Steeping Mate Leaves
Mate is a plant from South America. To make mate tea, pour leaves to half fill the cup. Shake the cup to flatten the leaves. Pour hot water over leaves and let it steep for 1-3 minutes. Adjust amount of leaves and steeping time to suit your taste.
Mate has a rich, earthy flavor with sweet, grassy notes. The initial steeping draws out aromatic oils from leaves to give a delightful drink that energizes. Each subsequent steeping releases more flavor notes.
Choosing Mate Equipment
Use stainless steel cup which is easy to handle for beginners. Good starter brands are from Argentina as they have balanced classic taste, not too bold or harsh.
Ideal Brewing Temperature
Mate is a drink made by steeping dried leaves from the yerba mate plant in hot water. It tastes somewhat like green tea, with hints of tobacco and oak. The ideal brewing temperature for yerba mate is approximately 170°F (77°C). Using boiling water will produce a bitter, inferior beverage.
Preparation Tips
To prepare mate, moisten leaves with cool water before adding hot water. Use a French press or tea ball for simplified preparation. The bombilla straw filters out leaves while sipping.
As a Tea Bag or Loose Leaf Tea
You can make mate just how you make any other tea. Simply use 1 tablespoon of yerba per 8 ounces of water, let it steep for 3-5 minutes. Again, never use boiling water.
You can also drink mate tea bags. I personally find tea bags to be too mild for my taste. But if you’re a beginner, they can be a easy way to get your palate accustomed to mate.