your best bet for finding a cleaner energy drink that offers lasting, sustained energy without the jitters or subsequent crash.

Mate moment: The science of yerba mate

Did you know that when you combine a caffeine source, such as yerba mate or green tea, with adaptogens like lion’s mane, your level of focus and mental energy increases exponentially over time?📈

Studies found that individuals who consumed beverages with caffeine and adaptogens sustained focus 78 minutes longer than those who consumed caffeine alone.⚡

Curious to learn more about the research?🤔

Check out the summary of the research in this helpful infographic on our Instagram page. 👈🏼

Where to find all natural, on-the-go yerba mate beverages

If you’re looking for a clean energy fix that won’t leave your body feeling wired or spent, consider visiting your local supermarket or grocery store. They have a variety of canned, ready-to-drink natural beverages that keep you energized and hydrated throughout the day.

For example, if you live in the Northeast United States, you can find yerba beverages like our Ola Mate in your local Wegmans supermarket. For everyone else, you can always shop online on our website or on Amazon for your favorite yerba mate (or Ola Mate) beverage.

For those who are ready to try an all-natural, organic yerba mate beverage, we invite you to join the Ola Mate family. With three different drinks made with green tea extract, fruit juice, yerba mate, and adaptogenic herbs, it’s the beverage that keeps you moving.

Try our sleek 12-ounce Grapefruit Ginger, Raspberry Bliss, Berry Coconut Lavender, or all three. And when you do, drop us a line letting us know what you think. We’d love to hear from you.

Until then, we hope this information was helpful, and we’ll talk to you soon.

🧉Ola Mate: Clean Energy for Creative Minds🧉