Mate tea - what kind of tea is it, how to brew and drink, benefits and harms. How to Brew Mate, the Art of Cooking

Mate, sometimes referred to as Brazilian or Paraguayan tea, is a very tea-like drink made from the dry leaves of the evergreen Paraguayan holly. Outwardly, mate resembles green tea, has a pronounced herbal aroma, this drink tastes sweet and sour.

Traditionally, mate is brewed in a special vessel called “calabash”, but not everyone has one in their home, so the recipes below can always come in handy on how to brew mate in a teapot, clay or glass. So,

How to brew bitter mate (classic)

To prepare such a drink, you need 10 grams of mate and 250 ml of water. Dry mate tea leaves are poured into the teapot, and then cold water is poured into it in such an amount that it only moistens the tea leaves, being completely absorbed into it. After 2-3 minutes, after waiting for the mate to turn into a thick green slurry, the kettle is filled almost to the top with hot water. The water temperature should be 70-80̊С.

They start drinking bitter mate almost immediately after pouring it with hot water, since the time of infusion of the drink ranges from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. If you insist on mate longer or pour it with hotter water, then the drink begins to taste bitter. After the mate is drunk, hot water is poured into the kettle again. The number of admissible tea leaves is 2-3.

How to cook boiled mate

In order to brew mate according to this recipe, you will need 50 grams of tea leaves and a liter of water. Dry mate is poured into boiling water and boiled for no more than two minutes. After that, the drink is removed from the heat and poured into cups, adding, if desired, sugar.

How to brew sweet mate

To brew one cup of such mate, you need 1 teaspoon of dry mate, 170 ml of boiling water and a teaspoon of honey. Honey is placed at the bottom of the cup, mate is poured on top and poured with boiling water. You can use granulated sugar instead of honey.

How to brew cold mate

To prepare such a drink, you will need 50 grams of mate, a liter of water and ice and sugar to taste. Cold mate is prepared in the same way as bitter, but the drink is infused for an hour, after which sugar and ice are added to it.

How to brew fruity mate

To prepare such a drink, one liter of mate prepared according to a “cold” recipe is simply mixed with 100 milliliters of lemon juice. They drink fruit mate in the heat.

If mate is brewed correctly (especially bitter), then such a drink in a well-closed container does not lose its taste and beneficial properties for two to three days.

Like coffee in Europe and America, mate in South America it is more than just a drink, it is part of the national culture in most of the continent. Many of us consider mate "tea", although it is not in any way. If tea is the leaves of the tea bush, then mate is the leaves and stems of the evergreen Paraguayan holly plant. It is a branched tree-like shrub with smooth whitish bark, which in the wild often grows up to 15 meters tall. This plant is common in the selva of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. Yerba mate is the name of a drink obtained by brewing the crushed and dried leaves of a shrub. By the way, in South America, in the homeland of the drink, the word mate is pronounced with an emphasis on the first syllable.

In order to get "Paraguayan tea" from the Paraguayan holly, the young shoots of the plant are collected, cutting off the stems along with the leaves. After harvesting, the branches are thoroughly dried at high temperature. The dried product is crushed and crushed in the most thorough way to obtain a dry powder.

According to some scientists, mate may well claim the title of the oldest drink on our planet. There is evidence that the Indians used mate as early as the 7th millennium BC. In addition to taste and healing properties (about them a little later), the Indians greatly revered mate for - neither more nor less - divine origin. According to legend, light-skinned and blue-eyed (interestingly, among many peoples of Latin America, the deities were light-skinned and generally looked very much like Europeans - for example, the Aztecs believed in such a god Quetzalcoatl at one time cost a lot), the god Paya Sharume traveled with his retinue and stopped at overnight in a lost forest hut. The owners, a deep old man and his beautiful daughter, gave them all their meager provisions. For this, Paya Sharume thanked the old man “in a divine way”: having learned that he was hiding his daughter from people, he promised to turn her into a plant endowed with magical properties that the whole world would love.

