* The cancer research against yerba mate has not looked into the toxicity of 'alpaca' or 'German Silver', also known as nickel silver. The small twig parts would be light tan, and the whole bag or jar should still smell like fresh hay and green veggies. 3. 4. Yerba mate has been used as a herbal tea for centuries, long before the Europeans ever set foot in South America. Mate is traditionally steeped and served in a hollow calabash gourd (itself called a... 2. After 24 hours empty gourd and rinse. Learn how to properly brew yerba mate in a mate gourd in the traditional way. Put some dried yerba mate in the gourd and fill it with water. Yes, you can drink mate without the gourd or bombilla, though this will subtract from the experience, and even the flavor. Empty the yerba mate into your compost and rinse the gourd. Meeting up in parks or in very beautiful and calm parts of nature is part of the tradition and ritual of drinking yerba mate. In regards to safety and hygiene, this tradition places the bond created between the people involved above any possible gross factor or diseases one may carry. However, if the mate is made of gourd or wood, here is how to keep it clean: Use the bombilla (or a spoon) to efficiently scrape the yerba from the mate gourd. To learn more about drinking through a bombilla, read on! ... make yerba mate with a french press. A temperature of 140–158ºF (60–70ºC) is best. A yerba mate gourd or cup, historically made from a hollowed squash or piece of wood. Yerba mate can be prepared with tea bags, a strainer, or a French press as well if you want to skip the gourd all together. To each their own, and I’ll show you how to make yerba mate without the gourd and bombilla. It’s a type of holly plant, and it’s native to South America. Research source But, do keep in mind that whatever you add to the mate when you brew it will reflect in the new cup you’ll brew later, since the gourd (if natural or wooden) will absorb the flavor. Does adding sugar to the mate in the gourd negate the benefits? Now, there’s 3 main types of gourd normally used for mate: natural ones (from calabash), wooden ones, or synthetic ones like steel/plastic/aluminium/ceramic. Take a small sip at first. If the mate cup is made of glass, ceramic or silicone, wash it as you would with other cups. It comes in several colors, and it’s a double walled stainless steel vessel. Each steep releases more flavor and nutrients from the mate, so this really is a drink you can pull on all day. You should still find it in good shape, even after a couple of years. Step 1. Choose your type of yerba mate. It’s a very popular drink in South America, and initially from Paraguay. Then, add cold water to the empty space until it reaches the top of the pile and wait for it to absorb. This preparation is known as "Terere". But sharing is the traditional way of consuming this drink, and bringing your own gourd to a gathering is rude in its own way. In Paraguay the Yerba Mate is drank cold, replacing the hot water for water and ice, in some case with a mixture of herbs, and instead of the gourd, a cured cow horn is used to contain the yerba mate. When adding sugar, keep it on the low since very sweet yerba can be very unpleasant and you’re better off drinking it with just a bit of sugar. Use the following guidelines to make yerba mate, whether you decide to use a gourd, a french press, a teapot, or anything else. Keep in mind that traditional yerba mate isn’t measured in cups – as in one cup of yerba mate tea – but rather in steepings. An 18 oz, very sleek and elegant one can be found on Amazon here. Here are a few simple steps to help anyone cure a traditional squash gourd: Pour a little Yerba Mate into the gourd. Argentine yerba mate is a drink made from the leaves of the yerba mate tree. A yerba mate gourd is simply a container to hold the yerba mate tea. And it may interfere with some medications, especially those that monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) activity, like the medication prescribed for Parkinson’s disease or depression. With a well-cared-for gourd, your yerba mate … It’s a natural, from the actual calabash fruit, empty on the inside and does need to be cured after you receive it. ", "It was all so helpful! If you need a gourd, head here and use the code “mateo10” for 10% off your entire purchase, or here for the loose-leaf yerba and … Whereas mate is meant to be enjoyed in several steeps, so you’d have to reuse the same tea ball or filter several times. In order to enjoy mate in the traditional way, however, you must prepare it properly as outlined below. It’s something of a debate, which tea is better for the health (green or yerba mate) but you’re bound to get your daily fill of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants from a cup of yerba mate, especially if you sip on it all day long. Mate cups come in all shapes, sizes, and materials: from bone to silicone, wood to ceramic, glass, metal and gourd. Second, it’s got a whole load of antioxidants which, like in green tea, add a bitterness that can’t be omitted when drinking this tea. Fill a pitcher or a bowl with cold water and ice. To shorten the drying process a bit more, take