What is mate?
While South Africa is renowned for rooibos (sometimes called “red bush”), Latin America takes pride in another native plant: yerba mate, or Ilex paraguariensis, which grows particularly in north-eastern Argentina, Paraguay and southern Brazil. History tells us that this plant was already consumed by the Guarani indigenous people, who chewed it or steeped it in their gourd of fresh water. While it originally grew wild, it was later cultivated, and its consumption spread to other Latin American countries (Chile, Uruguay, Bolivia...), before gaining enthusiasts all over the world. Today, mate is most often drunk hot, brewed in a type of gourd called a calabash. A metal tube (bombilla) serves both as a filter and a straw.
What does mate taste like?
It is difficult to answer this question. It is rather like asking what tea tastes like, when there are various types of tea (white, green, black), with flavours that vary depending on where it is grown, how it is brewed, or whether it is flavoured or unflavoured. For mate, it is much the same—different types exist. If we had to summarise its general taste, we would describe it as a slightly bitter, plant-forward flavour. Classic/traditional mate, consumed in Latin America, is drunk very bitter, whereas green mate (which has not been aged), more common in Europe, is milder, more aromatic, and sometimes features caramelised notes. How mate is prepared also plays a role in its taste. To avoid an overly bitter brew, take care not to use water that is too hot (70-80°C) and do not leave it to brew for too long.
Read also: The different tastes and flavours of mate
Can you alter the taste of mate?
As with tea, you can influence the taste by enhancing it. Depending on your personal preferences, you can add milk, honey, sugar, maple syrup, spices (cinnamon, cardamom, aniseed...), coffee beans, mint, ginger, or even citrus zest to your mate.
How to properly prepare your mate?
To properly prepare your mate in the traditional way, all you need is a calabash gourd and a bombilla. The calabash is a vessel specially designed for mate, and the bombilla is a filtering straw that allows you to drink without letting leaves through.
Here are the steps:
1. Heat water in a kettle without bringing it to the boil; the temperature should be between 70°C and 80°C.
2. Fill the calabash gourd up to ⅔ with organic mate. Mix to let the dust settle at the bottom. Ensure the leaves form a mound on one side.
3. Place the bombilla into the calabash gourd.
4. Pour in the hot water and allow the mate to infuse for a few seconds.
Mate can be infused several times according to your tastes and preferences.
What are the benefits of mate?
Increasingly popular, mate is enjoying great success thanks to its many benefits. Firstly, it is a stimulating beverage containing caffeine (1%), providing a little “boost”. Furthermore, mate is a powerhouse of antioxidants, minerals (potassium, magnesium) and vitamins that are said to aid concentration and strengthen our immune defences, whilst lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. Another advantage of mate: it is said to have an appetite-suppressant effect, encouraging the body to tap into its reserves. Its infusion is therefore often recommended during certain weight-loss diets.
For a quality drink, opt for organic mate
At Kusmi, mate is featured in several of our flagship recipes, which are all organic, blended and packaged in France. The organic certification guarantees rigorous quality controls throughout the production and crafting of the tea, eco-friendly practices, and zero pesticides.
On our menu, the blend Euphoria which brings together roasted mate, cocoa, orange, Detox which blends mate, green tea and lemon, or even BB Detox (mate, green tea and grapefruit), Lovely Morning (green tea, mate, citrus fruits), Lov is pure (green tea, mate, nettle), Boost (green tea, mate, ginger), Blue detox (green tea and mate). Note that we can supply you with a bombilla, this stainless steel straw, specially designed for enjoying your mate.
And to prepare it for yourself at home, here are our recipe ideas!
Our reviews on yerba mate
Our reviews on this drink? If you are looking for something different, yerba mate is made for you! Whatever the time of day, it will give you a renewed burst of energy. Boasting numerous health benefits, it is rich in vitamins and minerals and acts as a powerful natural stimulant. It is a bitter beverage, but its bitterness depends on the quality of the leaves. To ensure you purchase quality mate, opt for a green/yellow colour. Please also note that the taste of mate varies depending on the variety.
Yerba mate is an unusual yet deeply captivating drink that is sure to delight palates in search of exoticism. Boasting numerous benefits, we can only warmly encourage you to try it. Provided you opt for organic mate! Halfway between tea and an herbal infusion, mate, this ancestral South American beverage, has plenty to charm you.