Super awesome premium gourmet yerba mate?
July 2, 2010 6:06 PM Subscribe
Best yerba mate?
When I drink tea I get really great stuff from Rishi or some of the nicer NYC tea shops. Coffee seems to have an even more robust premium market...but all the yerba mate I seem to find is fairly generic. Is there some good stuff I'm missing out on?
When I drink tea I get really great stuff from Rishi or some of the nicer NYC tea shops. Coffee seems to have an even more robust premium market...but all the yerba mate I seem to find is fairly generic. Is there some good stuff I'm missing out on?
Mate by the kilo, rather than the teabag, seems to be way better and way cheaper. That is, if you have the apparatus and the dedication to do the whole sifting / low-temp water / bombilla affair.
posted by tmcw at 9:48 PM on July 2, 2010
posted by tmcw at 9:48 PM on July 2, 2010
Rosamonte, Taragui, and Cruz De Malta are all good brands that I like. But I'm an everyday drinker and am not looking for the premium experience. Guayaki is too expensive for me, but it has premium cache you are looking for? Pixie mate is pretty hip too.
I'd get the version without stems (sin paolo) since it tends to be a bit less bitter.
posted by cross_impact at 12:03 AM on July 3, 2010
I'd get the version without stems (sin paolo) since it tends to be a bit less bitter.
posted by cross_impact at 12:03 AM on July 3, 2010
Oh yeah, and for the "super awesome premium" experience, do the whole mate gourd thing. Buy and cure your own gourd, get a bombilla, and drink it the old fashioned way. One step down is Mate Cocido, where you steep it like tea. When I'm in a hurry, I make it in my drip coffee maker like coffee.
But if you go the mate cocido route, use loose leaf mate. Mate tea bags are every bit as good as coffee tea bags are.
posted by cross_impact at 12:10 AM on July 3, 2010
But if you go the mate cocido route, use loose leaf mate. Mate tea bags are every bit as good as coffee tea bags are.
posted by cross_impact at 12:10 AM on July 3, 2010
First , I'm assuming you've got a gourd and bombilla setup -- you're just not going to get the same flavor from a teabag/teaball (mate cocido).
Depending on the kind of bombilla you've got, you have to pick a yerba that works with it. Generally Argentines drink yerba con palo, which has larger pieces in it and can be drunk with a bombilla with larger holes in the strainer. My favorite is Rosamonte Selección Especial -- nice and smoky. Amanda's good too.
Uruguayans and (I think) southeastern Brazilians tend to prefer yerba sin palo -- a finer, dustier yerba with most of the larger pieces broken down or removed. You need a fine-meshed bombilla for this or you're going to drink mouthfuls of grit. This is generally a stronger flavor, and it takes more practice to figure out the pouring and serving technique, but it's worth it. Canarias is my favorite brand - they have a strong (yellow bag) and a milder (suave, green bag) version.
posted by dr. boludo at 5:39 AM on July 3, 2010
Depending on the kind of bombilla you've got, you have to pick a yerba that works with it. Generally Argentines drink yerba con palo, which has larger pieces in it and can be drunk with a bombilla with larger holes in the strainer. My favorite is Rosamonte Selección Especial -- nice and smoky. Amanda's good too.
Uruguayans and (I think) southeastern Brazilians tend to prefer yerba sin palo -- a finer, dustier yerba with most of the larger pieces broken down or removed. You need a fine-meshed bombilla for this or you're going to drink mouthfuls of grit. This is generally a stronger flavor, and it takes more practice to figure out the pouring and serving technique, but it's worth it. Canarias is my favorite brand - they have a strong (yellow bag) and a milder (suave, green bag) version.
posted by dr. boludo at 5:39 AM on July 3, 2010
Based on my unscientific polling of the local supermarket here in Buenos Aires, there seems to be an even split on the Palo / Sin Palo issue. The 3 brands cross_impact mentions are all favourites over here and take up a lot of shelf space.
I do agree on the mate (gourd) / bombilla thing, you definitely need to drink it that way. Wikipedia has a detailed article on the etiquette of Mate, but the main points for me are adding a little cold water before the hot goes in so the yerba is not burned and not drowning the leaves in water. Little and often is the way.
posted by jontyjago at 9:11 AM on July 3, 2010
I do agree on the mate (gourd) / bombilla thing, you definitely need to drink it that way. Wikipedia has a detailed article on the etiquette of Mate, but the main points for me are adding a little cold water before the hot goes in so the yerba is not burned and not drowning the leaves in water. Little and often is the way.
posted by jontyjago at 9:11 AM on July 3, 2010
My wife ordered a sampler from a site called MyMateWorld. They have descriptions of the comparative flavors of some of the varieties they sell. In the end I'm just back to Cruz de Malta or Guayakì depending on where I am when I remember to buy more. But if you want to really explore, that site seems like it's up your alley; lots of organic versions too.
posted by xueexueg at 9:48 AM on July 3, 2010
posted by xueexueg at 9:48 AM on July 3, 2010
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posted by hortense at 7:50 PM on July 2, 2010