Yerba Mate tea, a guest post by Veronica C

Our favourite tea blogger Leah has asked me to write a guest post on mate, a south american infusion with roots that extend back to pre - colonial times. Being Uruguayan myself, that was a tall order.

Believe me, I've pondered a lot on what to focus this post about mate: its history, its chemistry, its benefits... but finally I've decided to write about what southern-bound visitors and infusion lovers won't easily read about: the very soul of mate.

Anyhow, some facts first.

To make mate you will first need yerba which translates "herb" to English, and this is where some misunderstandings begin. The word "herb" has some "illegal" connotations but in Spanish the word means just the dried leaves of a bush (Ilex paraguariensis) that grows in the heart of the continent. The production process include the industrial drying of the leaf that is then crushed and stationed for up to a year before being packaged to be consumed.

    Fresh yerba leaves

Infusion-ready product

Mate can be purchased on every retail corner of my country; In Argentina, Paraguay and southern Brazil, Bolivia and Chile. You can easily see there is a dimension on mate that goes beyond countries and nationalities, a common ground on people that share the same taste. It represents  the culture of whole continent.

Now imagine you live in the countryside, maybe as a Guarani native in pre colony times or a Gaucho in extensive cattle farms. When dawn breaks or dusk falls, the grassy hills surround you until the horizon and there is a sense of beauty but loneliness because this corner of the world has always been  sparsely populated.

This means, cows and dogs are keeping you company... not a very entertaining way to live.

So mate will be right there next to you, keeping you busy by the fire, preventing your feeling down and lonely. Scientists explain that the high caffeine level on the dry leaves keeps you away from depression and sleep (link here) but people like to say, the mate becomes your compañero (alas, in English, your soul mate).


The ceremony of mate:


Well, with the mate it is not exactly a japanese tea ceremony. The native Guaranis that began this tradition were rather simple people. Also the Spanish conquistadores and their descendants were rather tough people that would not invest too much time on it: after all it was supposed to be a way to sanitize water by filtering through layers of leaves.

Traditional mate should be drank out of a "calabaza" (dry pumpkin) like this one. It is fully recyclable and environmentally friendly.

The calabaza is filled 2/3ds with yerba and boiling water is poured on it. After it has soaked the yerba expands to almost fill the container and you are ready to sip the infusion through a metal straw.

Burning hot, bitter tasting, aromatic, earthy flavour filling your mouth and nostrills.

And your soul.


Different ways to drink mate:


In Uruguay: people go to public places carrying thermos and mates. You can pick out a uruguayan person in a huge crowd, because of this feature. Here are two pictures I took at the beach at the same time, notice most people sipping mate.

By the way, this is Punta del Este, a posh resort

In Argentina: drinking mate is more home-oriented. Hot water is poured out of a kettle, because it would be sipped more or less in a hurry before leaving for  work. Also, sugar is usually is mixed with yerba, something other southeners deride for being "childish".

Alone: already discussed this on the country side, but mate has found it's way to the urban environment and for instance is sipped by students trying to prevent falling asleep while cramming for tomorrow's exams.

In a group of people: well, I know this will seem disgusting to many of you, but good manners involve sipping the mate and passing it on to the person next to you. A total stranger or your closest friend or partner, whomever. Again, the high caffeine level will prompt lively conversation, jokes... you know, we latin americans like to talk a lot. And loud. Mate is defined as the beverage of friendship.

Mate cocido "cooked mate": For the rest of the world who does not want to get involved into the dry pumpkin, thermo and metal straw thing, you can drink it as an infusion. Bitter, earthy, very scant colour, it's not your usual camomile or your favorite tisane

Hope this posts brings to you a different approach to mate, but if you are looking for the traditional one, like Wikipedia here you can find it. Hasta pronto amigos!!

Iced Tea: Recipes for Spring!

Midsummer Night's Dream

When you think of Midsummer Night's Dream, you think of Shakespeare's work, right? After all, it's one of his most famous plays ever written. But before you begin to think about manipulative fairies of the forest and women falling in love with donkeys (yes that happens in the play) let me begin talking about today's review on David's Tea's 'Midsummer Night's Dream.' It's another herbal tea. I know I've already reviewed another excellent herbal tea, but the tea collection I have is at home in Wales and I won't get back to Wales until Sunday night! This will be the last review until Monday, when I have more time. Also, my cousin is going to mail me some Rooibos tea when I get back, which will be another great review. Rooibos is delicious! Let's start with the lovely photo of the tea, close up:

Beautiful, right? The green leaves you see are spearmint, and the large bits are apples and gooseberries. You can also see the red from the marigold flowers and safflowers. Of course the dark red dried petals are rose petals. On the package it says artificial flavoring is added. I did some research and apparently the artificial flavoring is actually orange oil. Okay, let's get to the good part. Have a look at the beautiful tea as it steeps:

I admit, this isn't the most beautiful tea when it's in with the hot water. I almost didn't post this photo, but it is what it is. Don't forget to put the lid on the tea pot as it steeps, it seals in the heat. Oh, also-I came across something quite nifty. David's tea sells filter cup liners (mug shaped) so you can use the liners like a tea bag. Just take an empty mug, put the tea liner in, put the tea and hot water in, wait the steep time, and take out the liner. Voila! You have perfectly steeped lose leaf tea. If you want to go more eco friendly, there's also several re-usable options out there. You can buy these items at a lot of home goods stores. Here's the link where you'll find them: Click! I've sent you to Amazon since there are several price ranges and several options. 

