Wikipedia.com has a large article about mate, but it is a description of my own. Looking at the photo 1 I’ve attached, it is a tipic Argentine Mate. The bulb is made of "calabacita" (Small pumpkin), although it can be metallic (aluminium), wood, glass, and now, plastic.. The metal tube is called "bombilla". Inside the calabaza, we put "yerba mate" photo 2 (A blend of a tree leaf), and then a small quantity of sugar. A "pava" (kettle), figure 3 containing not so hot water (70°C) in is then used to add small amount of this hot water inside, solving parts of the yerba, and then you drink this juice sucking by the bombilla. A tipic Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazilian drink. Sometimes it is added a bit of orange shell dried, coffee, tea, anise, "peperina", or other herbal tastes, although purists of mate hold that mate is filled only with yerba mate and no more one thing. My personal taste is with leaf of rua.
I drink it alone, but it is common usage to get a “rueda”(wheel) in which one guy is the “sebador” (who fills the mate with water, and each 5 or 6 times replace part of yerba when it is “lavada” (exhausted), and the mate itself is carried from hand to hand to reach the person who has the turn to drink it. When empty, the mate is come back to sebador who continues the cycle to other people. A cricism of this is that way, viruses and bacteria can be passed though the bombilla between persons, but ussualy the ruera is integrated by familiar persons or friends.
As I’m ham radio, we call mate “Matienso”, “Whisky verde” (green whiskey), “Mateo yerbal”, etc.
I drink it alone, but it is common usage to get a “rueda”(wheel) in which one guy is the “sebador” (who fills the mate with water, and each 5 or 6 times replace part of yerba when it is “lavada” (exhausted), and the mate itself is carried from hand to hand to reach the person who has the turn to drink it. When empty, the mate is come back to sebador who continues the cycle to other people. A cricism of this is that way, viruses and bacteria can be passed though the bombilla between persons, but ussualy the ruera is integrated by familiar persons or friends.
As I’m ham radio, we call mate “Matienso”, “Whisky verde” (green whiskey), “Mateo yerbal”, etc.
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I can stand the situation when there is no wine (or there is only cheap bad wine that is better to avoid), but to me, no meal is complete without a final coffee cup. Italian style , ristretto, is what I mean..
By the way, I very much like Mate too, but I prefer the modest "Aguantadora" brand , and rigurously no sugar in
Cheers
J.
By the way, I very much like Mate too, but I prefer the modest "Aguantadora" brand , and rigurously no sugar in
Cheers
J.
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I'm a coffee lover really, but I have stomache problems and it can be a bit too acidic for me at times, which is why I decided to try mate (supposedly good for digestive tract).
Yes, I love a good espresso but have to limit myself as mentioned above.
It's definitely different. My American palate would describe it as a mix of green tea and hay. There are many different kinds of mate and the kind I use has a lot less of the "hay" flavor than some others.
I prefer the Paraguayan method of drinking mate with ice water out of a custom engraved bull horn, called tereré.
Also, mate cocido is a good variation. Here you take a hot coal out of the fireplace and burn some sugar in the bottom of a cup before putting in the herba. This is old school from el campo. A lot of the kids never heard of it.
Also, mate cocido is a good variation. Here you take a hot coal out of the fireplace and burn some sugar in the bottom of a cup before putting in the herba. This is old school from el campo. A lot of the kids never heard of it.
Yes, similar I guess.... but I ruin it with lots of milk and sugar.
The biggest difference is the type of mate I use is similar to CTC tea, if you are familiar with that. CTC (cut, tear, curl) is a processing method that makes very small granular balls from the leaf. When I use this style of mate in an espresso machine I end up with a very strong brew (which I like).
You can see in the pic how strong the "shot" of mate is, it's almost as dark as coffee. Next to it I put some of the mate so you can see what it looks like.
EDIT: Added a pic of the finished "mate latte".
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Cool! Thanks for the tip on Guayaki Gaucho Fuerte! It is available at my local markets, according to Guayaki's website.
Strongest stuff I could find around here is Cruz de Malta brand but I didn't think of trying the upscale food markets which is where Guayaki is sold.
I think I will have to go with the typical gourd and bombilla, although "mate expresso" sounds worth a try.
Strongest stuff I could find around here is Cruz de Malta brand but I didn't think of trying the upscale food markets which is where Guayaki is sold.
I think I will have to go with the typical gourd and bombilla, although "mate expresso" sounds worth a try.
The traditional mate cocido proportion against water, is similar to the one for tea,
You , instead, seems to prepare a coffe-like proportion. But the milk part is not a deviation. Yesteryear grandmas , and the army , used to give to the boys this way, for breakfast.
"Astrobucks Mate Espresso" you can start a business over there, with this idea...
You , instead, seems to prepare a coffe-like proportion. But the milk part is not a deviation. Yesteryear grandmas , and the army , used to give to the boys this way, for breakfast.
"Astrobucks Mate Espresso" you can start a business over there, with this idea...
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