Yerba Mate (the drink of the gods)

[dingurupa]

Originally Posted by harvey_birdman

Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying.
Thanks for clarifying. You're wrong. Taking a GDP per capita number and using it to justify your point that every Argentine is poor shows you are lacking basic reasoning skills. Sure, every country in Latin America has a lower standard of living than America does. Does this mean there are no wealthy people in those countries? No. Get over yourself.

 

[aizan]

you're supposed to put the bombilla (the metal straw) in the gourd first.

 

[Hany]

Originally Posted by dingurupa

You really need to try it in a gourd if you haven't already. I never saw an Argentine put matÃ

in a french press, and I sipped on it with quite a few folks. First of all, the process of curing your gourd and getting it ready for its first use is a pretty interesting process in itself. The best part is that your matÃ

is going to taste better with heavy use as the gourd is infused by the leaves.

I like to keep mine clean by pouring in boiling water after I'm done, but some Argentines swear by letting a little funk build up. They will even go so far as to allow a light mold to build up in the gourd. I'm just not huge fan of drinking out of a moldy cup...

As for brands, save yourself time and energy and get the best (it's cheap too). I tried many types and I kept coming back to Rosamonte. I finally settled on the Rosamonte Especial Yerba MatÃ

: http://www.amigofoods.com/rosamonte.html

THE WATER TEMP IS VERY IMPORTANT. You need to have your kettle off the eye right before it starts boiling. This is important for two reasons:
1) You don't want to burn your tongue.
2) If the water is boiling, it will singe the the matÃ

leaves and thus alter the flavor.

A couple of other preparation tips for a great matÃ

experience:

1) While your water is heating up, take a paper towel and cover the top of your gourd tightly. Turn the gourd upside down (with leaves in the gourd) and shake it on the paper towel, and then turn it back upright. You will see all the fine little particles on the paper towel, stuff that you don't want to be sipping up through your bombilla. Do this several times until you only see a very light amount of green dust on the paper towel.

2) Make sure that the top level of the matÃ

leaves is at an angle. This does not have to be exact, but I would say at around 30 degree angle. Once you have that taken care of, stick your bombilla into the gourd so that it intersects perpendicular to that angle you created with the matÃ

. Do not move the bombilla after you get it where you want it, and don't touch it until you are finished.

3) Before you put any hot water in your gourd, you should put a very small amount of cold water at the lowest level of the matÃ

(this is why you put your matÃ

in at an angle). After putting just enough cold water to coat that lowest points top layer, you can begin to pour hot water in.

4) Start pouring in hot water at low levels. Usually the lowest level of the matÃ

and work your way up as you sense the flavor getting lighter. By doing so, this will allow you to gradually soak the leaves and your matÃ

will be fresher and last longer.

EDIT: One more thing for this exceptionally long first post. Don't waste your time putting flavorings or sugar in the matÃ

. It's a bad idea in terms of flavor and you won't be able to use your gourd to drink matÃ

plain after soiling it with lemon juice or whatever monstrosity you might have considered putting in it.
Excellent advice. This is exactly how my friend who introduced me to mate prepares it.

However I personally prefer using a small tea glass than a gourd since I like the mate's green colour.

 

[MetroStyles]

So how exactly is this different than coffee?

 

[Hany]

It's a sort of tea more than anything.

 

[Spencer Young]

It has a smokier, vegetative, almost leathery taste, relative to tea. I'd perhaps say that mate is to black/oolong tea as scotch is to brandy or rum. I think it's worth a try, either using a gourd or other extraction methods. Not much else like it.

 

[bengron]

Ive been drinking it a different way recently. Instead of raising the water level a bit every time I refill it, I immediately fill the gourd completely full of water. After the MatÃ

is saturated I fill it to the top again and start drinking. I keep filling it to the top with evey refill after this. Ive been taking very big sips recently, and if the water level is so low to begin with, the first sip (which is always the best) is way too short.

I know this is blasphemy, but I prefer this method. I can take very long, flavorful sips in the beginning this way.

 

[MetroStyles]

Yeah but what is the real reason to drink it, other than taste? Energy? So it's like coffee or grean tea.

 

[willpower]

Bought a bag today at Whole Foods. They had the gourd and straw for sale - $35. Gonna pass on that unless the stuff is unbearably yummy or provides a spectacular buzzzzzz.

 

[bengron]

well its an aquired taste. I didnt like it at first, but now I cant get enough of it.

 

[dingurupa]

Originally Posted by MetroStyles

Yeah but what is the real reason to drink it, other than taste? Energy? So it's like coffee or grean tea.

It has a ton of antioxidants and it gives you a nice clean boost. For those that get jittery with coffee, it's a great alternative.

 

[Kris]

It's the ******* Folgers of Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and southern (*****) Brasil. Sophomoric American twenty-somethings are constantly "discovering" it and touting it as some mystical, miracle beverage that only really worldly people such as themselves know about. Consequently, it's usually ridiculously overpriced in the States.

Yeah, it's good. I've been drinking it almost everyday for the last 25 years. And my teeth ain't too pretty. And it doesnt matter if you use a gourd or a mug or whatever. There are different ways to drink it all over the regions it comes from, and you can make up your own ******* Nebraska version or whatever. Get over it.

 

[em36]

Wow, lots of hate towards our southern neighbors. What happened, did some hot Uruguayan/Brazilian/Argentine chicks not give someone the light of day?

Canarias is the best.

 

[cldpsu]

Originally Posted by pnin22

Yerba Mate is a "laziness cure"!? Are you kidding? Have you ever *been* to countries where it is heavily consumed, like Uruguay? Those people are lazy as ****!

Andate a cagar!!

 

[cldpsu]

Originally Posted by Kris

It's the ******* Folgers of Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and southern (*****) Brasil. Sophomoric American twenty-somethings are constantly "discovering" it and touting it as some mystical, miracle beverage that only really worldly people such as themselves know about. Consequently, it's usually ridiculously overpriced in the States. Yeah, it's good. I've been drinking it almost everyday for the last 25 years. And my teeth ain't too pretty. And it doesnt matter if you use a gourd or a mug or whatever. There are different ways to drink it all over the regions it comes from, and you can make up your own ******* Nebraska version or whatever. Get over it.
^This is great. I wonder what you're like during rush hour.