When Europeans arrived on the continent, a new stage in the history of mate began. First, the Jesuits branded mate as sinful and diabolical and banned its use - however, they did this with almost everything they met in the countries where they arrived. By the way, "yerboy", which in Spanish means simply "grass", was called mate by the Spanish Jesuits. So, while the clergy were doing their favorite thing - eradicating heresy, other Spaniards, less confused by dogmas and prejudices, tasted an amazing drink that gave the Indians strength and saved them from scurvy, which mowed down the Spaniards with might and main. In the end, the Jesuits had to accept defeat in this fight - and they did it masterfully: they simply established control over the trade in mate, which in Europe for this reason began to be called "Jesuit infusion."

Today, mate is extremely popular in many countries of South America - especially in Argentina and Chile, where it has long been a favorite drink of gaucho herders, giving them strength for hard work and allowing them to get by with a minimal diet.

Useful properties of mate

Mat contains a large amount of vitamins and microelements, it really has unique healing and tonic properties. According to scientists from the Pasteur Institute in Paris, it contains vitamins A, C, E, P, all B vitamins (moreover, in a concentration greater than in bee honey), magnesium, calcium, iron, copper, sulfur, nicotinic acid, pantothenic acid and more. Yerba mate contains mateine, which, while having an effect on the body similar to caffeine, does not carry with it its side effects, such as CNS overexcitation, increased heart rate, and nervous tremors. Matein is a stimulant of both physical and mental activity of a person, and it is mild and non-addictive. In addition, mate is considered a useful tool for normalizing sleep. According to South American experts, Paraguayan tea significantly reduces the manifestations of depression, neuroses, anxiety syndromes, and regulates the sleep cycle. Many scientists note the immunostimulating effect of the drink and even insist on its use by residents of large cities.

There is only one "but" in all this: the Institute of Oncology of Montevideo believes that the use of hot mate is "possibly carcinogenic" - in their opinion, this can lead to esophageal cancer. Apparently, this remark is due to the fact that in some regions (for example, in Paraguay) it is customary to drink mate piping hot - and for the esophagus and stomach, drinking any boiling water is harmful - even with or without mate.

How to brew and consume mate

Properly drink mate from special dishes - calabash(also known as calabash, calabash) through a metal tube - bombilla. The classic calabash is a small dugout pumpkin. Bombilla tubes are always made of metal, stainless steel or silver, although long ago tubes were just hollow plant stems. Bombilla, straight or curved, but it always ends flatter than the rest of the straw and has a wide sieve. According to one of my Argentinean acquaintances, they never wash the bombilla - they just change it for a new one.

Connoisseurs say that you can’t immediately buy calabash and, only when you come home, drink mate from it. First, the dishes must be prepared: pour mate into the calabash, approximately 2/3 of the volume of the vessel. Fill with hot water (not boiling water!). Without covering, leave the calabash for a day, and then pour the infusion and carefully, preferably with a soft cloth, clean the calabash.

But now the container is prepared, you can start cooking mate. So, in calabash we put yerba mate powder on 2/3 of the volume, close it with the palm of our hand and shake it slightly. Now large fractions have fallen to the bottom. We tilt the calabash so that all the tea leaves neatly poured against one wall. Now we insert the bombilla into the void under the other wall and smoothly return the calabash to a vertical position. After that, with hot, but not boiling water (ideal temperature 70-80 degrees), carefully pour the tea leaves, but not completely, but to the level of the intersection of the powder and the bombilla. At the same time, the hole of the bombilla must be plugged with a finger so that tea leaves do not get into the tube. Let it brew for a minute or two so that the tea leaves are completely moistened and slightly compressed, and then carefully add water almost to the top of the calabash. In the process of brewing mate, the bombilla is not moved or stirred with it.

Have a good morning with calabash mate!
Your Roman Mironenko

Mate is a tonic drink of South African Indians. For its preparation, leaves and young shoots of Paraguayan holly are used. Holly leaves are dried and crushed. In the people they are called "mate grass". The drink itself and the vessel for its preparation have the same name. But in the CIS countries, another name for the vessel has also taken root - calabash, which means "pumpkin" in Spanish.

