Gwydion Posted December 22, 2001 OK. I've got a few largish Ilex paraguariensis trees growing around the place (which I had forgot all about- silly me). I was wondering if anyone knew of or had any preparation techniques I could use to make the stuff suitable for consumption. So far, all I've been able to find out is that it's 'roasted' and then 'cured', which isn't so helpful, really. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Murple Posted December 22, 2001 I'm a big fan of yerba mate. I'd love to know where you found seeds/plants for sale, as I've had no luck! Anyway... there are 2 ways its prepared. One way is roasted & cured like you mentioned. I dont know the exact process. The roasted preparation has a milder, less bitter flavor. Of course, I think the bitterness is one of the most important parts of a good tasting mate... The other way is simply to dry the leaves. This is how I prefer it, as do many South American drinkers. Just dry the leaves and crumble them. If you're familiar with Japanese tea... the dried preparation is analogous to sen-cha (green tea) and the roasted is analogous to hoji-cha (roasted green tea). Makes me wonder what would happen if you had fresh yerba mate leaves and tried a fermenting process like they use to make black tea. I suspect if you could find a description of how the Japanese make hoji-cha, you could use that process for your yerba mate. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gwydion Posted December 23, 2001 Thanks Murple! Yeah, I'm a huge fan of Mate too. I got the plants off my father, who owns a nursery. He's only got one left for sale tho'. He's got a couple in the ground, but has trouble propagating them (he does it from cuttings). My theory is he's a lazy bastard (although I've had the same problem, the difference is that for him it's a job, for me it's a hobby). ;-) Hmmm. 'Sen-mate' and 'hoji-mate'. Suddenly the possibilities seem endless. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Torsten Posted December 23, 2001 I have a couple of small trees too and have failed dismally with propagation from cuttings. green soft cuttings are definitely useless. Not sure about woody ones yet cos I don't want to hack my larger plant, and the small one doesn't have any decent woody material yet. My larger plant produced some seed last season, which only just fell off a few weeks ago, even though it has flowered already. There will be much more seed this season and I will try to germinate this. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Justin Credible Posted July 17, 2015 Is it best to pick the seeds/berries while they are still red or wait for them to dry or drop from the tree? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roopey Posted July 30, 2015 One of my favorite cocktails is: Yerba Mate Mint Lemon Peel All brewed into a tea, sweetened with agave nectar, and chill. Then mix with lemonade and 100% agave tequila in equal parts. Garnish with lemon wedges and mint leaves. Great for parties, I just do up a big batch of it and people demolish it, and then it demolishes people. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Psiphi Posted July 30, 2015 One of my favorite cocktails is: Yerba Mate Mint Lemon Peel All brewed into a tea, sweetened with agave nectar, and chill. Then mix with lemonade and 100% agave tequila in equal parts. Garnish with lemon wedges and mint leaves. Great for parties, I just do up a big batch of it and people demolish it, and then it demolishes people. That sounds delicious! Mind sharing the proportions you use? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roopey Posted August 2, 2015 (edited) 4 parts Mate 3 parts Mint 1 part Lemon Peel Oh, and when I say Lemonade I mean fresh lemonade, like we make over here in the States, not Sprite. Edited August 2, 2015 by Roopey Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
