- If you visit countries like Argentina, Uruguay
Brazil and Paraguay in South America,
as I did, you'll be unable to avoid this drink.
(drink slurping)
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(water trickling)
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(water trickling)
So in this video I'm not just going to tell you
what this is and the benefits, but I'll also show you
all the tricks I learned growing up in Argentina,
so you can be prepared for your next South American trip.
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What's this? This is called Mate, the most popular
infusion in Argentina and countries nearby,
such as Uruguay, who can literally drink this 24/7,
Paraguay and Brazil.
In other words, it's like a tea made from Yerba Mate leaves,
that, besides being super tasty,
it has some very interesting health benefits.
So let's start from the beginning then,
as always, I'll explain this in three parts.
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The story begins with the indigenous people from the
forests of Paraguay, the Guarani, and Southern Brazil,
the Tupi.
They found this herb, they believed it was from the Gods,
and they use it mostly for physical stamina.
So they also believe that Yerba Mate was a gift given
to them to sustain life, increase vitality
and heal the sick.
In fact, there was some truth here because this herb,
Yerba Mate, contains xanthines, acting as stimulants,
which can also be found in tea, coffee
and chocolate, for example.
And it's an anti-oxidant powerhouse,
so you know what this means?
Boosting energy, mental focus,
enhanced physical performance, other benefits as well.
The stimulant properties of this beverage became
very popular with Argentinian gauchos, who sipped
Yerba Mate, for example to boost their energy
during cattle drives, long harvest days.
This cowboy coffee was sipped in the morning
and at night around the campfire.
A shared gourd was passed around and sipped in fellowship,
as meals were prepared.
So to be clear, the Yerba Mate is cultivated only in
three countries in the world.
Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.
Brazil and Argentina are the biggest players as they
export 90% of all the Yerba in the world.
And the top three countries that are buying this are,
Uruguay, Chile and Syria.
Don't ask me more details about Syria because I have no
clue how or why they like it so much.
Then there's other countries such as Germany, the US
and Spain that they also buy Yerba, but to be fair,
there's a lot of Argentinians living in those countries,
so I'm not sure to what extent locals like it.
In Argentina the plant is cultivated mainly in the
Misiones province, 90% of the production come from there.
Where the trees prosper because it's humid and the climate
is sub-tropical, so they grow to approximately,
12 to 15 meters tall before being harvested.
Also if you are wondering, the other 10% of the
production comes from Corrientes province.
Yerba Mate leaves are similar to wine in their
aging process, which can take anywhere from one month,
to three years to age, depending on the variety.
From germination to packaging it takes approximately
five years to harvest just one crop of Yerba Mate.
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Mate is not just the equivalent of a cup of tea
that other countries drink when they want,
for Argentinians Mate also has a ritual.
There's different situations that we typically drink it.
Let me share a very common one.
It is normally drunk in social settings, at family
gatherings or with friends.
The Mate cup and the bombilla, or bombilla,
shared between everyone.
One person's going to be serving the Mate,
and we call it the cebador.
- Cebador.
(laughing)
- And this person will take on the task of serving
and preparing the Mate, making sure that it is dust free
and it has good quality.
The cebador must always drink first.
(drink slurping)
Otherwise it can be considered bad manners,
as the drink may be too cool or to strong.
After the cebador has finished the first Mate,
he passes it to his right and the second person
will drink it and then pass it back to the cebador
once it's finished.
Unlike in England where I live, or in the US,
you are allowed to make a final slurping noise
on the bombilla,
to make sure all the liquid has been finished.
(drink slurping)
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(drink slurping)
Mm, so delicious.
The ritual then continues until the Mate has no
longer flavor, this is typically after 10 Mates or so.
It really depends on the size.
Of course you can pour 2 liters of water if you want,
but the Mate won't taste very good.
You'll also see that the Yerba is floating
and we call it lavada, like washed.
This means that it's time to change the Yerba and
prepare a fresh Mate again.
Some people like to sweeten Mate by adding sugar,
I'm not a big fan of this, the true gaucho would
probably say that, "if you add sugar, then you
don't like Mate".
Some people like to add lemon or orange peel as well,
personally I don't,
I'm a simple guy so I like simple things.
Believe it or not there's a lot of unwritten rules
that are considered rude to break.
The Mate is served in a gourd or calabaza with
hot water but traditionally you want to have around
75 to 80 degrees Celsius, so then your Mate has
slightly better flavor, but I must confess,
I like it closer to 90 to 95 degrees, which is very hot.
To the point that you can burn your tongue if your
not a local, so if you don't believe me see my
experience when I made my international friends
try Mate for the first time, a decade ago.
(camera shutter clicking)
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(camera shutter clicking)
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Or when Kristina's little nephew in Lithuania try it.
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The Mate is passed from person to person,
the process keeps going until there's no hot water left.
Only, say thanks once you're actually finished,
never during or before drinking,
and the most important thing,
never ever, ever, ever touch the bombilla,
except with your lips.
(drink slurping)
Because one tiny move can block it, which means
no water will flow anymore.
Locals are super, super sensitive about this.
It's true that we love drinking Mate with friends,
but it's also fair to say that, we are not
everyday with friends right?
So we drink Mate on our own as well.
For example, for me it's literally company,
I drink Mate pretty much all day.
When I was at university it used to be my company
whenever I had to study till very late.
And today still my best friend, when I work
on weekends and so on.
It became an extension of my hand.
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Step One.
Heat the water to between 75 and 80 Celsius,
never boil the water, it loses flavor,
between us, I must confess I sometimes boil it,
because I like it very hot.
Just don't tell my Argentinian friends about this,
otherwise I might lose my passport.
Step two.
Fill the gourd or calabaza three quarters full
with the Yerba and shake it, making sure there's
no leaves stick, try to eliminate all the powder as well,
otherwise this will come with the water and
it won't be very nice.
Step three.
Tilt the gourd or calabaza about 45 degrees,
pour in the water, little by little, in a slow manner.
Step four.
Let the water and Yerba combine for a second.
Step five.
Insert the bombilla, pinching the end of the mouthpiece
with your thumb to avoid powder to enter.
Step six.
Keep pouring in the water, bit by bit, and let it brew.
Step seven.
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Enjoy.
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If you liked this video and found it helpful,
please feel free to press like and also let me know
in the comments what you think.
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please feel free to subscribe to the channel.
Thank you so much for watching and see you next week.
♪ What do I believe ♪
♪ What makes me feel it ♪
♪ To write you this song ♪
(drink slurping)
- Mm, I can literally drink all day.