The chemical composition and properties of the drink

The drink has a rich chemical composition. Contains about 196 active vitamins and minerals. It includes vitamins C, E, P, tannins, alkaloids from the xanthine group, beta-carotene, micro and macro elements (sodium, potassium, iron, sulfur, magnesium, copper, etc.), B vitamins (mostly B1 and B2), pantothenic acid, as well as other biologically active substances.

Strongly brewed drink resembles green tea in taste, but has a slightly sweet aftertaste.

Tea is rich in medicinal qualities. The main ones include improving the general condition of the body, relieving fatigue and depression, improving mood, increasing physical and mental activity. At the same time, tea acts gently on the body. Experts recommend the use of mate for people who are emotionally unbalanced, fussy, and also suffering from insomnia, moreover, drinking the drink does not disrupt the sleep cycle.

Unlike many sedative drugs, the use of tea does not lead to addiction. It does not tend to irritate the nervous system, the drink calms it, relieving excessive stress.

Tea is also indispensable for overweight people. It promotes rapid weight loss, while not harming the body. Appetite will decrease, and kilograms will quickly leave.

The harm of tea

Like any medicinal drink, mate has negative qualities in addition to positive ones. A number of studies conducted at the Institute of Oncology of Montevideo indicate a probable link between the consumption of the drink and cancers (cancer of the esophagus). But scientists have proven that the reason for this is improper brewing of tea with very hot water.

However, there is a risk of cancer of organs that do not come into contact with mate, namely the organs of the genitourinary system and the lungs.

With prolonged use of the drink, there is a decrease in sweating and dry skin.

But it should be understood that the drink negatively affects only with its frequent use. The above information is mostly suitable for countries where it is the national drink and is used daily in large quantities. When using the drink for medicinal purposes, you should not take mate as a risk factor for cancer.

Brewing technology

Mate is drunk from a special vessel - calabash. Calabash is made from pumpkin. It is believed that the drink brewed in this vessel retains all its taste and medicinal qualities.

It is correct to drink a drink with the help of a bombilla. Bombilla is a straight tube. In the upper part it looks like a mouthpiece, and in the lower part there is a flask-shaped strainer, which acts as a filter. It looks like a smoking pipe.

According to custom, the process of preparing a drink is called “sevar”, and the person who brews (conjures) is called “sevador”.

The main rule for brewing a drink is that the water temperature should not exceed 80 degrees.

So, the sevador pours mate into the calabash one quarter of the vessel. She pours some cold water to moisten the tea leaves. Then you should wait a couple of minutes for the tea leaves to absorb water, and pour the contents with boiled water (but not more than 80 degrees). After brewing for about 5 minutes, the drink will be ready to drink. This tea should be drunk in small sips, sipping all the flavor and healing substances with the help of a bombilla from the very thick.

The tea is strong and quite bitter. Therefore, the same portion can be brewed repeatedly, on average 7-9 times.

In a drink, for an amateur, you can add honey, sugar or a little cognac to taste. But a true gourmet drinks pure mate, as it is believed that additives spoil the authentic taste of the drink.

European Ways

There are several more "European" ways of brewing mate tea that do not require special national attributes. The first, the most common for us, is to brew mate like coffee. To do this, take mate with the expectation of 5 tablespoons of water per liter. Drink should be poured into cups through a strainer.

The second way is to brew mate with milk like a cappuccino. To do this, heat half a liter of milk (about 50 degrees), pour 2 tablespoons of tea leaves. Stirring occasionally, add sugar or honey. Boil. Drinks must be poured into cups through a strainer.

The third way - "cold mate" is ideal for the summer season. To prepare it, pour 2 tablespoons of tea into the teapot, add a little honey or sugar to taste and pour 250 ml of boiled water (no more than 80 degrees). Leave for about 10 minutes. When serving summer tea, tea rose or mint petals and ice cubes are placed at the bottom of the glass. The drink is poured through a strainer.

