prepare a mate like a Uruguayan with a mate thermos

Famous for providing the energy of coffee, the benefits of tea, and the good mood of chocolate, mate is a drink with a particular preparation method. It is indeed not uncommon to see Uruguayans walking around with a mate thermos under their arm.

This drink comes from the leaves of yerba mate that the’It is found in the South American rainforest, on the border between Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. The Guarani natives have, for centuries, consumed these leaves by brewing them in calabashes.

L’Institut Pasteur concluded in 1964 that’with 24 vitamins and minerals, as well as 15 amino acids and antioxidants, it would be difficult to find another plant in the world that can match mate in terms of nutritional value.

The history of mate

It is believed that mate was originally consumed by the indigenous people of southern Brazil. As a result of the Spanish colonization, s drink’spread to the territory of Paraguay in the late 1500s, before spreading to Argentina in the 17th century. As its use increased, so did its nutritional value’is extended, the mate became the main foodstuff of Paraguay.

Around the 1650s, the Jesuits began to cultivate the plant and organized plantations in Misiones, Argentina. This is why mate is also known as “Jesuit tea”.

A trade war with Paraguayan producers ensued, which led to the Jesuits being expelled in the 1770s. As their estates fell into ruin, their secrets of domestication were forgotten. When Paraguay stopped producing mate following the War of the Triple Alliance in the 1860s, Brazil took over as the leading producer of mate mate producer.

In the 1900s, the’Argentina has appropriated mate and plantations have been created. While Brazil was’In the 1930s, the country turned to coffee’Argentina s’The Jesuits relied on their mate consumption and boosted the economy’economy of the province of Misiones where the Jesuits had their plantations.

Why drink mate ?

The tools to drink mate are simple: a bottle of mate mate calabash, a mate thermos and a bombilla (metal filtering straw). Traditionally, gourds were made from maté’a hollow calabash, but they are nowadays’Today, the maté is made of various materials, including wood, glass, ceramic and even silicone. They can be called mate calabash, mate pot, mate gourd or mate cup.

The bombilla is equipped at one end with a spoon’a sieved filter that prevents small pieces of leaves from coming off the brewing process. In all the’Uruguay, including in the capital city of Montevideo, people are often seen walking down the street carrying a maté thermos mate and the famous mate thermos in their arms. The city has many filling stations for mate’hot water to fill the thermos, and these stations are in great demand, as the annual consumption is close to 10kg per capita.

Prepare mate easily with a mate thermos

Here’s how to make mate and why a mate thermos is an essential accessory to enjoy this drink properly.

1. Fill a mate calabash a little more than halfway with yerba mate. Tilt the gourd up to the right angle’until the leaves cover the side and almost reach the top.
2. Before’Put the bombilla in it, pour some water over it, and it’s ready to drink’hot water on the bottom half of the drink. The ideal temperature is 60 to 70 °C.
3. Let the leaves absorb water for about 30 seconds.
4. Add hot water to the top. Be careful not to let it boil.
5. It is ready, you can enjoy your mate !

So far, no thermos… So why did we mention it ?

Mate is a drink that has the particularity of being able to be brewed several times. Thus, the use of a maté thermos means that water only has to be heated once, and thus, new matés can be prepared very quickly.

Moreover, most of the good thermos to mate have a spout to pour water gently into the mate.

Be careful with your manners

If someone’If someone offers you his mate, it’s a good idea’is a sign of respect, and sharing mate must follow certain implicit rules. This n’A visit is not only an opening to learn more about Uruguayan culture, but also the’opportunity to’Learn more about the person who is offering to share it with you. There is a kind of exchange that takes place, which can give a tourist the feeling of being in the middle of the road’to be in its proper place. When someone is’If someone offers to share their mate, just take advantage of it and drink it before you leave’If someone offers to share his mate, just take advantage of it and drink it before giving it back.

Don’t rush, drink at your own pace.

If you’re done and you don’t want to go back to your car, you can go back to your car’if you want more, just say “gracias” when you return the gourd. If you want more, wait for the thanks to be offered again. In a group, the mate is passed from person to person. This is called the ” ronda del mate “. Only one person is in charge of preparing the mate, the ” cebador “. When the mate is ready, the cebador takes the first sip and then fills the calabash and passes it on.

In a large group, two gourds may be passed around, but the ritual is the same: take, drink, give back.