I've done the same for years. I think most of the ill effects of mate come to people because they're "overdosing" inadvertently. If you steep a "tea" quantity

I've done the same for years. I think most of the ill effects of mate come to people because they're "overdosing" inadvertently. If you steep a "tea" quantity of mate, I've found it to produce a remarkably long-lived, smooth, non-jittery sense alertness. The only times I've ever felt like how coffee or black tea make me feel, is when I put in a 1/4 cup of mate and drink it the traditional way.