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Here we have all you need to prepare your Yerba Mate. A nice wooden gourd, (I like these better than the natural gourds because you do not get as much mold if you forget to clean out your gourd right after you're finished.), a thermos, Yerba and a Bombilla.
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Here is a fresh bag of yerba just opened. Oh, can you smell the fresh herb? Lovely!!! My favorite brand which is pictured here is Rosamonte Especial! My absolute favorite! I have tried many different brands over the years and I always come back to Rosamonte.
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I just had to take a close up shot of this wonderful Yerba! I can't tell you how good this stuff is with words. You're just going to have to try it! Important tip!: Be sure to shake the bag prior to filling your gourd each time. This will prevent being left with Yerba dust when you get to the bottom of the bag.
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This is the beginning of the process. I am going to walk you through how to get your Yerba ready for brewing. Fill your gourd up to a little less then 3/4 full. You need to make sure you have room for water.
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OK, here we have the Yerba in the gourd all ready to go.
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You need to make sure you have a good steep slope of Yerba in the gourd. You want it sitting at an angle so you have a nice reservoir for the water.
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With the Yerba in the gourd, go ahead and tip the gourd toward the palm of your hand...
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Then slowly tilt it back trying to maintain a steep slope on the Yerba.
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It should look like this when your done.
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This is a Bombilla, you want to call it a straw I know, but it's not. It's a Bombilla!
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You generally use your Bombilla to suck the water through the Yerba, but in this case it has a double purpose. I use the Bombilla to set the gourd on so it can set in a tilted position.
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There are many different types of Bombillas. I have tried them ALL! In the photo above you can see four different types. The one on the bottom I have had the best luck with and is my favorite! It's the Bombilla that clogs the least.
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Water temperature is very important when it comes to brewing Yerba Mate. There are of course, many ways you can make hot water. What I have found, is if you brew water with a coffee maker, the temperature of the hot water comes out just perfect!
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So, once your pot of water is finihsed brewing quickly pour it into a thermos. I like the thermos you see here because it's really easy to pour out the water. You just press the read button on top and the water comes out the side. Very convenient because you will do a lot of pouring when you drink Yerba Mate.
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So now your water is nice and hot and ready to go. Very slowly pour some hot water into the reservoir area you so carefully made. Let is soak into the tea. Then pour just a little more and let it soak in some more. You might have to slowly pour three times. Pour, let it soak... pour, let it soak... pour, let it soak...
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It should look like you see here above. There should be some Yerba that is not wet at all. This is important to make the flavor last as you are drinking the Mate. Now at this point you are just going to let the water seep into the Yerba. Be patient. You will want to drink this right away, but let it sit for about 2-3 minsutes or so.
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