How to brew mate correctly?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Judging by the reviews, for many consumers, tea is an ordinary prosaic and uninteresting drink. The reason for this attitude is that we drink it almost every day. Besides, we cook it wrong. The attention of consumers is mainly represented by a surrogate and instant tea drinks in sealed bags. According to experts, in fact, exotic tea is not limited to black, green, hibiscus and green with jasmine. There are also various natural herbal drinks with herbs and spices. For example, some beginners are interested in how to brew mate tea correctly? Of course, it is not inferior to many other drinks, but it is not offered everywhere in every cafe or store. In general, this drink is not for everybody. You will learn how to brew mate correctly from this article.

Product Introduction

Before you wonder how to brew mate, you shouldfind out what this plant is. According to experts, mate is also called the Paraguayan holly.

For the first time, holly leaves were harvested, dried and processed in Argentina. It is this country that is considered the birthplace of mate. This drink has a tart, fragrant and rather specific taste, which was appreciated not only by Argentines. Later, the tradition of brewing this drink migrated to South America. In European countries, mate began to be consumed in the era of the conquistadors. It is noteworthy that the attitude towards this tea in Europe was ambiguous. It was most popular among the colonists and sailors, who quickly became addicted to mate. This tea was perceived by the Jesuit priests as diabolical, since the ministers of the church associated it with Indian pagan rites.

About taste

Those who do not know how to brew and drink mate should be warned that the taste of this drink is rather unusual. Of course, it, like green tea, has a golden yellowish color. However, their taste qualities are very different. If mate is weakly brewed, then it can be confused with tart herbal tea. Well brewed, it has a sweet taste with bitterness and a long tart aftertaste. Judging by the numerous consumer reviews, mate can have a rather strong effect ontaste buds. As a result, after drinking this tea, you will most likely lose your appetite. This explains why those who want to lose weight are often interested in the question of how to brew mate tea. Nevertheless, if this drink is prepared according to all the rules, then it will give you all the sensations that make it popular with connoisseurs of tea culture around the world. More on this later.

About line-up

It should be noted that mate has a fairly high concentration of caffeine. However, addiction to this tea will not come, even if you use it regularly. This drink in its composition contains vitamins and trace elements, namely A, B, C, E, R. Mate is rich in large amounts of sodium, iron, potassium, chlorine, manganese and sulfur. In general, the total amount of biologically active useful substances is 196. The alkaloids contained in its composition give the drink a sweetish taste. After a chemical analysis, scientists found that mate is also rich in organic acids (nicotinic, stearic and ursulic), vanillin and rutin. Proteins and resins are present in moderation.

Which container to cook in?

Before you brew mate, get special dishes. According to experts, it is customary to cook it not in a teapot or in a cup, but in a special vessel called calabash. It comes with a special tube - bombilla. For the manufacture of classic calabash, pumpkin peel is used. Need specialvariety, namely lagenaria.

Today, speci alty stores have calabash made from a variety of materials. Experts recommend giving preference to vessels made of natural materials, namely ceramics, bone, glass or wood. In such calabash, the temperature of the liquid is best preserved. Bamboo became the material for the manufacture of the tube (bombilla), from which they drink mate. It comes with a special flat mouthpiece, equipped with a filter in the form of a strainer. Its task is to prevent blades of grass from getting into the mouth.

How much tea leaves?

How to brew mate? How much brewing will be required? Experts recommend filling 2/3 of the volume of calabash. If you want the drink to be not very strong, then pour in the tea leaves no more than three teaspoons. It can be yellow-green leaves, twigs or plant dust. Before brewing mate, the vessel should be rinsed and dried thoroughly. Only after that, dry leaves can be poured into it. For those who do not know how to brew mate in calabash, experts advise slightly tilting the vessel - the brew should lie on one of its walls. Bombilla is applied to the opposite one.

How to brew mate? First stage

Mate can be prepared using the most ordinary non-carbonated drinking water. You don't have to search for this tea.any particular source. First, a small amount of water is poured into the calabash. At this stage, use cold, hot or room temperature. Judging by the reviews, this does not matter. The main thing is that the tea leaves inside the vessel are wetted. After soaking up the mate water, it acquires the consistency of a thick, moist slurry.

Second step

Now in a separate container you need to heat the water to a temperature of 80 degrees. You can boil it first, and then cool it to the desired level. After that, fill the calabash to the top. Experts do not recommend using too hot water. The fact is that mate brewing in this case will give off tannins in larger quantities, as a result of which the brewed tea will be quite bitter. The drink is prepared within two minutes. If this process takes longer, the tea will also turn out to be very bitter.

About subsequent brewing of the drink

When your calabash is empty, you can refill it with hot water. To keep it warm, keep it in a thermos. In this case, you will not need to heat it up again, and then cool it to 80 degrees. According to experts, you can do this no more than three times. Due to the fact that most of the bitterness will leave the leaves during the first brewing, the drink will become noticeably softer during the next two and will no longer be so bitter. If you do not have calabash, then you can use the usu alteapot. How to properly brew mate in a teapot, further.

European way of cooking

This is the name of this method of brewing mate. First of all, pour tea leaves into the kettle. You will need five tablespoons per liter of water. When the leaves are inside the container, fill the kettle with water. The drink should be infused for no more than five minutes. After this time, the liquid can be poured into cups. At this stage, it is advisable to use a strainer that will filter out the blades of grass. This cooking method is considered a classic. How to brew mate in a teapot so that the drink has a slightly modified taste? In this case, experts recommend making a cold cocktail. To do this, use three tablespoons of tea leaves. The water that will be poured into the leaves should be at room temperature. The liquid will infuse for ten minutes. Before pouring tea into glasses, place mint leaves, vanilla pods, honey, or add fruit juice in containers. Judging by the numerous consumer reviews, this mate is very tasty and tonic.

How to drink?

Mate is believed to be a drink that brings people together. Therefore, the traditional way is to drink in a circle from a common calabash. In the assembled company, one person is assigned responsibility for this vessel. It is he who will ensure that the calabash is constantly filledliquid, as well as maintain the temperature of the mate. Thus, he becomes the leader and leader of the tea ceremony. He must warm the water, brew the mate, taste it (it is he who gets the most bitter part of the drink), and then pass the bombilla with the mouthpiece further around the circle. Of course, it is not forbidden to use mate alone. Judging by the reviews, many drink this drink for their own pleasure.

In closing

Those who decide to start drinking mate should be aware of the specific composition of this drink. Regular consumption of this tea can affect your physical and psycho-emotional state. It can easily relieve the symptoms of insomnia, stress, anxiety and depression. Mate is used as a tonic, tonic and immunostimulant. Many consumers notice that after a cup of tea, drowsiness and apathy disappear, it becomes easier for them to concentrate. Despite the undeniable advantages, mate is not without some drawbacks. If you drink it every day, then most likely you will significantly harm your esophagus, bladder, and even lungs. In addition, scientists argue that the appearance of pathogenic neoplasms is directly related to the use of mate.