The herbal beverage tastes earthy, grassy, bitter. Exploring different flavors allows a unique taste experience. There are flavored variants combining herbs, fruits, or essences. These add nuance and increase health qualities. Popular flavors include citrus fruits.
It has stronger, bolder taste than teas like green or black. You’ll notice how earthy it is. It may taste like grass, soil, even an ashtray. That’s an acquired taste. Once accustomed to it, it has delicious, complex flavors. Its taste profile changes dramatically depending on the brew. Over time, you develop a "palate" noticing flavors like lemon and butter.
The herbal, grassy flavor adds depth unmatched by other teas or coffee. These tones make it feel natural and organic. It pairs well with savory, sweet foods, enhancing textures and flavors. The earthiness provides an excellent base for custom blends with herbs and spices.
It stays delicious cold. Make overnight cold brews, add honey or lemon. Locals in South America drink 1-4 liters daily. Begin with less until accustomed to the caffeine.
It is traditionally prepared using a gourd and metal straw called a bombilla. Fill the gourd about three-quarters full with leaves. Pour hot water over them, filling to the top.
The South American beverage has an earthy, bitter flavor. The tea can be enjoyed hot or cold. Yerba mate is popular in countries like Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil. It has a long history dating back to indigenous tribes who believed it was a gift from the gods. Today, it is consumed for its caffeine content and unique flavor. The tea continues traditional rituals like passing around a shared gourd. It also bonds people emotionally. Yerba mate can be found in loose leaf form or in tea bags. It is available plain or flavored with mint, citrus, and other herbs. Yerba mate offers antioxidant benefits and vitamins for health.
You can make yerba mate just how you make any other tea. Simply use 1 tablespoon per 8 ounces of water, let it steep for 3-5 minutes, and you’re ready to go. Just steep one tea bag per 8 ounces of water and you’re ready to go.
These days you can make it in a French press or by using tea bags or tea strainers. The original standard preparation is best, however, if you want to get the full, traditional experience. Pour hot water into the gourd. Be sure that the water is not boiling, or it will destroy the flavor.
The indigenous Guaraní and some Tupi communities first cultivated and consumed the South American tea. After the Jesuits discovered its commercialization potential, it became widespread.
The plant is 3 – 6 meters tall. The leaves are green and oval in shape. The processing method of its leaves by the local people is very similar to that of Chinese tea. This tea has a slight smoky flavor and a little vegetal aroma. Bitterness is one of its features, but the sweet aftertaste is also prominent and enduring.
To prepare the traditional tea you need a mate gourd, a bombilla (straw), hot water and leaves. Fill your mate cup with 3/4 parts of dried leaves. Cover the mate and shake it. The person who prepares the mate is called the cebador. He or she drinks the first cupful as most particles go through the straw at first. Then the cebador refills the cup and passes it on.
It contains less caffeine than coffee but more than green tea. Its caffeine has a different chemical structure and effect than coffee. It provides a mixture of the caffeines found in coffee, green tea and chocolate. So it gives healthy stimulation, without making you jittery.
Drinking the tea is an everyday ritual that enhances a sense of belonging. Mate brings people together – friends, family and even strangers. In South America you see people sipping mate in all scenarios: working, studying, reading, at the beach. Sharing mate is a tradition of hospitality.