Ingredients
- 1 to 2 tablespoons Dried Yerba Mate Leaves
- 6 to 8 ounces Filtered Water
- ½ teaspoon Fresh Lemon Juice (Optional)
- ½ to 1 teaspoon Honey or Stevia (Optional)
- 2 to 3 leaves Fresh Mint Leaves (Optional)
Instructions
- Fill your gourd or cup with one to two tablespoons of loose yerba mate leaves for this yerba mate recipe.
- Place a bombilla straw (metal filtering tube) into the yerba mate recipe at a slight angle, ensuring the filter rests at the bottom.
- Heat filtered water to between 140-160°F using a kettle or thermometer for accuracy in this yerba mate recipe.
- Pour a small amount of hot water into the yerba mate recipe first, allowing the leaves to absorb moisture gently.
- Wait thirty seconds after the initial wetting, then slowly fill the gourd with remaining hot water for your yerba mate recipe.
- Allow the yerba mate recipe to steep for five to ten minutes, depending on your preference for strength and flavor intensity.
- Sip slowly through the bombilla straw, drawing the liquid through the leaves in this yerba mate recipe.
- Add more hot water to the yerba mate recipe between sips to continue extracting flavor, typically allowing three to five refills.
- Squeeze fresh lemon juice into your yerba mate recipe to brighten flavor and enhance antioxidant absorption.
- Stir in honey or your preferred sweetener after the initial steep if you’re modifying this yerba mate recipe with sugar.
- Add fresh mint leaves or chamomile during the final resteep of this yerba mate recipe for a flavor variation.
Notes
Use water between 140-160°F (60-70°C)—boiling water damages the leaves and creates bitter, unpleasant flavors. Fill your yerba mate recipe gourd only three-quarters full to allow proper water circulation. Hold the bombilla straw at a forty-five-degree angle when sipping. Always rinse your yerba mate leaves before brewing your recipe by pouring a small amount of hot water over them and immediately discarding it to remove dust particles.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Beverage
- Method: Steeping
- Cuisine: South American
- Diet: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 5
- Sugar: 0 grams
- Sodium: 2 milligrams
- Fat: 0 grams
- Saturated Fat: 0 grams
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 grams
- Trans Fat: 0 grams
- Carbohydrates: 0.5 grams
- Fiber: 0 grams
- Protein: 0 grams
- Cholesterol: 0 milligrams
