Choosing the Right Mate Blend
Today, this stimulating drink is enjoyed worldwide for its unique flavors and energy-boosting properties. To ensure a satisfying experience, explore different blends, as each offers a unique flavor profile. When choosing the right brand, understand the different flavors and aromas of blends.
Brewing Methods
Grab yourself a handful of mate and add the herb into a frenchpress, teapot, or traditional gourd. Add hot or cold water, then enjoy. If you want to learn more about the beautiful world of mate, then read on.
South Americans safely drink 1–4 liters of mate per day. In United States, Canada, and Europe, avid drinkers consume at least 1–2 liters per day. You can add citrus zest to mate, little by little with each serving. Using milk instead of water softens the taste. Mate contains 85 mg caffeine per cup, between coffee and tea. Brewing time affects caffeine content. Mate has high vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, C and E concentrations.
History and Culture
This tea comes from the holly plant leaves found in the South American rainforest. The Ache Guayaki tribe has sipped it from gourds for rejuvenating qualities. Mate naturally produces caffeine and is a great coffee alternative. Drink mate continuously, adding more leaves or water. It’s energy boosting and social.
Flavoring Mate
What is good to mix with mate?
Mate is often combined with dried fruits, spicy flavors, mint leaves, and dairy-free milks to enhance its flavor. When blending mate, balance flavors carefully. Get creative with different blends and ingredients, but don’t overpower any one ingredient.
To offset the intense bitterness, try sweetening it with honey or a simple syrup. Never use boiling water, as that makes mate more bitter. Instead, use a blend of cool and hot water for better flavor.
Mate can also be prepared as a tea infusion by steeping the leaves in hot water for a few minutes. The "yerba mate gringo" style popular in North America calls for adding cold water to the leaves first before pouring in additional hot water.
Tereré is a refreshing cold-brewed mate tea often mixed with fruit juice. It’s quite popular in hot parts of South America.
Yerba mate is generally infused with hot water and prepared in a mate cup, which is passed along in a circle and shared between friends and family. Centuries of the Guaraní tribe drinking Yerba Mate, European colonization, the newly aristocratic bourgeoisie adopting the ancient customs as their own.
Today, folks can drink Yerba Mate out of glass bottles, aluminum cans, little energy shots, “just add water” cups and more. But the traditional way involves only a gourd, a metal straw, a bag of Yerba Mate, and a thermos of hot water. All you have to do is put a heaping pile of Yerba Mate into the gourd, add some hot water, and sip through the straw.
Making Mate Taste Better
Brew Loose Yerba Mate
In a French press or strainer, put in 1 to 2 tablespoons of yerba mate. Moisten the herb with room temperature water. Include 8 ounces of water that is 170 degrees Fahrenheit. Steep for five minutes before straining. Flavor to taste.
Add Citrus
Orange, lemon, and grapefruit zest and peel can be used in two ways: fresh and dried.
Use Milk
Using milk instead of water will also soften the taste of the mate.