Hazel Morning Maté was born out of exhaustion. Pregnancies, nursing, raising toddlers who were quickly becoming rambunctious little boys, and all the demands of home ownership were taking their toll. And an increasing reliance on coffee was taking a toll on our digestive and nervous systems. We knew we needed an alternative, so I (Elijah) began looking into tea options.
I remembered a friend telling me about yerba maté tea several years prior. A tea so dark and strong it had the caffeine of a cup of coffee. But if we just needed caffeine, we’d stick with coffee—we needed something that could provide more. I began researching yerba maté and found it to be far more than a “coffee supplement.” Yerba maté tea is rich in nutrients such as vitamins A, C, E, thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), and pantothenic acid (B5). It also contains essential minerals like calcium, manganese, iron, selenium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc. As if that wasn’t enough, it also contains fatty acids, antioxidants, tannins, and at least 15 amino acids. A study from 2011 found that yerba maté can help fight off colon cancer. Yerba maté also contains saponins which have anti-inflammatory properties, and can boost the immune system, help reduce cholesterol, fight cancer, and improve bone health.
Reading all these benefits, I knew I had to try some myself. Yerba maté comes both green and roasted, and it was the roasted flavor I fell in love with. Combined with roasted hazelnuts and cacao nibs, I was well on the way to the Hazel Morning Maté we sell today.
One thing that really stuck with me as Amanda and I began drinking this early blend of what would become Hazel Morning Maté was that, even after several cups, I would never feel shaky or jittery. Typically, one full cup of coffee would leave my hands shaking; but day after day I drank maté with no ill-effects. The rich supply of B vitamins acted to balance the caffeine, giving energy without the jitters. It took a while for me to convince Amanda to give up her coffee and join me for a morning maté, but eventually even she agreed that she had begun to prefer the flavor and energy over the acidity of her usual cup of joe. And while the blend started as a drink for us, we quickly began to think of it as our “postpartum recovery blend.”
Once the basic recipe was down, we asked for help on Facebook in naming the new blend. It was my best friend who came up with the name Hazel Morning Maté and we loved it!
We’ve taken Hazel back to the drawing board a few times since that first launch, adding ingredients like chicory root, roasted barley, and carob powder for additional flavor and nutritional value, before finally settling on the recipe we sell today. Our favorite way to drink it is via a French press, steeped about 5-7 minutes, then poured with a splash of homemade chocolate creamer.
While we don’t recommend our Hazel as a pregnancy drink due to the high caffeine content, we think you’ll love a “morning maté” postpartum and as you move from baby-cuddling to toddler-chasing!