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Top 5 different methods for preparing organic mate

August 14, 2020

Time to read 2 min

Yerba mate, maté or maté tea is an ancestral energy drink from South America.

Consumed for generations by the Guaranis, yerba is made from mate leaves and sometimes stems .
It can be infused in the traditional way in a gourd or in the manner of tea, as an infusion.

We will see how to infuse your mate with 5 different methods? How to prepare your mate in a traditional way?

Summary

1. Traditional preparation in a calabash 1.1 How to prepare a traditional mate? 2. Preparation in a biodegradable tea bag 3. Preparation in a tea ball 4. Preparation in a French press 5. In cold infusion, called "tereré"

Traditional mate preparation in a calabash

The different types of mate

Preparing yerba mate in a gourd (or mate cup) is a real ceremony. Taking the time to prepare your gourd helps you enjoy the moment with friends or family.

It is to embark on a unique and friendly experience of the Argentine way of life and sharing.

The traditional method remains the best and allows you to drink organic mate in a traditional way in order to feel the flavors and virtues of this drink in a more concentrated way. Also, it will be necessary to gather some essential accessories for the preparation.

You will need:

A mate gourd , which will serve as a container for your leaves.
A mate bombilla is a metal straw used to filter the leaves from the water.

How to prepare a traditional mate?

Steps for preparing a mate in a calabash

How to prepare a mate in a gourd:

Fill your gourd with yerba mate about ¾ full.
Tilt the gourd and when the leaves are all on one side, you can pour in warm or cold water.
Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes so that the leaves soak up the water, this will facilitate the formation of your gourd and avoid burning the leaves.
The bombilla will serve as a filter. Place the head of it at the bottom of your gourd.
Add your hot water (it should not be boiling) into the hollow space of your preparation.

Your mate is ready!

Keep your hot water nearby! Indeed, after drinking all the water from your gourd with your bombilla, add hot water.
Drink and repeat the procedure just adding water.

Also, know that you can keep the same mate in your gourd and drink it throughout the day.
After several dozen infusions (1L to 1.5L of water) , your yerba will no longer have much taste. This is called a "washed" yerba mate.

To learn more about the method of preparing organic yerba mate in a gourd, nothing beats a video:

Preparation in biodegradable tea bag

We have developed a range of mate packaged in the form of a biodegradable tea bag . The cocido mate (or tea bag) allows you to transport and enjoy your organic drink at any time.

These tea bags are produced from corn starch and are therefore 100% natural.

The brewing method is identical to the tea bags you are familiar with. The brewing time, however, differs depending on the types of yerba and the intensity you wish to obtain.

We recommend steeping in simmering (not boiling) water for 4-8 minutes for moderate intensity and up to 10 minutes if you want a stronger flavor.