Let's get down to the taste of this tea. Citrusy, light, refreshing and so delicious! I was surprised at how delicious this tea is. I found that this tea is delicious without milk, however if you want to add milk to this tea it kind of tastes like an orange dreamcicle. For anyone who doesn't know what that is, not only is it amazingly delish, it's a childhood favorite. It's orange sorbet and vanilla icecream on top of one another in the form of a popsicle. I have to say, this is probably the best tea I've ever had and I've had a lot of tea. As usual, I tried this blend cold. It's just as good cold as well. In fact, cold it reminds me so much of a summer's night, and I think that's why they came up with the appropriate name for it. The gooseberries in the tea is really what gives it the amazing aroma and taste. I've had home grown gooseberries before and they are great to use with desserts. I never thought of adding it to tea but I'm glad David's thought of it. See below for the coloring of the tea.

Yes, it's kind of urine colored, but still worth it! I steep this tea for 7 minutes, because herbal and green teas are generally quite weak, as opposed to black tea, which is strong. This tea is a great choice if you want to have a hot drink before bed because it has no caffeine. I added one packet of Splenda to this tea and it really brings out the citrus flavors. If you don't like adding sugar or sugar substitutes, this tea is still very flavorful. Now onto the rating. I give this tasty tea a 5/5 because it is the best tea I've reviewed so far and I think I could genuinely drink this daily and not get tired of the taste. Any questions? leahknadeau@gmail.com

Tea Review #1: Strawberry Lemonade

Today I will be reviewing Teavanna's Strawberry Lemonade tea. It's an herbal blend that I tried for the first time last night. Last night I had it hot and today I had it over ice. I figured readers might like both ways, so I decided to review it for both cold drinkers and hot. Now, I love this blend of fruits because unlike black tea, herbal tea has no caffeine so I can drink it no matter what time of day it is. I know some readers might not have any issues with caffeine keeping them up late at night, but for me I know that's a big issue. It runs in the family too, if you were to give my Aunt Bev something that has caffeine in it but you told her it was decaf-she would call you up at 4 am and tell you that it's your fault she can't sleep! I don't blame her though, caffeine too late is known to cause you to toss and torn at night when you should be sound asleep.

Let's begin with what this tea blend looks like before it's submerged in hot water. Smelling it is an experience on its own. It's very sweet and aromatic.

Those big pieces are what makes up the sweet flavor of the tea. The biggest pieces of fruit on top there are apples, followed by strawberry pieces, rose petals, and marigold petals. After placing the tea above in the filter of my teapot, I pour boiling hot water over the tea and steep for 5 minutes. Here's what the tea looks like while steeping:

Let's get to the good part. After steeping this beauty for 5 minutes I poured one cup for me and one small cup for my mother. This tea has a light, citrusy taste and it isn't as sweet as it smells. I'd advise adding a tiny bit of sugar to really bring out the flavors of the apple, strawberry and rose petals. If you're craving something sweet but don't want the calories this is a great option for you. Don't fancy a hot drink? To me, this tea is even better cold. Just brew some normally and pour it into a pitcher or a cup and stick it in the fridge. However, if you want to add a little sugar I advise doing it before the tea cools down, because that way the sugar will mix into the tea better. If the tea is cold the sugar doesn't blend in all the way. If you don't want calories like I do, add some Sweet and Low or Splenda to get the sweeter taste without the calories. The colder version of this tea tastes a little more sweet and very refreshing. This tea reminds me of summer, I can't wait until it's warm out and I can drink some of this Strawberry Lemonade tea at the beach.

Tip: like Arnold Palmers? (half black iced tea, half lemonade) mixing this Strawberry lemonade tea with some black tea will make what tastes like an Arnold Palmer. Iced or hot, it all tastes delicious. I would recommend some Ceylon or English breakfast when it comes to black tea. Put both the Strawberry Lemonade tea and black tea into the same teapot and steep for 5 minutes. If you want it hot, serve regularly, or if you want it cold, stick it in the fridge for a couple hours for maximum enjoyment.

I give this tea 4 stars out of 5. The extra star would have been given, however I feel that the smell of the tea leads it to be more sweet than it actually tastes. It is a lot more citrusy than expected. Thanks for tuning in!

My next review will be on Blueberry Jam, a black tea with whole blueberries in it! Yum!
This is me having the Strawberry Lemonade tea below. Thanks for stopping by! :)

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