On Sat, 10 Sep 2005 14:30:21 +0000, Dada wrote:

> Today I have bought MATE. Very nice taste, really good. I would like to
> know if any one of you have some experience with this kind of infusion. I
> know it is not a tea, but I think a tea drink should like it.
> About quantity: how much MATE do you use for a cup? The instruction are
> not really clear. They sei 3/4 of a particuar pumpkin they use in Brasil
> to drink it. I don't owe any pumpkin like that, but only a poor, simple
> tea cup. 3/4 of a cup looks really a lot. Levy Strauss (it is written on
> the package) used an handful of it for one person. I poured it by rough
> estimate. The taste was good, but I am not sure I made a good mate. How
> many tea spoons do you use usually? The MATE I bought has broken lieves
> inside: any quality has so? Do you know any site or book about this drink?
> I am sorry if I am off topic: i wish I don't. Thanks

For some real good yerba mate, and information, check out
www.guayaki.com. You can probably find their tea bags and bulk mate at you
local natural food co-op or at Whole Foods, places like that.

It's shade-grown, in the rainforest. It's better. Not that mate, in the
gourd, in a traditional way is something that will appeal to everyone.
It's certainly not anywhere near as tasty as good tea is, but it is a
traditional drink, and there is a history and a culture behind it, and
studies have shown that mate has all the necessary nutrients in it to
sustain life. It's a food, not just a beverage.

The active ingredient is called mateine, which is a close relative to
caffeine.

It is said to energize the cerebral cortex. In any case, less precise
analysis of the caffeine content detects mateine as caffeine, and there is
750-1000mg in each gourd (if you fill up the gourd 1/2 way). It's
definitely a very, very strong pick-me-up. Stratospheric.

In any case, Guayaki's website will explain it much better than I can.

Aside from the gourd, actually, an easier way to do it is to use a french
press. Often times, the ratio of stems to leaf segments isn't right, and
the bombilla (the straw you put inside the gourd) gets clogged and it just
turns into a nasty, muddy mess. With a french press, you can avoid these
problems, but then again, with a french press, it's the difference between
drinking a thick, heavy-duty shot of espresso and a more watery standard
cup of coffee. But the french press does work, it's probably not a bad
idea to get a mini french-press, use more mate, and get more infusions out
of it. You can probably get 10 infusions or so, maybe more depending on
how much you put into the press to begin with.

But definitely try the Guayaki, it's probably one of the only brands that
can give you a feel for what it's supposed to taste like. It's the way
they dry it, the way they age for 6 months in a cedar-lined room, you can
make an incredibly, incredibly thick, strong beverage with a stratospheric
buzz and not get the bitterness, but just a smooth, smoky, juicy,
overwhelmingly energizing experience.

Personally, I like good pu-erh tea better. But I have a lot of respect for
mate, I have several gourds, etc..

P.S. If you do get the gourds, be careful with the mold. Depending on
where you live, etc... There is a way that the gourds are "seasoned", by
soaking with mate overnight, but be careful - let them dry out in the sun,
if possible. You can also consider nuking them if it's really humid,
provided you have a gourd that doesn't have the metal rim around it. Make
sure they dry out between uses (buy two or three and rotate). Otherwise
you may end up with a nasty, slimy mold problem.