They say it gives the
energy boost of coffee, has the health benefits of tea and the endorphin buzz
of chocolate. It is the national drink of Argentina, beloved by the pope and,
thanks to coach Mauricio Pochettino, half of the Tottenham Hotspur dressing
room. And now the England dressing room, too.
Spurs and England
defender Eric Dier, said this week that he is a little bit addicted to it. If
his advocacy is anything to go by, mate tea could soon become as popular in
Britain as it is in South America.
It is made by steeping
the dried leaves of a Paraguayan holly plant in hot water, and is drunk from a
cup-like gourd through a metal straw known as a bombilla, which also functions
as an in-cup tea strainer. And while it may be an acquired taste – its flavour
is best described as somewhere between a grassy green tea and a bergamot-less
Earl Grey – its main attraction is that it is not only good for you, but makes
you feel great.
That its energy boost
is akin to coffee is not surprising: mate (also known as yerba mate) contains
just over half the caffeine of the average americano. But mate drinkers don’t
experience the jitters, sleeplessness or the energy crashes that plague the
coffee fan. Enthusiasts also claim it helps improve mental acuity and aids digestion.
In the words of the Pasteur Institute, which publiched a study of it back in
1964: “It
is difficult to find a plant equal to mate’s nutritional value.”
All of which makes one
wonder why it has taken so long for it to catch on in the UK. Perhaps because
it is marketed as a health food instead of South America’s best-kept secret?
Still, if Dier keeps singing mate’s praises, it surely can’t be long before the
rest of us stick a brew on.
How to make mate
• Heat water to
no more than 85C.
• Half fill your
gourd with the tea then, with a hand over the top, shake it upside down to
bring the finer, powdery bits of leaf to the top.
• Turn the gourd
up and remove your hand. You want the mate to be piled up along one side. At
this point, some people wet the mate with cold water, others don’t. Now you’re
ready to brew.
• Add the hot
water until the mate is almost completely, but not quite, covered.
• Drinking mate
is a social thing, where the gourd and bombilla are shared: the first brew is
drunk by the brewer to make sure it is up to par.
• Re-brew the
same leaves again and again until they lose their flavour, and everyone has had
enough.
From The Guardian
