Tea preparation

How to prepare mate and enjoy its many benefits*?

Publish on 09.20.2024 by Les Jardins de Gaïa

Some well-known top athletes swear by mate to stay in shape and recover after exercise. This emblematic drink of Latin American culture is a concentrate of benefits. While there's something fun and pleasant about enjoying it traditionally in a calabash with a bombilla, this plant from the holly family can also be easily brewed in a teapot. Follow the guide, we'll tell you all about mate and how to prepare it!

Stimulating, draining, yerba maté infusion combines virtues

Also known as "Paraguay tea", mate comes from the leaves of the yerba mate tree, a South American species. This tree, which can grow up to 15 metres tall, thrives in the hot, humid forests of Paraguay, southern Brazil and Argentina. Botanically known as Ilex paraguariensis, yerba maté is a member of the same genus as the common holly of our lands.

In Latin America, it is obtained by infusing yerba mate leaves, and is an integral part of the daily diet. It is especially appreciated for its energizing qualities and its natural richness in vitamins and minerals. Consumed throughout the day, it takes on a convivial dimension when shared with family or friends following a well-established ritual.

At work or at play, how do you keep your energy up in all circumstances?

With mate, of course, whose stimulating properties are mainly due to the presence of caffeine which, combined with the plant's other chemical components, including theobromine, acts much more gently and consistently than coffee. It is therefore an interesting alternative to coffee for avoiding daytime fatigue and maintaining energy and concentration during long sports or work sessions.

Does mate help to eliminate?

The answer is yes, because the other interesting aspect of this infusion is its ability to stimulate kidney functions and prevent water retention in the body. Its draining virtues make it an excellent ally for eliminating and maintaining a slim figure.

Can we vary tastes and pleasures while retaining the benefits of this South American plant?

We've come up with four variations! For novices unaccustomed to the slightly bitter flavours of our plain green Maté, our flavoured or perfumed Matés are a good introduction and can, why not, be complemented by a dash of agave syrup or a little honey..

If you're a fan of fruity infusions, you might like to try our Maté fruité, with its delicious citrus notes, or our Maté fruits rouges, whose recipe we've revised with a particularly aromatic trio of strawberry, raspberry and blueberry. Both these homemade creations retain the stimulating and draining benefits of the natural infusion.

At the end of a meal, our Maté aux épices, with its minty, aniseed flavour, and our Maté digest, with its minty, liquorice flavour, will seduce you with their pleasant sensation of freshness on the palate. In addition to draining and stimulating, these two infusions aid digestion. Perfect for enjoying at the table and keeping your figure!

How to prepare mate the traditional way?

The charm of the bombilla and calabash for a little daily ritual

To enjoy mate in the traditional way, two accessories are essential: the mate pot, also known as a calabash, and the bombilla, a stainless steel or bamboo pipette for drinking the infusion while filtering the leaves.

Should I prepare my new calabash before using it for the first time?

If you've just bought a new maté pot, it's essential to first curry it for 2 days. This step, similar to basting a clay teapot with tea, involves preparing your calabash for infusion to improve its taste.

To do this, fill your maté pot ¾ full, then pour in hot water to the brim. Leave to stand for 48 hours, topping up when the water no longer reaches the rim. Empty the calabash and, using a small spoon, gently scrape off any impurities from the sides. Your calabash is now ready for use!

How do I prepare mate?

Step 1: Fill your maté pot ¾ full with green maté. Place the palm of your hand over the opening and turn it over several times so that the fine maté particles rise to the surface and don't clog the bombilla.

Step 2: Gently tilt the calabash so that the mate leaves form a heap on one side, and place the bombilla on the empty side. Once installed, the pipette remains in place. The pipette is not used for mixing the mate, but only for drinking while filtering the infusion.

Step 3: Pour cold water into the hollow part up to the halfway point. The leaves begin to swell and hydrate.

Step 4: Pour simmering water (95°C), still around the bombilla from the bottom up to ¾ of the way up, taking care to leave some dry leaves, and drink this first infusion, which will be the most bitter compared to the following ones.

Step 5: You can repeat the operation as many times as the infusion tastes good. As the infusion progresses, the top leaves infuse in turn. The touch of bitterness (typical of the presence of caffeine) fades, giving way to softer, vegetal flavors with notes of light tobacco.

Traditionally, the person preparing the mate takes care to fill it and pass it from hand to hand, with each guest drinking from the same container with the same bombilla. Prepared in this way, the same maté can be used for a dozen or more infusions, until it no longer has any taste.

Step 6: To clean your calabash, empty the maté (into compost, if possible), rinse it with lukewarm water and leave it to dry. The same goes for the bombilla.

The drying stage is important, as the dried, hollowed-out calabash from a cucurbit can, if left damp, crack or mildew, affecting the taste of your infusions. Its porous material retains some of the aromas, so it's best to infuse only plain mate or a single family of flavored mate.

Can mate be prepared in a traditional teapot?

Rest assured, it is possible! If you don't want to invest in traditional accessories, all matés can also be prepared in a mug or teapot.

In this case, we recommend a dosage of 2 grams / 25 cl with water at 95°C and an infusion time of 5 minutes. It can be re-infused several times by adding water to the teapot throughout the day. It will lose its bitterness with each successive infusion. For a less bitter infusion right from the start, you can lower the water temperature to 80°C.

Maté digest in Mocktail, a recipe that's as delicious as it is stimulating!

Following in the footsteps of the Mapuche people of southern Chile, where mate is often enjoyed with medicinal plants, Maté digest combines mate, nana mint and liquorice. A zest of freshness, roundness and particularly welcome virtues at the end of a meal (digestive for mint and draining for mate*).

Recipe steps:

Take 3 tablespoons of Maté Digest for 1/2 liter of simmering water (95°C). Leave to infuse for 5 minutes, then strain.
Pour into a jug filled with ice cubes and add 1/3 organic lemonade with agave syrup.
Add lemon slices or fresh mint leaves as desired!

WFTO Fair Trade certified mate from small producers

Like many of our teas, our mate comes from a cooperative of small-scale producers. The Coopaflora cooperative, founded in 2004 in southern Brazil, processes and markets the organic mate and herbal products of small-scale producers in Turvo, in the state of Parana. Mate is harvested in the wild from protected plots in the heart of the Atlantic forest.

The small-scale growers practice sustainable agroforestry management and promote biodiversity in this precious forest, of which only 10% of the original area remains today. Training in agroecology, promoting the value of women's work, preserving traditional crops and ensuring food security for families are all part of Coopaflora's mission, and its long-term action is designed to resist pressure from large industrial landowners. The cooperative has recently been awarded the WFTO label (https://wfto.com/).

*To take full advantage of mate's virtues, we recommend adopting a healthy lifestyle and a varied, balanced diet. Respect the recommended daily consumption and take into account the average nutritional information per 100 ml indicated on the pack.

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