What is Mate?
Mate is a tea made from the leaves of a South American holly plant. It has a robust, slightly bitter flavor. The traditional way to drink it is out of a hollowed-out gourd called a mate. The mate is filled with dried leaves, then hot water is poured over them. The tea is sipped through a metal straw with holes called a bombilla. The bombilla filters out the leaves.
Mate is meant to be enjoyed communally. Sharing it is a tradition in many South American countries. It’s seen as a way to build community bonds and friendships.
Steps to Prepare Mate
There are a few steps to prepare mate properly. First, if using a new gourd, it must be cured before use to enhance the flavor. Curing involves scrubbing out the inside and pouring hot water over the external surface.
The next step is to add the dried leaves, typically filling about three quarters of the gourd. Shake the gourd gently to evenly distribute the leaves.
Health Benefits
Mate has many purported health benefits. It contains vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and caffeine. Some feel it gives an energy boost similar to coffee without the jittery side effects.
Mate Effects
Why Does Mate Make Me High?
Mate is a drink made by steeping dried leaves in hot water. It tastes like green tea with tobacco and oak hints.
Mate provides energy. It has caffeine and natural compounds that provide a balanced effect on body and mind. It’s a healthier alternative to coffee or energy drinks.
Drinking mate is practical and social. It’s praised for energy boosting so it’s enjoyed continuously, sipping for hours and adding more leaves or water.
Making Strong Mate
Increasing Caffeine
Mate is a traditional South American tea. It is brewed from the leaves and twigs of the Ilex paraguariensis plant. Mate is typically enjoyed communally. It is passed around to share among friends and new acquaintances as a social ritual.
To make mate tea, add mate leaves to a strainer. Moisten with cool water. Add hot 170°F water and steep for 5 minutes. Flavor with honey. For stronger tea, use more leaves or steep longer.
When preparing mate, select high-quality leaves. Consider health risks. Avoid mate if pregnant, breastfeeding, anxious, or consuming alcohol or tobacco heavily.
Steeping Time
How Long to Let Mate Steep?
To prepare mate tea, start by filling a gourd or cup with mate leaves. Then, pour hot water over the leaves and let it steep for a few minutes. Finally, use a bombilla to drink the tea.
Health Benefits
What are the health benefits of mate tea? Mate tea is believed to have several health benefits, including increased energy and focus, improved digestion, and antioxidant properties.
Social Aspects
Meeting up in parks or in very beautiful and calm parts of nature is part of the tradition and ritual of drinking mate. Mate is consumed from a traditional hollow gourd. This is filled with hot water and the herbs. The tea is sipped through a metallic straw called a bombilla. In a social setting, friends pass the drink from person to person refilling with hot water from a thermos when necessary!