I ordered a Mate gourd and bombilla a couple of weeks ago from Argentina
(actually 2, they had a BOGO deal, I gave one to DD) and they got here a
few days ago. Also a half a kilo of "fair trade" mate for DD because
she's into that. I have a half a kilo that I bought recently at the
Mexican grocery.

I just tried it for the first time and I'm not sure I'm impressed.
Maybe it'll get better when I figure out what I'm doing, and as the
gourdy taste leaches out of the cup. One thing I gotta figure out is
how much of the stuff to use. The leaves swelled up when I added the
water, then there's not much room to add hot water to brew the stuff.
About 1 ounce, slurp, another ounce, slurp, etc.

Bob

In article >,
zxcvbob > wrote:

> I ordered a Mate gourd and bombilla a couple of weeks ago from Argentina
> (actually 2, they had a BOGO deal, I gave one to DD) and they got here a
> few days ago. Also a half a kilo of "fair trade" mate for DD because
> she's into that. I have a half a kilo that I bought recently at the
> Mexican grocery.
>
> I just tried it for the first time and I'm not sure I'm impressed.
> Maybe it'll get better when I figure out what I'm doing, and as the
> gourdy taste leaches out of the cup. One thing I gotta figure out is
> how much of the stuff to use. The leaves swelled up when I added the
> water, then there's not much room to add hot water to brew the stuff.
> About 1 ounce, slurp, another ounce, slurp, etc.
>
> Bob

Dad swears by it. I'm still dubious about it's benefits. :-)

I can purchase 1 kilo (2.2 lbs.) of it locally for under $10.00 at
Fiesta supermarket.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
*Only Irish *coffee provides in a single glass all four *essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar *and fat. --Alex Levine

On 2010-07-24, zxcvbob > wrote:

> I just tried it for the first time and I'm not sure I'm impressed.

Plus, like tea, it's quite diuretic. I'll pass.

nb

zxcvbob > wrote:
>I just tried it for the first time and I'm not sure I'm impressed.
>Maybe it'll get better when I figure out what I'm doing, and as the
>gourdy taste leaches out of the cup.

Did you cure the gourd before using it? You have to put mate leaves in the
gourd, fill it with water, let the leaves absorb the water, then keep filling
it as needed for a full day.

>One thing I gotta figure out is how much of the stuff to use. The leaves
swelled up when I added the
>water, then there's not much room to add hot water to brew the stuff.
>About 1 ounce, slurp, another ounce, slurp, etc.

I was taught to fill the gourd half or two thirds full with leaves and then add
water as needed. The water should be hot, but not boiling.

Orlando

Orlando Enrique Fiol wrote:
> zxcvbob > wrote:
>> I just tried it for the first time and I'm not sure I'm impressed.
>> Maybe it'll get better when I figure out what I'm doing, and as the
>> gourdy taste leaches out of the cup.
>
> Did you cure the gourd before using it? You have to put mate leaves in the
> gourd, fill it with water, let the leaves absorb the water, then keep filling
> it as needed for a full day.
>
>> One thing I gotta figure out is how much of the stuff to use. The leaves
> swelled up when I added the
>> water, then there's not much room to add hot water to brew the stuff.
>> About 1 ounce, slurp, another ounce, slurp, etc.
>
> I was taught to fill the gourd half or two thirds full with leaves and then add
> water as needed. The water should be hot, but not boiling.
>
> Orlando


I had two gourds. One, I filled with mate leaves and hot water and
let it sit for two days (adding water as necessary) then scraped it out.

The other, I filled with boiling water and let is sit for 10 or 15
minutes, scrape, repeat. Then let it dry. I knew the 2nd gourd might
not taste right the very first use.

Bob