Mate is a popular South American drink made from the leaves of the Ilex paraguariensis plant. It has a long history of traditional use among indigenous groups like the Guaraní. Today, mate is consumed in parts of South America, the Middle East, and beyond.
There are several ways to prepare mate:
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The traditional method uses a gourd (called a mate) and a special straw (called a bombilla). The bombilla filters out the leaf powder as you sip. This method allows for sharing mate with others by passing around the gourd. However, it makes only one serving at a time.
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You can also brew the herbal tea with hot or cold water, like an herbal tea. Adding milk, sweetener or citrus fruits alters the flavor.
No matter how it’s prepared, mate contains caffeine. People in South America may drink 1-4 liters per day, but newcomers should moderate intake to avoid side effects.
What is the best way to drink yerba mate?
For the sake of this article, I’ll describe how to prepare the South American drink in the three most common and practical ways.
The plant is harvested and brewed similar to tea, to make a specialty beverage popular throughout South America.
In addition to the traditional recipe, there are many variations of this drink, which allow you to enjoy yerba mate in other ways. The ‘yerba mate gringo’ style refers to the way the drink is enjoyed in North America: the leaves are placed in a cup, cold water is added and then left to soak for a few minutes, with the addition of hot water afterwards.
The best answer is that the herbal tea has 85 mg of caffeine for every 8 fluid oz. That is, it has slightly less caffeine than a generic cup of coffee.
How to make yerba mate coffee?
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An easy way is to use a coffee machine. Substitute coffee for yerba mate. The drink will be reddish like black tea.
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For iced yerba mate (tereré):
Ingredients:
Yerba mate
Water (cold)
Bombilla
To make the South American drink:
Fill three-quarters of your mate gourd with yerba mate leaves. Shake the gourd to move leaves to one side. Make a half-moon shape using leaves, called "montañita". Pour a little cold water over leaves to protect nutrients. Insert the metal straw, called "bombilla", and lay it flat over leaves. Pour warm (not boiling) water to the top. Avoid wetting dry leaf "montañita" so you can reuse it to strengthen later mates. Wiggle the bombilla to make room underneath leaves. Use bombilla to gently compress leaves. Enjoy your mate!
You can also use a French press to easily brew yerba mate. Simply add one tablespoon of yerba mate per cup of water into the press. Brew as you would coffee, but don’t overfill the filter or leaves may overflow. Enjoy mate from a press just as you would from a traditional gourd. It’s fast, portable and just as delicious.