a hair dryer and aim it towards the inside of your gourd, while rotating it. The whole point of the gourd is to absorb as much of the mate flavor as possible, to enhance each subsequent cup you make. And there you go, a fresh new cup of mate. There is definitely an official way to prepare Mate with a traditional mate gourd and straw. Otherwise it will fall apart much faster and won’t be a good vessel. Yerba mate health benefits and side effects, Is Chai Latte Coffee ? In some places, like Argentina, mate is also sold in teabag form (called. If you have a traditional calabash gourd you need to cure it first before using it for the first time. Just search for "yerba mate." Tilt the gourd until the tea covers the side and almost reaches the top. Making a great gourd of yerba mate is as challenging and rewarding as brewing the perfect cup of tea or coffee. It was a gift of an Argentina family! Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 369,123 times. It’s an infusion of the Ilex paraguariensis plant, a type of holly plant, and provides a boost of energy similar to coffee, but in a smaller kick. Well, it turns out that yerba mate is old – at least 400 years old, if not more. Yerba mate is bitter due to several factors. Add the plunger, and let it sit for a couple of minutes before plunging. This energy-boosting treasure trove of antioxidants is available in loose-leaf form, yerba mate tea bags , instant yerba mate, and even yerba mate soda . Pack the dry, loose yerba mate into the gourd just over half full. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Yerba mate contains a whole host of antioxidants, in fact rivaling green tea ! Still holding the gourd at an angle, slowly pour the hot water into the gourd. First, you need to put dry yerba mate inside the gourd and shake to dislodge any dust. The leaves should be olive green, with a matte sheen to them. It's important that the bombilla touches the bottom without any yerba … What you do is add the dried leaves, add some hot water, let it infuse, drink everything up through the straw, and then add more water, and repeat. Long term use leads to clearer results. No. So, through tradition, customs and general love for ‘how things were done back then’, the gourd became the only vessel from which to drink yerba mate, since it was the best available at the time. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Learn how to upgrade your selfcare. To make yerba mate, you don’t want boiling hot water. Learn how to properly brew yerba mate in a mate gourd in the traditional way. 2. Mate cups come in all shapes, sizes, and materials: from bone to silicone, wood to ceramic, glass, metal and gourd. Last Updated: August 31, 2020 Your gourde can be made out of wood, or leather, or other organic materials. X But the most common way of drinking yerba mate is to continuously sip it, for several hours and adding more leaves pr water as necessary. Place two tablespoons of yerba mate inside gourd. The simplest method for many is to treat yerba mate like any other loose tea; steep it in hot water and then filter out the leaves before drinking. A bombilla (pronounced either bom-BEE-yah or bom-BEE-sha, depending on the spanish dialect). Once you have scraped the gourd… If we open to its magic, the gourd can be a great teacher. Simmered water that’s between 160°F and 180°F is best. If it doesn’t resemble the mate taste you know, then it might just be bad. Yerba mate is made of the leaves and twigs of the Ilex paraguariensis plant. Some people like it bitter and some like it sweet. Making A Great Cup Of Tea, Green Tea VS Herbal Tea – 5 Differences Between Two Very Old Teas, Ultimate Guide To Mint Tea (Recipe Included), Does Lemon Tea Have Caffeine ? Heat water just until you start to see little bubbles form. That’s a whole lot if you’re drinking several servings throughout the day, and continuously replenishing the leaves. Once you give thanks it will be understood that you do not want anymore. Argentine yerba mate is a drink made from the leaves of the yerba mate tree. Soul Mate Yerba is for all things yerba mate and wellness. Yerba mate gourd. Countries like Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Chile are chief consumers of this drink, and also grow the plant extensively. If everything went well, you should have an empty patch of water to the side of the gourd. The ones with a wide opening are perfect for abundant mate yielding since the yerba takes longer to get wet. To signal that you don't want any more mate, give thanks to "el cebador" (the server). This will cure the inside skin of the fruit, and the more bitter the mate the better it will do its job of curing the gourd. Which can be overwhelming if you’re not used to it, so give it some time to adjust. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/cb\/Make-Yerba-Mate-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Make-Yerba-Mate-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/cb\/Make-Yerba-Mate-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid152475-v4-728px-Make-Yerba-Mate-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":259,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"410","licensing":"