Yerba Mate, a species of the holly plant that is native to South America, is the key ingredient in a common social practice and a popular tea-like drink throughout the countries of South America. Already popular when the conquistadors arrived in 1592, the herb is associated with a number of myths and legends that vary from country to country.
Traditionally drunk from a hollow gourd, called a mate, and using a metal straw, Yerba Mate is widely known for it’s health benefits and it’s energizing qualities. Besides being a pleasant and well-loved beverage, Yerba Mate is thought to help combat obesity.
In many parts of South America, Yerba mate serves the same function that coffee does in Italy and France, with friends gathering at a café for their daily cup. It is served both hot and cold and is drunk throughout the year.
As the popularity of Yerba Mate spreads, different brewing methods have emerged beyond the traditional steeping.
Similar to coffee, Yerba Mate can be brewed using either a drip coffee machine or even better, a French press, both at a ratio of four tablespoons per twelve cups of water.
A tea ball or tea bags can be filled with the leaves of the plant and steeped as with tea for 3-4 minutes. The tea can also be cooled and served with ice and is excellent with a wedge of lemon and a drizzle of honey.
Alternatively you can brew Yerba Mate in an espresso machine, treating it as you would coffee grounds. This can be served similarly to a late with steamed milk and flavorings.
The traditional method is, of course, to serve Yerba Mate in a hollowed and cured gourd.
Fill the gourd three quarters of the way full with your favorite Yerba Mate. Covering the opening of the mate with the palm of your hand, invert the gourd and shake it several times. This disperses the finer particles of the tea and helps keep them from clogging the bombilla, or metal straw, while drinking.
Yerba Mate on it’s own has a vegetal, somewhat bitter flavor. It can be sweetened with honey, sugar or stevia, added to the tea before the water.
Heat the water to 180 degrees and, tilting the mate, pour until the liquid almost reaches the rim. Insert the bombilla and sip, refilling with warm water as you drink.
Unused Yerba Mate should be stored in a cool, clean place; a glass jar on a pantry shelf is ideal but never store in the freezer.
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