How is it made?
It is an herbal tea made from the leaves and twigs of the Ilex paraguariensis plant. The leaves are dried over a fire, then steeped in hot water to make the tea. You can make it like any other tea – with a tea strainer, tea pot, French press, or coffee maker. Use 1 tablespoon per 8 ounces of water. Let it steep 3-5 minutes. It tastes somewhat like green tea, with hints of tobacco and oak. The ideal temperature is 170°F; boiling water makes it bitter.
Traditional Preparation
Ingredients:
- the herb,
- cold water,
- hot (not boiling) water.
Put it in gourd or cup. Shake gourd to help settle leaves. Pour cold water just off boil into gourd until damp. Let sit briefly. Pour in hot (not boiling) water. Drink through metal straw (bombilla) to filter out leaves. Pass gourd around to share.
Health Benefits
It has health benefits. It has caffeine like coffee but is easier on digestion. It can be made into iced tea. You can add flavors like mint.
The plant is grown and harvested in South America. Leaves are dried and processed. Quality involves pruning for 2 years then hand picking each season. Plants can produce leaves for many years.
Popular ways to brew: Gourd and bombilla filter straw, cold (Terere), tea infusers, french presses, or coffee machines.
Preparation Guide
Here’s a guide on how to prepare it: What type of mate cup, what to look for in a bombilla, and types of the herb. Mate cups come in all shapes, sizes, and materials. Mate gourd. Also called calabaza or porongo are natural cups from the plant Lagenaria Vulgaris.
It’s extremely simple to make it in a tea pot. Just put the leaves in a tea filter in boiling water and leave them to infuse for a few minutes. The ‘gringo’ style refers to drinking the leaves in a cup, with cold water first and then hot water afterwards. It is drunk with the bombilla.
Components
There are 4 components:
1) Gourd
2) Metal straw to strain leaves
3) Leaves
4) Hot water.
Overview
It is a drink made by steeping dried leaves from the plant in hot water. The ideal brewing temperature is approximately 170°F(77°C).
Traditional Method
To prepare traditionally, you need:
- The herb
- Cold water
- Hot, but not boiling, water
- Mate gourd
- Metal straw (bombilla)
Fill the mate gourd halfway with the herb. Shake the gourd to settle it. Pour cold water into the gourd until the herb is moistened. Insert the bombilla. Pour hot water (not boiling) into the gourd.
Drink the liquid by sipping it through the bombilla. Add more hot water as needed.
Other Preparation Methods
It can also be prepared in other ways, like an infusion similar to tea by putting the leaves in a tea filter, or the "gringo" style with cold water first.
You can add sweetener, lemon, or milk to suit your taste. It also helps with digestion.
Amount of Water
The strength can be influenced by the amount of water used. Some prefer to use hot water, around 160-180°F (70-80°C), which extracts more flavor. Others opt for cooler water, around 140-150°F (60-65°C), to achieve a milder taste.
Here is the procedure: Put two teaspoons in a container, then cover it. Shake to mix the herb. Add a little hot water to moisten the leaves. Return the container to position. Immerse the bombilla where water was poured. At this point drink until finished.
It is made by infusing dried leaves in hot water. It’s like tea because steeped in hot water. But unlike coffee and tea, it is shared. The same gourd and bombilla are used. To drink it, you need: the herb, Mate Gourd, bombilla, and thermos.
It is consumed from a hollow gourd filled with herbs and hot water. It’s sipped through a metallic straw. In social settings, friends pass the drink refilling with water.
Add it to cup between 1/4 and 3/4 size depending on taste strength wanted. Cover with 70-80°C water. Wait 5 minutes. It’s ready!