Today, Brazil is the largest producer of the herb, followed by Argentina and Paraguay. While the original gourds were small bowls or cups made from hollow, dried-out squash, modern day gourds may be made out of metal, ceramic or wood.
Cold water is then poured into the gourd a little at a time so it has time to absorb into the herbs and prepare them for the infusion. Hot water or sometimes cold, but never boiling is then poured over the herbs to fill the gourd. The herbs infuse into the water to produce a tea-like beverage. The infused yerba mate herbs are not strained out from the water as with tea or coffee.
The bombilla acts as both a straw and a sieve, so the liquid can be sipped while the herb bits are left in the gourd. Traditionally, yerba mate is prepared in one gourd that is shared; this is part of the social and cultural experience of drinking yerba mate. Each guest sips down a gourd of mate and returns it to the cebador to prepare another for the next guest in the circle. This is a traditional ritual of friendship and hospitality.
While gourd preparation is still the preferred way to drink yerba mate in South America, modern day methods work as well. Many companies marketing yerba mate as an herbal tea sell it in pre-packaged tea bags and as a loose leaf herb. Yerba mate can be steeped similar to a traditional tea in a tea cup, teapot, French press or coffee maker. Pyramid teabags allow extra space for the yerba mate herb to infuse with hot water, so you end up with a more flavorful brew.
And a single pyramid bag can even be steeped two to three times. While mate is infused into various cultures across the continent of South America, the tradition of sipping yerba mate can be different by country.
Each has its own culture around preparing and sipping yerba mate. Yerba mate is often described as earthy, vegetal, herbaceous and bittersweet. Imagine a fresh rainforest floor and you can likely picture the flavor of yerba mate.
But the flavor of yerba mate can vary subtly based on growing regions, cultivation practices and brewing techniques. Many styles of yerba mate contain tender stems and branches from the tree, which can impart a woodsy flavor to the tea. If the plant is harvested late, it can be higher in tannins than a young plant, which can yield a more astringent and bitter herb.
Some producers roast the leaves and twigs for a toasted flavor. Others age the harvested herb in wood containers to impart even more layers of forest-like flavor. The small green leaves give way to scents of fresh grass, wood and bark. And it brews into a soft, golden yellow liquor with a medium-bodied, toasted and earthy flavor. He adds that effects seen in lab dishes and animals rarely hold up in human clinical trials.
In fact, human studies so far have sounded a note of caution for avid mate drinkers. A review of all existing studies on yerba mate, published in the journal Head and Neck, confirmed that people who regularly drink large amounts of the tea -- as much as a liter or more each day -- had significantly increased risk of cancers of the esophagus, lungs, mouth, pharynx and larynx. Another Uruguayan study, published in the same journal in , found that in a group of about adults, mate drinking tripled the risk of esophageal cancer.
De Mejia warns against taking such studies as conclusive. She says that not all the studies were well designed and did not rule out the possibility that contaminants introduced during processing -- not yerba mate -- were behind the apparent increase in cancer risk.
Yeung says that the amount of mate consumed also appears to plays a role. The Guarani Indians used two systems to do the secado. The smoking process has come under a lot of scrutiny lately, as there have been claims stating that it could potentially cause mouth cancer when consumed on a daily basis. Moreover, most yerba products are unsmoked. The next step is to cut the dehydrated leaves.
Traditionally this was done by using machetes and and heavy wooden mills, but the process has since been automated. Canchada is the name given to yerba mate that has just undergone this process.
Beneficio, also known as ageing, is one of the most important steps of yerba mate processing. The Beneficio process takes a minimum of 6 months, but can sometimes even last for up to 24 months. The longer the time the less bitter the flavor. The colour also changes during ageing from a deep bright green to a pale green. The final step is the milling. Through a sifting process done by specialised machinery the aged yerba is separated from its content of twigs, leaves and sticks or stems.
The yerba is then blended in the proper proportions of each brand. Some may have more sticks, leaves or powder than others. The larger the amount of leaves, the stronger the mate will taste. Before you start making your first mate, you need to cure your gourd.
Curing your calabash gourd will help you get rid of the soft membrane that can be found inside every new gourd and could impart bitter taste to your mate. The traditional curing requires you to fill your gourd with Yerba Mate and wait for at least 24 hours. Then repeat the process for up to 3 times. However, we found a compromise when curing our gourds. You can read the instructions below:. Step 2 Leave it for hours so it can loosen the soft tissue and soak up all the flavour. Step 4 Rinse your gourd under warm water to get rid of all the freely floating tissue.
Step 5 Pat the insides with a paper towel or cloth to soak up as much water as you can. Quick tip: If you want your gourd to dry quicker, just use your hair dryer.
Do NOT remove or tamper with it or your gourd will leak. Making a traditional yerba mate is an art in itself! Yerba mate is all about friendship and sharing. They are traditional drinking utensils for mate and are easy to use. Besides, sharing mate tea among family and friends would be impossible without a gourd and bombilla. Which brings us to a next point—drinking traditions. Mate is all about sharing and bringing people together. Just like with green tea, there are certain rules you will need to follow if you ever find yourself drinking mate in South America.
Only one gourd and bombilla are shared among a group of people, with plenty of leaves offering multiple infusions—each for every person. Sharing is a part of the Japanese tea ceremony too where a special type of thick matcha tea is served in one bowl and shared among participants. Yerba Mate flavors can range from herbaceous to sweet and roasted, depending on the type. Green tea can be slightly astringent, often light, delicate and vegetal.
Mate, depending on the oxidation level and production method, will have a different flavor too. Powdered type can get easily bitter, while loose leaf will have a lighter flavor without bitterness. Roasted type is the least bitter, with rich, fragrant and earthy flavor.
Mate tea is hypocholesterolemic, hepatoprotective, central nervous system stimulant, a diuretic and an antioxidant. The benefits look similar to the ones of green tea. They include anti inflammatory properties, a potential to destroy cancer cells, antiarthritic, antibacterial, anti-aging, anti-obesity, anti oxidative and antiviral properties.
Both green tea and mate contain polyphenols, theobromine and caffeine, beneficial when ingested responsibly. Green tea contains EGCg, potent catechin available abundantly only in Camellia sinesis. Primary antioxidant in Yerba Mate is chlorogenic acid, also found in green coffee beans, popularly used for weight loss and managing blood pressure. Other compounds in Yerba Mate are amino acids, minerals lead, iron, and calcium and vitamins C, B1, and B2.
Research showed that mate tea might have a slightly higher polyphenol concentration than green tea, thus having a bit higher antioxidant capacity [6]. How many of the beneficial compounds will end up in your cup will depend on many factors—from the varietal to terroir and production process, to storing conditions and brewing method.
0コメント