Introduce yourself:

My name is Melody Maradiaga, I’m a mother, small business owner, artist and full time student at Florida International University. My business is called Conscious Creations Inc. Where I assist people to express themselves through painting and meditation. 

How did you hear about Kalmateh?

I found Kalmateh through research because I was looking for an organic brand of Yerba Mate. Through my research, I found their kit on Amazon that included a gourd, a straw and the tea. This kit included everything I needed to incorporate Yerba Mate into my daily routine. 

What do you love most about Kalmateh compared to other mate brands?

What I love about Kalmateh is the smokeless and clean taste, the fact that it is organic and the large variety of unique styled gourds they carry. I also love referring my friends to this brand because of the kits and sets. The personalized kits make it very easy to convert a non Yerba mate drinker to an avid user. 

How does drinking yerba mate make you feel?  

Yerba Mate makes me feel energized, focused, clear and healthy. I use it as a pre & post work out because it has 15 amino acids. It gives me more energy than coffee and puts me in a great mood. As someone who has ADHD, finding Yerba Mate as a natural remedy to help me focus felt like a God send. It also helps suppress my appetite and detox my body, leaving me feeling less bloated and lighter. 

How do you prepare your mate?

I prepare my mate by putting a spoonful of Manuka honey in my gourd first. I then pour the Yerba Mate in about 1/3 full, add hot water and a splash of oat milk. Sometimes I mix it with other herbal blends depending on my mood or ailment I am aiming to heal. 

What is your favorite time of day to drink mate and in what setting?

Because mate gives me so much energy, I do prepare it in the beginning of my day. However, I carry around a thermos of hot water and pour more in whenever I finish a cup and sip on it throughout the day. I also love drinking it as a bonding activity. Whenever I have guests over, I make them a cup and sit with them and have beautiful conversations. 

Any tips for mate beginners? 

I would definitely get a kit to start with and work your way up to adding more of the tea in your gourd to increase the potency. Do some research and look up all the benefits of drinking Yerba Mate so you can also connect with all the beautiful medicinal and psychoactive properties that come with drinking it. 

What do you love the most about drinking mate? 

 What I love most about drinking Yerba Mate is it’s diverse use, health benefits and cultural history. I love that I can use it to help me focus on creating artwork or doing tedious tasks for my business or completing school work. I love that it gives me more patience with my relationships, especially with my little ones. Lastly, I love the discussions I have with people on how it has improved my family’s health and how I discovered it through my Argentinian friends. I love Yerba Mate and I’m grateful I found this brand. I highly recommend Kalmateh to anyone looking into bringing Yerba Mate into their daily routine.