Mate tea is one of the best tonic drinks, which in its properties is equal to caffeine. This tea is called Paraguayan due to its origin: the leaves and shoots of Paraguayan holly, which is grown in South America, are used to make tea. Mate tea has an amazing taste that borders on the bitterness of green tea and the sweetness of vanillin. It is also believed that Brazilian tea contains many beneficial vitamins and elements that have a positive effect on human immunity.

However, there are conflicting opinions about the dangers of such an exotic drink. Therefore, in order to enjoy the full range of taste of mate tea, you need to know how to properly brew and drink a Brazilian drink so that it brings only benefits. It is also important to note that mate tea is very often taken for weight loss purposes. So, in order to discover the mystery of mate tea, you need to learn more about the benefits and harms of this drink. This is what we will be talking about next.

Mate tea: good or bad?

Benefits of mate tea

To begin with, it is important to understand the composition of mate tea. Indeed, in one brewed leaflet there is a whole list of useful both chemical and biological elements. The chemical elements include: nicotinic acid (vitamin PP), tannin, rutin, beta-amirin, inositol, as well as isovaleric, isocaproic, resinous, isobutyric acid; potassium, sodium, magnesium, copper, sulfur, manganese, vanillin, chlorine and water. Useful vitamins include groups A, B, C, E, P. Thanks to this composition, according to experts, a number of useful properties of mate tea can be distinguished, such as:

It has a tonic effect on the body and stimulates physical and mental work. Due to the sedative effect, the work of the nervous system improves, it helps to fight depression, insomnia, nervousness and anxiety. Improves brain function.
It has a positive effect on the functioning of the entire digestive tract, as well as liver function, lowering cholesterol levels. With regular use, the digestive process improves and the gastric mucosa is restored.
It cleanses the blood of toxins and poisons and has a positive effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular system. Thanks to the cleansing of blood vessels, blood pressure is normalized, which is especially useful for hypertensive patients.
Strengthens the body's immune system, thereby increasing the body's resistance to harmful bacteria and viruses. It is useful to drink tea after a viral illness, which contributes to a faster recovery of health.

It's important to know! Another tea mate, perfectly helps to fight excess weight. This important feature of mate tea will be discussed below.

Is mate tea harmful?

According to some studies, there is a danger of drinking too hot a drink. Hot tea, getting into the stomach, can damage the walls of the esophagus, which may lead to the development of a cancerous tumor.

The second version is more significant, it lies in the presence of carcinogens in hot tea. Due to the frequent use of too hot a drink, the likelihood of developing cancer not only of the esophagus, but also of the bladder, as well as the lungs, is allowed. It should be noted that with prolonged use of tea, increased dryness of the skin and a decrease in sweating can be observed.

How should mate tea be brewed?

In order to properly brew mate, you need to purchase a special vessel for this, called a calabash, made from pumpkin. However, if this is not possible, then you can brew tea in an ordinary teapot. If you are brewing mate in a new calabash, then first you need to fill it up to half with crushed tea leaves and pour warm water. Let the tea stand for a few days and then pour it out. Calabaza will need to be well cleaned of plaque after tea.

Thus, the vessel will be saturated with a pleasant aroma of tea and will serve you for a long time. After this procedure, you can already brew tea for consumption. To brew mate tea, it is necessary to carefully pour 2/3 of mate tea on one side and slowly pour warm water up to half (no more than 80 degrees). After a few minutes, the tea leaves should swell well, and you can add warm water. After waiting another 2-3 minutes, you can start a pleasant tea party. Mate tea can be brewed up to eight times in a row. After the first brewing, do not leave the tea for a long time, otherwise it will be very bitter.

Delicious mate tea recipes

To enjoy mate tea, there are many recipes for its preparation. Here are just a few of them that diversify the taste and method of preparation.

1) Mate tea with citrus. Pour crushed pieces of peel of dried fruits, such as orange, lemon, tangerine or grapefruit, into calabash with mate leaves. This will add additional aroma and fruity notes to the taste.

2) Mate tea with a tonic effect. Ground coffee is added to the prepared mate to taste. This helps to activate the work of the body. However, you should be careful and not often use such a strong drink!

