The days are getting longer and warmer. As I work up a sweat in the garden, or play outside with my family in the lingering dusk, I start to get excited for tereré.
Tereré (say tay-ray-ray) is an iced yerba mate tea from Paraguay. It's refreshing, invigorating, and delicious. Best of all, unlike regular iced tea which takes hours to make, you can make tereré in a minute.
Here's the gear you need:
- A pitcher or wide-mouthed thermos
- A bombilla
- A small glass or metal cup
And here are the ingredients:
- Loose yerba mate
- A fresh lime or lemon
- Sweetener
- Ice
- First, fill your small cup with loose yerba mate.
- Next, insert your bombilla filter-end-down into the cup, all the way to the bottom.
- Now put the cup aside for a moment.
- Fill the pitcher with ice.
- Squeeze in a fresh lime or two.
- Fill the pitcher with fresh water.
- Finally, stir in some of your favorite sweetener to taste.
That's it! Easy peasy. Pour little sips from the pitcher into the cup, then sip until it gurgles. Pass it around in a circle with your friends, just like hot mate.
(In case you're wondering, you don't need hot water to extract caffeine or nutrition from the herb. The cold water will slowly extract yerba mate's goodness with repeated pours.)
Do you have your own favorite tereré recipe? Like to use soda water for a bit of fizz? Like to use orange juice, crushed raspberries, or pear juice instead of lime? Let us know in the comments thread below.
Yerba Mate + Cinnamon + Cacao
Feeling snoozy with the sudden loss of daylight? Missing those warm days by the riverside? Here's a little something to warm your bones. Use a heaping tablespoon of raw cacao powder and a dash of cinnamon. Sprinkle them onto the loose yerba mate in your French press, or add them right to your mug if you're using a bombilla. Cacao and Yerba Mate go together like a happy old couple that's still in love.
Yerba Mate + Tulsi + Peppermint
Holy Mate! We liked this combo so much that we made it into a product. The tulsi supports your adrenals and strengthens your immune system. The peppermint adds a refreshing brightness. Drink it after lunch, after a night of dancing, or anytime you need a balanced boost.
Yerba Mate + Hibiscus + Lemongrass
Uh Oh. Starting to feel a little beleaguered? You're not sick yet, but you can feel it coming on. You need some bioavailable vitamin C and you need it fast. Don't take a handful of pills from that bottle in the back of your cupboard. Just brew some lemongrass and hibiscus into your morning yerba mate. Brew it strong and dark as red wine in moonlight.
Yerba Mate + Lemon + Ginger
It happens to everyone once in a while. You've been working hard, getting things done. You left the window open last night because you love the cricket song. Now your throat is dry and scratchy. Your limbs ache. You can't quite seem to get warm. Dice a pinkie-sized chunk of fresh ginger into a pot of boiling water. Squeeze in a whole, fresh lemon. Use this water to brew your mate. Put on some slippers and your favorite fluffy hat. Take the morning off.
Incidentally, here's a great deal on some great yerba mate...
Not all loose yerba mate looks the same. There's a wide range of varieties out there, from emerald-green Brazilian yerba mate to tawny, smoky Paraguayan yerba mate.
All Yerba Mate Starts out Looking Like This!
Let's put aside questions of drying and aging methods for a moment, which determine a yerba mate's color and aroma, as we consider the types of yerba mate "cuts" that are available.
In our warehouse in southern Oregon, we keep three different yerba mate cuts in stock. The first variety is a finely milled pure-leaf cut that we use for manufacturing tea bags. Our Tea Bag Cut brews fast and strong, which makes it ideal for use in our Pure Yerba Mate and Holy Mate! Tea Bags. This blend is not available to individual consumers, but you can shoot us an email at info@yerbamate.com if you're a manufacturer seeking supply.
Pure Leaf Yerba Mate is a Great Choice for the Coffee Maker
The second cut we keep in stock is our signature Pure Leaf Cut that you will find in our Pure Leaf One-Pounders and Five Pounders. A Pure Leaf Cut has little to no stem in it, and very little powder as well. Pure Leaf Yerba Mate is a nice choice when you're brewing yerba mate in a French Press, espresso machine, or coffee percolator. It's easy to work with, and it makes a strong, bright cup of mate.
Finally, check out our Leaf/Stem Yerba Mate, which I prefer whenever I am making a traditional mate or terere. Also known as Yerba Mate Con Palo (Spanish for "Yerba Mate With Stem"), Traditional Whole Plant Yerba Mate contains stem and powder as well as leaf. Its flavor is milder (suave in Spanish) than Pure Leaf Yerba Mate. The stems add a subtle roundness to the flavor, while the powder lends a frothiness that some people compare to Japanese matcha tea.
Choose a Whole Plant Cut when Drinking Mate Traditional-Style
Whole Plant Yerba Mate contains about 85% the caffeine of Pure Leaf Yerba Mate, but Whole Plant is actually higher in antioxidants. Because Whole Plant Yerba Mate uses more of the harvest, it is more ecological as well as economical. Compare prices here!
Yerba mate makes me happy. I love the way yerba mate smells and tastes. I love the way it feels.
Sometimes, when I'm getting into bed at night, I get excited because I know that I will soon be drinking yerba mate when I wake. As this wave of anticipation hits me, I actually smell yerba mate in my imagination, the way I sometimes smell the pine trees in a mountain range I climbed long ago, or the way I smell a lost beloved in a stranger's fragrant perfume.
Speaking of nostalgia, I sometimes wish I were back in college. Not only because then I could shamelessly spend my afternoons reading books under a sugar maple. If I were back in college, and I needed to study for a test or write a paper, I could pack myself a gourd, and I wouldn't have to wait til morning.
And so, in honor of college kids everywhere, we are offering a sale on yerba mate starter kits here. Ends on Monday night, so grab one while you can!
When you realize you forgot to pack a butter knife on your trip to Castle Crags, do not use your bombilla to spread almond butter on flatbread.
Your bombilla is only to be used for enjoying yerba mate. (and other tea too)
Do not use your bombilla as a screwdriver. It is not a Swiss army knife.
Your bombilla is only to be used for enjoying yerba mate. (and other tea too)
When you get a flat tire and you need to patch your tube and it's raining and almost dark, do not use your bombilla as a tire iron.
Your bombilla is only to be used for enjoying yerba mate. (and other tea too)
Do not use your bombilla as a makeshift pipe on a road trip in the Central Valley. Unless you are very careful, you will end up with a mouthful of flaming herb.
Your bombilla is only to be used for drinking yerba mate. (and other tea too)
Drink hot yerba mate with ginger and cinnamon.
Drink iced yerba mate with honey and lime.
Share yerba mate with your husband, your brother, your friend.
Keep a mug of yerba mate nearby while you work, and add fresh water whenever you need inspiration.
Keep a bombilla in your glove box, your bike bag, your backpack, your silverware drawer.
It's a metal straw. With a filter on the bottom. For drinking tea. How cool is that?
Do not borrow your friend's bombilla. Buy one here instead.
To make this spicy, warming, velvety beverage, you will need:
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