It was 20010 when I was first handed a small gourd lined with a metal rim and offered to share a sip of tea using a metal straw. It was a mimic of a communal ceremony from Argentina, now adopted by the local Argentine Tango dance community in San Diego, passing a cup of Yerba Mate tea around a circle of friends, refilling it with hot water when the small bowl ran out.
Not long after that, (yes, trying to fit in of course) I bought my own painted gourd and tried to suck down the tea that was exceptionally green in flavor. Perhaps I used too much, but much like Green Tea, it seemed to dry my mouth and remind me too much of grass. It didn’t take long before my gourd became moldy from lack of care, I chucked the Yerba Mate tea in the bin, and my metal straws, the ends in various designs to filter out the leaves, have sat in my kitchen drawer for the last ten years.
Fortunately, I was saved by the discovery of a Roasted variety. However, as a former coffee addict, it still took me at least a year to perfect my methods into the perfect alternative to crack-pot-coffee.
The result is a coffee alternative that is earthy with nutty and chocolate tones. Even after a strong cup, which I steep and refill twice using the same batch, it doesn’t leave me feeling jittery or battling an afternoon crash. And not only is Yerba Mate filled with more nutrients and minerals than coffee, it is also alkaline rather than the acidic. My husband swears that the morning bowel movement is better as well.
When I brew the tea using a simple pour-over method, it really does look exactly like coffee, the same black hue; and then adding a milk or milk substitute, the delightfully creamy brown which looks like a version of an Americano that adore. To be fair, it lacks some of the oily texture of coffee, but I make up for it by using cream with a higher fat content.
In the past, I’ve used coconut milk, hemp, oats, and various versions of cream. While I’ve preferred them all at different stages of my journey, I currently enjoy a cream with 32% fat, mostly because that is what we currently keep in our fridge for coffee. I’ve even tried adding MCT powder with a pretty delicious result.
When I found a large loose-tea strainer that I liked (from Teavana), I bought about eight of them so that I would never (hopefully) run out. Since then, I can’t find it on Amazon anymore, but there is a comparable set here. I highly recommend buying at least two so that one can be in the washer while the other ready to use. I personally have at least four that I rotate through. I point is to have a strainer large enough to produce a thicker consistency of flavor.
When I’m in a rush, I’ll sometimes drink only one cup, but I’ve come to enjoy leaving the tea kettle on during my first cup, then coming back to refill once more. It only takes a few seconds of dipping the strainer in the cup of hot water, perhaps only twice the amount of contact time as pour-over coffee, to produce the deep dark color. Then I let it steep for longer on the second cup.
While my favorite Roasted Mate is the MateFactor above, where I often go directly to their site to purchase a couple 4 lb bags in bulk, I’ve had to purchase something more local while living in Germany.
Available on Amazon.de
Waunder 