The yerba mate plant is a small bush that produces evergreen leaves used to make yerba mate tea. The plant is native to southern parts of South America. There are 4 main components that make up drinking yerba:
- Gourd
- Bombilla – the metal straw
- Hot water
- Yerba leaves
Yebateros (otherwise called mate gatherers) travel through the jungle between May and October when the leaves are at their fullest. The leaves of a yerba mate tree are usually only picked once every three years. Most yerba on the market today is farmed. The largest suppliers of the herb are Paraguay, Uruguay, and Brazil.
What You’ll Need To Make Traditional Yerba Mate
- Sale
- Balibetov Yerba Mate Gourd Set
- Ground yerba
Guide on how to prepare yerba
What type of mate cup, what to look for in a bombilla, and types of yerba. Mate cups come in all shapes, sizes, and materials. If you want to go the traditional route get a calabash gourd. The traditional method requires delicate care and attention. Before we get started, you’ll need a few tools like a mate gourd and a bombilla. Fill the gourd about 3/4 full with leaves. Insert the bombilla in the filled gourd at an angle. Slowly pour hot water onto the leaves. The amount depends on the size of the gourd. Sip the infusion through the bombilla. Refill the gourd with more hot water to produce several infusions from the same leaves.
Locals in South America drink anywhere from 1- 4 litres of this goodness a day. That’s A LOT of yerba! It’s best to limit consumption.
While the South American tea can provide an energy boost, it also contains caffeine and other stimulants that may have negative effects during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Yerba is a rare herbal tea in that it’s one of the few plants that naturally produce caffeine. Whether making it hot or cold, the South American drink is a great herbal alternative to coffee.
Yerba is a tea made from the leaves and twigs of the Ilex paraguariensis plant. This plant is native to parts of South America including Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay where drinking yerba tea is a popular cultural tradition.
To prepare traditional yerba, you need a mate gourd cup often made from a hollowed calabash gourd, a metal straw with a filter tip called a bombilla, and loose mate tea leaves. Fill the mate gourd about 2/3 full with dry mate leaves then shake gently to allow the leaves to settle with air pockets. Carefully pour hot water into the gourd without disturbing the leaves too much. Let the mate brew for a minute or two then sip the tea through the bombilla.
Mate can be enjoyed alone but is often drank socially with the mate gourd and bombilla passed around a circle. The tea leaves can be refilled with hot water and resteeped many times. Going through the ritual of preparing, drinking, and passing mate with others is an important part of mate’s cultural significance in South America.
Yerba is an energizing drink made by steeping dried leaves from the yerba plant in hot water. It has a flavor similar to green tea, with hints of tobacco and oak. Yerba contains caffeine and other natural compounds that provide a balanced effect on mind and body.
Yerba mate leaves are dried, chopped and ground into a powder. It is consumed through a metal straw called a bombilla. The bombilla also acts as a sort of sieve. Instead of warm water you can use cool water and refrigerate overnight. This is called the Cold Brew Method. It yields all tea properties with reduced bitterness and better floral notes.