There are 2 main ways to prepare yerba mate tea - the modern way and the traditional way. The first, which is kind of obvious, is to take a tea bag and stick it in a cup of hot water same as you would with regular tea. Let it steep for a couple minutes until desired strength and then add sugar and milk to taste. If you're using ground yerba mate, you can use it the same as you would regular coffee by using a coffee maker.
The second way is the traditional method and works the best to soak the nutrients out of the leaf. You will need a gourd and a bombilla - or straw. The gourd can really be anything that works like a cup but the traditional gourd is hollowed out and decorated. The bombilla sipper is a straw usually made of wood or metal with holes at the bottom for straining the liquid.
Fill the mate gourd 2/3's full. Tilt the gourd on an angle and give it a little shake to let the grinds lean on the side. With the little hollow you've formed, add a little bit of cold water - not much, just enough to moisten it. Leave the gourd on the angle for a few minutes until the water has soaked in. The yerba mate grinds will stay packed against the side of the gourd this way.
Sit the gourd flat again and insert your bombilla. Add enough hot water into the hollowed area to go just below the top of the yerba mate. That's it!
Sip on the yerba mate tea until the gourd is empty. The first drink will be strong but that's the best part. Continue refilling and drinking until there's no taste left in the yerba mate. Once it's gone, go back to step one and start again!
There are 2 main ways to prepare yerba mate tea - the modern way and the traditional way. The first, which is kind of obvious, is to take a tea bag and stick it in a cup of hot water same as you would with regular tea. Let it steep for a couple minutes until desired strength and then add sugar and milk to taste. If you're using ground yerba mate, you can use it the same as you would regular coffee by using a coffee maker.
Fill the mate gourd 2/3's full. Tilt the gourd on an angle and give it a little shake to let the grinds lean on the side. With the little hollow you've formed, add a little bit of cold water - not much, just enough to moisten it. Leave the gourd on the angle for a few minutes until the water has soaked in. The yerba mate grinds will stay packed against the side of the gourd this way.
Sip on the yerba mate tea until the gourd is empty. The first drink will be strong but that's the best part. Continue refilling and drinking until there's no taste left in the yerba mate. Once it's gone, go back to step one and start again!