The thing I enjoy about Mate is how long lasting and stable its stimulating effect is. Coffee just gives me a quick spike after which I feel bad. Mate helps me to concentrate on boring stuff for hours.
I should mention I went down this rabbit hole due to the World Cup attention, but have been drinking mate for years and years.
I have a similar effect after coffee, but if I drink like 4 espressos at once I get a slight bump of focus. When I get past 8 espresso my hands get a bit shaky and again I feel like I need to go to sleep.
I guess caffeine is not for me, however I still drink it, as it helps with migraines and ADHD.
I have no clue what Mate does.