Uruguayan yerba mate
Each country has a type of yerba mate. Some opt for those that are greener, with more sticks and less dust. In the case of Uruguay, currently, there are all types of yerba but the classic ones continue to prevail.
Its characteristics are varied but there are some that unites them: the bitter taste. For the average Uruguayan, mate must and must be bitter. That is why the market has not changed so much in that regard, despite the fact that there are other options.
What are the features?
1- Taste
As we said before, Uruguayan herbs will always be bitter because it is a consumer type that bets on that type of classic taste. This does not mean that it cannot be composed or smooth, on the contrary, there are increasingly more and more of those.
2- Without sticks
Most of the local herbs do not have sticks, because they are not made for tereré and it is not intended for the mate to be washed quickly. If we look at Argentina, for example, they do have more sticks in their feed because they have no problem with the bitter taste going away quickly.
In addition, herbs that do not have stems are more bitter.
3- With powder
In other countries, at the time of preparing mate the dust that remains in the hand is removed. However, in Uruguay it is not a custom and may be considered as a rare thing.
4- Do not wash
The distinguishing factor of Uruguayan herbs is that they are not washed quickly, and referring to this, we point out to the initial point: it is necessary for it to be bitter in order to achieve this characteristic.
Another important point is that what we mentioned above are only four peculiarities of the Uruguayan yerba mate, but this can vary depending on the objective that is had when making the mate.
That is, some prefer a softer mate, others like to innovate and that is why they try different herbs. The classic, by far, will always be the Canarias.
There are even those who take the infusion with a goal such as losing weight, playing sports or supplementing their diet. There are others who prefer their mate sweet and that is why we leave you a guide on how to prepare it in case you want to try it.
How to prepare a sweet mate?
How sweet, how bitter. That Uruguayan or that Argentine. Mate is a companion but also divides crowds due to its different forms. One of those that has gained ground in recent times has been the sweet mate.
This is an ideal companion that is usually on the table in many houses, especially those who are younger and used to drink it with their grandparents. Based on those memories, some want to repeat the experience of a sweet mate again.
A question that often comes up is how it is prepared. We are going to leave you a basic guide to make this type of mate.
The recipe to prepare sweet mate has many points that make it similar to bitter, however some ingredients change the taste, which is essential in this type of infusion. One of the characteristics that sweet mate has is that it is usually taken in more relaxed settings.
1- The water
This is the first element to take into account when making the sweet mate. In the ideal, the hot water must be at 70ºC to be served in the thermos. In addition, once this element is full, the ideal is to place some natural temperature water to prevent people from burning.
2- The grass
This is, as in all mate, the vedette. In sweet mate, the position of the yerba does not matter as much as it does in the bitter one. Indeed, when you are going to make the sweet mate, do not worry so much about the mountain, since this will not change the taste.
As for the type of yerba, those that are not very strong or rather neutral are recommended. It is not at all favorable for your sweet mate to put yerba in it for bitter mate, because it will be very ugly.
3- The sweetener
What gives the mate its sweetness is the key element, since it is the base of the infusion. Those of the old school usually add sugar and other stevias. There are two ways to put the sweetener: in each feeding or directly in the thermos water.
What is the difference? In the first case, you can put the amount you want depending on how sweet or not you want to take it.
As for the second way, the big difference is that it will always have the same amount of sugar or stevia.
It should also be noted that if it is a gathering of friends, people can ask for more or less sweetness.
How do you take sweet mate?
This is a question that many are trying to find answers to, since it is not that common to acquire the practice of doing it regularly. The key is to prepare it well and enjoy the sweetness that everyone wants it to have.
The yerba will be washed almost immediately and you will not have to worry about some details that the ritual of drinking bitter mate has, because in this case it is not necessary to pay attention to the mountain or to turn it over.
Some people tend to give it a more personal touch and flavor it with yerba mate, coffee or ginger. In addition, others add lemon or orange peel. The peculiarity is that all the combinations are valid, but it is necessary to be careful in the three elements that we mentioned before.