Quite often we are asked: How do you prepare a good Mate? It’s super easy!! But before, we'd like to tell you a bit of the history of our lil buddy.
Mate is a traditional South American infused drink. It is made by soaking dried leaves in hot water and is served with a metal straw in a container typically made from a calabash gourd.
The leaves are dried and chopped or ground to make the coarse powdery preparation called Yerba Mate which is then soaked in hot water. The metal straw is known as a bombilla and is traditionally made of silver.
Mate is usually a bit of a bitter taste, but some people like to sweeten it (that is us) either by adding sugar or honey to the water or directly to the mate.
Mate has a strong cultural significance both in terms of national identity as well as in social terms. It is the national drink of Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, and is also consumed in certain areas of Bolivia, Chile, Brazil, Syria (the largest importer in the world) and Lebanon, where it was brought from Argentina by immigrants.
We Argentinians love our Mate and don't go a day without drinking it.
Now, get ready to enjoy this traditional drink of ours. First of all, you’ll need: yerba mate, a gourd (mate cup), a bombilla (straw) and a flask with hot water.
Steps:
- Fill the flask with hot water. To make sure your mate have the right temperature, ensure that the water is neither boiling nor lukewarm. The ideal range is between 70º and 80ºC
- Fill three-quarters of the mate cup with yerba
- Place the cup upside down and shake it vigorously to ensure that all the ingredients are evenly mixed and distributed
- Slowly, bring the cup back to its initial position, making sure that the yerba is inclined at an angle of 45 degrees, forming a small hole. Through this hole, pour warm water to moisten the lower part
- Now introduce the bombilla (straw) by pressing it against the internal wall of the mate cup and try not to move it again
- Gradually add the water through the small hole where the straw is
- Enjoy and share the moment
Here's a video where you can see these steps https://www.instagram.com/reel/CSoX3dAHxDl/?utm_medium=copy_link
Leave us a comment after you try it and let us know what you think!