How to brew Yerba mate
Yerba mate from Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay (it has caffeine).
Boiling water makes yerba mate bitter and grassy, so it's brewed well below boiling, around 75°C (167°F). Unlike most herbal drinks, it contains caffeine.
Starting recipe
| Setting | Western (mug or teapot) | Gourd or small pot |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 149–180°F (65–82°C) | 149–180°F (65–82°C) |
| Leaf | 1.5–3 g per 100 ml | 4–7 g per 100 ml |
| Steepdial starts at | 167°F (75°C) · 5 g · 250 ml | 167°F (75°C) · 5 g · 100 ml |
| First steep | 2:00–6:00 | 0:15–1:00 |
| A whole session | 4:00 · 5:00 | 0:30 · 0:30 · 0:45 · 1:00 · 1:30 |
The details
Rinse
Not needed. Start with the first steep.
Drinking window
Keeps well: at its best for about 12 months once opened.
Caffeine
Contains caffeine. How much depends on the leaf, the water temperature and the steep time; the style alone is a poor guide.
Iced and cold brew
Cold brew: 1.5 g per 100 ml of cold water, in the fridge for about 8 hours. Keep it cold and drink it within a day or two. For iced tea now, brew a concentrated hot cup (the same leaf in half the water) and pour it over an equal weight of ice; Steepdial accounts for the ice in the total water.
How Steepdial adjusts
After a session you tap what you'd change: more flavor, less bitter, less drying. Steepdial changes one thing at a time, staying near the ranges above, and remembers what worked for that tea.
Short steeps and pour time
The first gongfu steep is 0:30. If your pot takes several seconds to empty, start pouring a little early, or turn on the pour cue in Steepdial.
More herbal / tisane
The whole guide →Flowers
Chamomile, lavender, rose, linden
199–212°F (93–100°C) · 0.6–2 g per 100 ml→Herbal / tisaneLeaves and mints
Peppermint, spearmint, lemon verbena, nettle
199–212°F (93–100°C) · 0.6–2 g per 100 ml→Herbal / tisaneRooibos and honeybush
Red or green rooibos, honeybush
203–212°F (95–100°C) · 1–2.5 g per 100 ml→Herbal / tisaneHibiscus and fruit
Hibiscus, rosehip, dried fruit blends
203–212°F (95–100°C) · 1–2.5 g per 100 ml→Herbal / tisaneRoots and barks
Ginger, cinnamon, licorice, turmeric
203–212°F (95–100°C) · 1–4 g per 100 ml→Herbal / tisaneGuayusa and yaupon
Guayusa from Ecuador, yaupon holly from the southeastern US (they have caffeine)
176–212°F (80–100°C) · 1.5–3 g per 100 ml→