Mate is a drink that is obtained by leaving the dry leaves of the yerba mate plant to infuse in hot water. The Guaraní Indians of South America were the first to discover its rejuvenating properties. Today it is drunk in Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina, parts of Brazil, Chile and eastern Bolivia. Its flavor is similar to that of green tea, with an aftertaste of tobacco and oak. In order to fully appreciate it, prepare it correctly after reading this article.
Ingrediants
- Yerba mate
- Hot, but not boiling water
- Cold water
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Traditional
Step 1. Get the vessel, also called mate, which can be metal, ceramic or wood, and a bombilla, which is the metal straw
You can also use a regular teacup, but bombilla is a must.
To keep the first sips from being bitter, fill a new bowl with boiling water to the brim and leave it for 10 minutes. Then, gently scrape the inner membrane with a metal spoon under running water. Finally, leave it in the sun for a day or two until completely dry
Step 2. Half-fill the container with dry yerba mate
Step 3. Place your hand on top of the bowl and turn it over
Shake it with your wrist to make sure the dusty leaves stay on top, avoiding sucking on them when you drink.
Step 4. Lay the bowl almost completely on its side and move it back and forth
This action will bring the larger leaves to the surface, which will help filter out the drier leaves later. Slowly raise the container so that the yerba mate remains asymmetrically distributed.
Step 5. Insert the bombilla into the mate
If you hate water that is too hot, you can add some cold water before doing so. Either way, cold water will help preserve the integrity of the mate.
- Place the bombilla in the empty space near the pile of leaves, trying not to change their arrangement. The bombilla must touch the bottom and be placed on one side of the container to prevent it from coming into contact with the powdery yerba. Next, add some cold water into the empty space until it reaches the top of the pile and wait for it to be absorbed. Try to keep the dusty top of the pile dry.
- Alternatively, pour cold water into the empty space until it reaches the top of the mound and wait for it to absorb. Slightly press the pile on the slope, allowing the mate not to lose its shape. The bombilla must touch the bottom and be placed on one side of the container, as far as possible from the dusty top of the pile.
Step 6. Pour hot water (70-80ºC) into the empty space as you did the cold one
It won't have to be hot, or the mate will taste bitter.
Step 7. Drink from the metal straw
Beginners tend to shake the bombilla and spin the weed. Resist the temptation, or you'll end up plugging the bombilla and letting some weed into it. Drink all the mate when it is passed to you, do not sip it and pass it on to someone else. To understand if you are done, you should hear a sound similar to what occurs when you finish drinking a drink with a straw.
- In one group, the first brew is traditionally drunk by the person who made the mate. If you are the servant, drink it until you run out of water, fill the bowl with hot water and pass it to someone else, sharing the same bombilla.
- Fill the bowl with hot water before it is passed on to someone else until the herb loses its flavor (in Spanish this is “lavado”). Typically, this happens after 10 refills (it depends a lot on the quality of the mate). The pile can be pushed to the opposite side of the container and renewed for a few more times until the flavor is completely extracted.
- To say that you don't want any more, thank “el cebador”, or the servant, after having finished sipping it.
Step 8. Clean the bowl after using it and let it dry
Mate can be made of an organic material that can rot, changing the taste of the herb.
Method 2 of 2: Alternatives
Step 1. The following preparation options may be simpler, but the flavor will be very different from that of the traditional technique
We recommend that you try the classic preparation before experimenting with the other methods, so you will understand how to achieve a similar taste.
- In Paraguay, mate is drunk cold, so you have to replace hot water with cold water and add ice. In some cases, a mix of herbs is used. A seasoned cow horn is used instead of the typical container. This brew is known as tereré.
- In some places, such as Argentina, mate is also sold in the form of tea bags (it is called mate cocido).
- In South America, especially in Uruguay, you can find different types of yerba mate on the market: to lose weight, to digest better, to prevent prostate disorders, etc.
- If you like coffee, in some countries you will find a mix of yerba and coffee in the supermarket, to be prepared however you like.
Step 2. Yerba can also be prepared like ordinary tea
Infuse it in hot water (the amount depends on how strong you want it to be, so experiment with it) and strain the leaves before drinking.
You can also use the French coffee maker and the automatic coffee machine to make mate. Put the herb in place of the coffee beans
Step 3. If you don't like the yerba mate flavor, you can try dried coconut and warm milk instead of water
This drink is ideal for children and when it's cold.
Advice
- You can also add fresh mint leaves or other herbs directly to the water.
- For a sweeter drink, you can add some sugar or honey to the bowl before pouring the hot water. Mate can be eaten sweet or bitter.
- In some parts of South America, citrus peel (especially oranges) is added to the herb or water is replaced with warm milk.
- In the summer, try tereré by replacing hot water with cold water or lemonade and adding ice. You may want to use a metal glass or jar instead of the traditional container.
- You can also add chamomile and star anise to yerba mate.
- Mate contains caffeine, but in lower percentages than tea and coffee.
Warnings
- According to some studies, people who regularly consume large amounts of mate per day are more at risk of contracting certain forms of cancer. This research, however, was not thorough and did not consider the toxicity of alpacca, or German silver, also known as Argentone, whose harmful effects include cancer. In the future, there may be research that suggests container ornaments and bombillas made from this family of alloys can cause cancer. But there is also some research focused on the beneficial effects of mate: one of them claimed that yerba mate decreases the chances of getting colon cancer.
- Sip slowly: the mate and straw are hot!
