Mexican tea culture is known for its traditional herbal teas which are reputed to have medicinal properties. In recent decades, imported tea beverages have also become popular in Mexico. Mexican tea recipes have grown in popularity beyond Mexico as well.

History

Mexico has numerous indigenous herbs that native cultures used to make teas for centuries before Spanish colonization. Tea varieties from Europe and Asia were not introduced to Mexican agriculture, however, and have yet to reach the level of popularity that they have in many other countries. The climate of Mexico is diverse, ranging from deserts to mountain plateaus and tropical rainforests in the southeast. The southeastern region may be suitable for cultivating imported tea varieties.

A small number of prominent establishments in Mexico City

Mexico City

Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...

 have formal tea rooms, where British-style tea is served, including the Hotel Marquis Reforma and the Presidente Inter-Continental Mexico City hotel.

Herbal teas

Herbal teas are common in Mexico. Many herb varieties, both indigenous and imported, are sold at Mexican markets. There are many traditional herbal teas that are reputed to have medicinal properties. Medical research is being undertaken to attempt to verify any actual medicinal properties that these traditional teas may have. Some herbal teas have been shown to have health benefits, while others have been shown to have none. Traditional medicinal tea use is common in some Mexican immigrant communities in the United States.

Poleo is an herbal tea made from the Lamiaceae Hedeoma drummondii plant. Aside from being used to make a tea beverage in Mexico, this plant has also been used as a culinary spice by native cultures north of Mexico. Poleo has been found to be rich in antioxidants.

Yerba buena is a name given to a variety of mint teas sold loose in many markets. This is similar to yerba mate

Yerba mate

Maté, yerba maté or erva maté , Ilex paraguariensis, is a species of holly native to subtropical South America in northeastern Argentina, Bolivia, southern Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay...

, used throughout many Latin American countries as mate (beverage)

Mate (beverage)

Mate , also known as chimarrão or cimarrón, is a traditional South American infused drink, particularly in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, southern states of Brazil, south of Chile, the Bolivian Chaco, and to some extent, Syria and Lebanon...

, and widely regarded to have health benefits. Mild stomach upset is often remedied with tea made from lemongrass, or Limón.

Traditional Mexican herbal teas should be consumed with great caution, as incorrect doses can be toxic.

Modern teas

Jamaica iced tea is a popular drink made of the flowers and leaves of the Jamaican hibiscus plant (Hibiscus sabdariffa), known as flor de Jamaica in Mexico. It is served cold and quite sweet with a lot of ice. The ruby red beverage called Hibiscus tea

Hibiscus tea

Hibiscus tea is the infusion made from the calyces of the Hibiscus sabdariffa flower, an herbal tea drink consumed both hot and cold by people around the world...

 in English-speaking countries is called agua de Jamaica (water of Jamaica

Jamaica

Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...

) in Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

, where it is widely availble in restaurants and from street vendors.

Chocolate tea

Champurrado is a Mexican chocolate drink, sometimes incorrectly called "Mexican chocolate tea". It is a popular recipe exported to the United States. This drink is made with chocolate and spice with cinnamon. Champurrado is related to xocoatl, which is a traditional Aztec

Aztec

The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...

 cocoa-bean drink.

See also

• Mexican cuisine
  Mexican cuisine
  Mexican cuisine, a style of food that originates in Mexico, is known for its varied flavors, colourful decoration and variety of spices and ingredients, most of which are native to the country. The cuisine of Mexico has evolved through thousands of years of blending indigenous cultures, with later...
  
  
• Tea
  Tea
  Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
  
  
• Herbal tea
• Agua fresca
• Tepache
  Tepache
  The tepache is a drink made out of the flesh and rind of the pineapple, sweetened with brown sugar and cinnamon and sometimes beer. Tepache does not have a high quantity of alcohol, since it is left to ferment for only about three days. The alcohol comes mostly from the addition of a small amount...
  
  
• Tejate
  Tejate
  Tejate is a maize and cacao beverage traditionally made in Oaxaca, Mexico, originating from pre-Hispanic times. It remains very popular among the indigenous Mixtec and Zapotec peoples, especially in rural areas. It's also very popular for anyone who lives in Oaxaca and the surrounding regions...
  
  
• Tejuino
  Tejuino
  Tejuino is a cold beverage made from fermented corn popularly-drunk in the Mexican state of Jalisco. It is often served with a scoop of shaved ice....
  
  
• Traditional medicine
  Traditional medicine
  Traditional medicine comprises unscientific knowledge systems that developed over generations within various societies before the era of modern medicine...
  
  
• Health effects of tea