3) Mate tea with a relaxing effect. To do this, various useful herbs are added with mate leaves. For example, to calm the nervous system, mint and lemon balm are added; to relax the head, you can add chamomile flowers; to maintain the cardiovascular system, add linden leaves and valerian.

4) Mate tea is nutritious. Such tea can be given even to children or prepared for yourself instead of breakfast. It is necessary to boil the milk and cool it to a temperature of 70-80 degrees. Then pour mate leaves over it. Since milk has a fat content, mate will not be very bitter, and if you add a piece of honey, then it will not be possible to break away from such a drink!

Mate tea as a means of losing weight

As already mentioned, mate tea has a good effect on digestion and improves bowel function, which in turn helps to cleanse the body of unnecessary toxins and fats.

Mate tea perfectly satisfies the feeling of hunger and, thanks to its rich vitamin complex, does not allow the body to become depleted. Also, the drink will strengthen the natural protective functions of the body and help stabilize the metabolism in the body.

Mate tea also contains natural elements that help to naturally break down excess fat in the body. Many nutritionists recommend drinking mate tea as the main addition to a weight loss program.

Mate tea…

So, mate tea is not only an exquisite gourmet drink, but quite useful, and sometimes necessary for active life. Thanks to the rich composition of vitamins and nutrients, each leaf contains something that helps to enjoy an unusual taste and recharge your batteries for every day.

After trying various cooking recipes, you can choose the one that will bring you the most pleasure. So have a nice "matepitiya"!

Some have only heard about it, others have already managed to appreciate this magnificent drink that gives vivacity and good mood. Mate tea - the legacy of the Indians of South America - has become a real gift for lovers of exotic drinks.

This is a fragrant drink that has a pronounced tonic effect. It is made from the dry collection of leaves and young shoots of the Paraguayan holly. This tall (up to 15 meters) shrub grows in other countries of South America, but the Indian tribes were the first to brew a drink from holly many hundreds of years ago.

Even then, they noticed its beneficial properties. After drinking tea, there was a surge of strength, stomach ailments passed. The Indians gave the drink the name "Mate" ("Mate"), which means "a jug made of pumpkin" - it was in such vessels that tea was brewed and served before.

The habit of drinking Mate was adopted by travelers and conquerors who arrived on the continent. He rendered invaluable assistance to them in the fight against the consequences of scurvy, which arose after long sea passages.

The Spanish conquerors brought Mate to Europe. But the drink was "an amateur", and did not immediately take root in European countries. Initially, it was used as a medicine to strengthen the body and fight anemia.

Today, Mate tea is popular. The holly grows both naturally and in specially created plantations, where the shrub is tended and then the leaves and shoots are harvested to make tea.

The chemical composition and calorie content of the drink

Mate tea contains alkaloids, tannins, iron, potassium, sodium, manganese, copper and magnesium. Also, those who drink Mate receive beta-carotenes and vitamins C, B, P and E.

100 g contains 151.8 kcal, as well as 13% protein, 11.3% fat and no more than 2.5% carbohydrates.

Thus, Paraguayan tea can provide a person with many necessary substances. And it's just amazingly delicious.

Useful properties of Mate tea for health:

This drink is truly invaluable:

The benefits of Mate tea are used in the treatment of a number of diseases. First of all, it should be drunk by those who suffer from diseases of the digestive system - gastritis with high acidity and heartburn, constipation.
The drink is able to normalize the pressure in hypertensive patients. It tones the walls of blood vessels, improves cerebral circulation.
The level of cholesterol, thanks to the use of tea, goes down.
A slight diuretic effect also refers to the beneficial properties of this tea.
Mate is also used to strengthen the immune system. It helps a person gain strength after suffering serious illnesses.

And it is also worth considering that matein, which is part of tea, invigorates no worse than coffee.

What is useful for women

Women drink Mate to lose weight faster. It allows you to lose extra pounds, as it accelerates metabolic processes in the body. In addition, with regular use of this drink, diets are easier to tolerate, since it dulls the feeling of hunger.

