The last couple vendor events I had yerba mate and yerba mate gourds and bombillas. Friday a shipment of roasted yerba mate came, so my two events this weekend will have that herbal tisane also and my website already has them available. Both of these tisanes are directly from Argentina.
Yerba mate is said to have the “strength of coffee, the health benefits of tea, and the euphoria of chocolate” all in one beverage. Roasted yerba mate will have coffee like taste to it.
The yerba mate plant is grown and processed in South America, specifically in northern Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and southern Brazil. The flavor of brewed mate resembles an infusion of vegetables, herbs, grass and is reminiscent of some varieties of green tea.
For many yerba mate is an acquired taste. There are some people who enjoy it on their first try, but is not common at least in the United States. If the first time you taste it you do not like it, try it again. Also if it is too bitter for you, people in the United States tend to not like bitter food or drinks, do not boil the water or let the boiling water rest for a bit before brewing the yerba mate. I would say 190- 200 F would still be hot enough to brew without the bitterness.
If you would like to know more feel free to message me or sign up for one of my classes. I do not have a class specifically on Yerba Mate yet, but if I get enough people interested I can easily have one.