Yerba Mate tea
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a.twiddler
Veteran
Not a tea drinker myself but I imagine there's the same division between those who favour the ritual of kettle, teapot with loose tea then strainer and best china (and another between those who want milk in first, last, or not at all) versus the chipped mug, kettle and teabag enthusiasts.
Seems that there's a lot more ritual to traditional Yerba Mate served in a gourd with strainer straw, compared with ordinary tea, let alone the Yerba Mate teabag and modern cup users. Perhaps for expats from South American countries the traditional way could be a link to home, and even that might vary depending on where in South America you come from, using finer or coarser mixes. Plenty of scope for the middle classes of other countries to take it up if it became locally fashionable, too, as well as travellers or workers from countries with Spanish or Portuguese -speaking links.
I know plenty of tea drinkers, but nobody who drinks Yerba Mate.
I used to know plenty of smokers, not so many now, but there was still that ritual with those who enjoyed the anticipation of preparing a roll up (with or without a filter) and those who just wanted to grab a fag out of a packet and stuff it in their face for instant gratification. The chap next door still smokes a pipe, though he gets banished outside to smoke it. I imagine the careful packing and tamping of the tobacco gets done indoors.
Many people find the preparation and paraphernalia as important as the end product in many aspects of life, others don't. One of the many mysteries of the human condition.
Seems that there's a lot more ritual to traditional Yerba Mate served in a gourd with strainer straw, compared with ordinary tea, let alone the Yerba Mate teabag and modern cup users. Perhaps for expats from South American countries the traditional way could be a link to home, and even that might vary depending on where in South America you come from, using finer or coarser mixes. Plenty of scope for the middle classes of other countries to take it up if it became locally fashionable, too, as well as travellers or workers from countries with Spanish or Portuguese -speaking links.
I know plenty of tea drinkers, but nobody who drinks Yerba Mate.
I used to know plenty of smokers, not so many now, but there was still that ritual with those who enjoyed the anticipation of preparing a roll up (with or without a filter) and those who just wanted to grab a fag out of a packet and stuff it in their face for instant gratification. The chap next door still smokes a pipe, though he gets banished outside to smoke it. I imagine the careful packing and tamping of the tobacco gets done indoors.
Many people find the preparation and paraphernalia as important as the end product in many aspects of life, others don't. One of the many mysteries of the human condition.
Time Waster
Veteran
Yerba mate is an infusion with a bit of ritual and tradition but it's not quite like tea. For example the more stick bits in it the better it is I believe. Then you make it a certain way. Cold water first, poured on it down the side so you don't wet the yerba mate out. Then hot water also poured down the side. The idea is to have most of out floating on the surface. You then drink with the bombilla, metal filter straw.
Then when the water gets to about 25% full you add more hot water by n pouring it down the side. Gradually the yerba mate wets out but you're kind of not getting the full hit in one. I'm not sure yerba mate in bags would quite be the same. My advice is go traditional.
As to what it offers, well I'm a caffeine fiend who used to have a continuous cup of coffee on the go at work. I got into yerba mate instead and had one cup and a flask of hot water all day. The best thing was it kept me more alert and productive than coffee ever did. It is a stimulant like caffeine but not the same big hit and down later. It seemed longer lasting to me. I used to flag a bit about 3pm but not with yerba mate.
Then when the water gets to about 25% full you add more hot water by n pouring it down the side. Gradually the yerba mate wets out but you're kind of not getting the full hit in one. I'm not sure yerba mate in bags would quite be the same. My advice is go traditional.
As to what it offers, well I'm a caffeine fiend who used to have a continuous cup of coffee on the go at work. I got into yerba mate instead and had one cup and a flask of hot water all day. The best thing was it kept me more alert and productive than coffee ever did. It is a stimulant like caffeine but not the same big hit and down later. It seemed longer lasting to me. I used to flag a bit about 3pm but not with yerba mate.
Like many other things, there are some folk who get very hot under the collar about the 'right way' to serve tea, coffee and do a host of other things 'properly'.
I recently bought a cafetiere and was interested to note the right way of using one to avoid spoiling the taste of the coffee.
Rather different to the way we served them up in the hotel industry when there was a craze for them in the late 80s / early 90s - !
I recently bought a cafetiere and was interested to note the right way of using one to avoid spoiling the taste of the coffee.
Rather different to the way we served them up in the hotel industry when there was a craze for them in the late 80s / early 90s - !
Time Waster
Veteran
With yerba mate there's a whole tradition of sharing the gourd, but not giving anyone the first brew known as the fool's drink I believe. However the cup with straw and careful adding of the water has a point to it, to infuse slowly and steadily through repeated top ups. It's an almost all day drink from one dose. In this way it's different from pretty much all infusions.
You want to try an aeropress. I read a guardian article about it and the journalist used it like a French press until he interviewed it's inventor who told him how to use it. No idea why because it's in the instructions to add the water then immediately press down the plunger. If you're a coffee fan imho the aeropress makes coffee without the bitterness you can get from other means of making it.
You want to try an aeropress. I read a guardian article about it and the journalist used it like a French press until he interviewed it's inventor who told him how to use it. No idea why because it's in the instructions to add the water then immediately press down the plunger. If you're a coffee fan imho the aeropress makes coffee without the bitterness you can get from other means of making it.
