How To Prepare traditional Yerba Mate
Food • Beverages
Traditional preparation of Yerba Mate tea.
Usually, fill up the mate again and again going through the whole thermo. By that time you might have to reload your mate due to the yerba going lavado (flat tasting). Add various herbs such as: ginger, stevia, chamomile, etc. Sweeten with raw cane, honey, or agave nectar for mate dulce. I prefer it plain, amargo (bitter). Peace&Grace.
Post Script: Canarias is from Uruguay but it is said to be "Brazil's number one selling". Thanks everyone for correcting me!
Just a few tips on your mate preparation, that is, if you want to make it 'as traditionally as possible', as you say - of course all that matters in the end is your personal taste.
First, Argentinian or Uruguayan yerba are usually better than Brazilian (I'm Brazilian, and I prefer the others). Most people prefer yerba with stems and with bigger leaves, not powdery. If you use this yerba you don't need to make the little 'mountain' on the side.
Second, don't boil the water. That's practically a dogma among 'materos'. If you boil it the mate washes out quickly, you get a very strong caffeine high straight away, but the mate doesn't last. This is especially important if you're sharing it with more people, so that everyone gets a tasty and strong mate, or if you want to drink it for a longer time, while u work or study, for example.