Mate is also useful for heavy painful menstruation

Useful properties for men

Paraguayan tea is invaluable for men who can not get rid of bad habits. It removes toxins from the body, reduces dependence on tobacco and alcohol. Thanks to tea, the body is updated and cleansed.

Instructions for use

Mate tea is brewed in a slightly different way than regular black tea. You will have to get calabash and bombilla - special dishes, close in properties to the authentic.

How to brew and drink mate tea

The best option would be to brew this type of tea in calabash. It is a special vessel, which can be purchased in stores selling various types of tea. There you can also ask for a bombilla - an interesting tube with a filter.

Mate tea is poured into calabash. It should fill about two-thirds of the volume of the dish.
The calabash is shaken and tilted slightly.
Then a bombilla is placed in the vacated place, after which the vessel is placed on the table.
According to the line of the tube, cold water is poured. It should also occupy two-thirds of the remaining space. The remaining third is filled with boiling water.
After that, the tea is allowed to brew for 1-2 minutes.

In addition to this, the base, there are other various recipes for making Mate tea. It can be served with or with milk. In the latter version, up to 5 tablespoons of tea are poured into a liter of boiling milk, let it brew for a couple of minutes, and only after that they drink it.

Instead of cold water, you can use any sweet juices. Pour apple, peach, orange, pear or multifruit nectars into calabash. It is also allowed to add cinnamon and ginger to the drink.

Having learned how to brew and drink Mate tea correctly, you understand that you have mastered a real art that all lovers of this drink should definitely master.

You also need to know how to drink Paraguayan tea correctly. It is customary to slowly sip it from the dishes in which it was brewed, that is, from calabash. Leaving the drink "for later" is categorically not recommended - it will start to taste bitter, and the further, the more.

Those who have taken the time to study the rules of brewing Mate tea remain faithful to this magnificent drink for many years.

Mate tea for weight loss

Mate tea is part of many diets. If you simultaneously adhere to moderation in food and give the body physical activity, you can achieve excellent results. Subject to all conditions, it turns out to lose up to 4-5 kg per month.

In order for Mate to give the maximum effect, you need to drink it for at least a month. But not more than 1 liter per day. Otherwise, you can earn a pronounced tachycardia and insomnia, because the composition of the drink includes caffeine.

Thanks to this tea, metabolic processes are accelerated, which contributes to the burning of calories, the breakdown and removal of fats. The diuretic effect of the drink helps the body get rid of excess fluid.

Mate also dulls the feeling of hunger. A cup of tea instead of dinner or an afternoon snack - and you will feel great, quietly losing pounds.

To whom the drink is contraindicated, and what is the harm from it

These are small children and women who are expecting a child or breastfeeding.
Do not drink the drink and those who suffer from colds with high fever.
It is undesirable to use Mate for people with gallstones or kidney stones, allergy sufferers and those who have an individual intolerance to this drink.
Those with a predisposition to oncological diseases of the esophagus or lungs (inflammatory processes, heredity) are also better off refusing to regularly consume Paraguayan tea.

How to store

When choosing tea in a store, you should pay attention to the following points:

The country of origin is indicated on the package. It is best to buy tea made in Paraguay.
Also look at the expiration date. The collection should not be old - it loses its aroma and properties over time.
The best mate tea is made from hand-picked leaves. It is not at all clear how this can be verified, but knowing this fact does not hurt anyone.
The most fragrant and tasty will be a drink made from dry raw materials, which contains the minimum number of shoots and the maximum number of leaves.
The packaging must be undamaged.
The composition of tea may contain various additives. Which option to choose is a matter of taste.

To keep tea for a long time, you should choose the right container for it. A tightly closed lid and airtight packaging will preserve the pleasant smell of Mate and avoid the absorption of foreign impurities. It is recommended to keep tea in a dry place.

You should not buy such a vegetable collection hastily at the first outlet that comes across. It is better to take a walk to specialized stores - there you can choose the tea you like from several options, as well as purchase everything you need to brew it. And let the tea party be your holiday!