How to make Yerba mate without a gourd?
You might not have known, but there are many different ways you can enjoy Yerba mate without a gourd. You can still get the benefits of Yerba mate by checking out the methods below.
Making Yerba mate without a gourd is not the end. If you don’t have a gourd, you can still make mate a few different ways. If you’re a tea drinker, you can use any tea strainer, tea infuser, or teapot. As for coffee drinkers, you can use your coffee maker, an AeroPress, any Chemex or pour-overs, Moka pot, and even an espresso machine or french press.
Since there are so many ways to make yerba mate without a gourd, I’ve listed the best way for each of the ten methods below.
Tea strainer
If you plan on using a tea strainer, put 2-3 teaspoons of loose-leaf Yerba mate into a strainer, place over an 8 oz cup, wet the Yerba with lukewarm water pouring hot water (80 – 100°F / 27 – 38°C) over the leaves and through the strainer. 2-3 teaspoons seem to be a great baseline, but you can up the amount if it’s too light for you.
The good thing about a tea strainer is it’s more of an “on the go” method. You can bring a strainer and some Yerba mate with you and load up some Yerba mate into a strainer and quickly discard the leaves. This is my all-time favorite way to make Yerba mate without a gourd. Even if you prefer a gourd, this method is perhaps just as good!
Tea infuser
Tea infusers are very similar to using a strainer, but every six ounces of water requires 2-3 teaspoons of Yerba mate. The best infuser for Yerba mate, in my opinion, would be a bottle infuser. It’s much easier to control the steep time since most bottle infusers have a chamber at the top or bottom.
The steep times will vary based on the bitterness you’re looking for, but for a small guide, 3-5 minutes is what I find most people enjoy. After you find stop steeping, remove the infuser, and cool before taking your first sip. Yerba mate is great for multiple infusions, so you may enjoy it more than once if you wanted.
Teapot
You can also make yerba mate in a teapot using the same method to create a regular teapot. If you don’t have a built-in infuser, you can still steep yerba mate using a tea strainer. For this process, fill the strainer with yerba mate for your brew. However, keep in mind yerba mate expands when wet, don’t pack your strainer too much. You may need to limit the size depending on how much yerba mate can easily fit in the tea strainer. If you don’t have a strainer, you can also use a coffee filter as a strainer.
Coffee maker
Making Yerba mate without a gourd surprisingly produces interesting alternatives such as a coffee maker. Not only is a coffee maker quick and convenient. It’s a great way to make a large batch quickly. Add 1-2 tablespoon of yerba mate per 8 ounces into a coffee filter and brew as you normally would. Be cautious not to overfill, as yerba mate expands when soaked and can overflow easily. While it is entirely reasonable to brew yerba mate in a coffee maker, it may not be the best choice. The intense flavor of coffee is hard to get out of a coffee pot. Yerba mate made with a coffee pot will have a notable hint of coffee.
AeroPress
You might not have known that this space-age contraption can brew yerba mate using the standard AeroPress brewing method. First, take your AeroPress and pop the filter into the cap. Use some water to wet your filter and cap and twist it in place. Next, take the cylindrical tube, place it over your mug, brew the Yerba mate as you would coffee, only adding about 2.5 tablespoons, and plunge the finished yerba mate into your cup. That’s about it.
Chemex or any pour-over
Here’s another great way to make Yerba mate without a gourd. Yerba mate can be made with a Chemex or pour-over brings out an incredible taste, drawing out some of the same flavors that a gourd would.
Start by adding 1-2 tablespoons of Yerba mate to every cup of water and place it into a coffee filter (a metal filter works as well). When making pour-over Yerba mate, it is best to wet it with a bit of cold water since yerba mate expands when soaked. Let it soak for about a minute, gently pouring over hot water in a circular motion to wet evenly.
Once the water has reached the top half, stop pouring and let some water filter through. Continuously add hot water until you have filled an 8 oz cup of yerba mate. You can reuse the batch to make a few more cups or until the flavor is diluted.
Moka pot
Moka pot coffee is known to be very bitter, which luckily for Yerba mate, it’s also naturally bitter. You need just enough Yerba mate to fill the basket slightly mounded, which is about 2.5 Tablespoons for a 4-cup Moka pot.
Start by leveling the basket surface off, brushing away any loose grounds on the top of the basket. Put the Moka pot on the stove. It would help if you left the top lid open while heating the pot. The Yerba mate will begin to come out just like a coffee batch, and you should hear puffing sounds and see the yerba mate tea.
Once you have a decent amount of tea, run under cold water to stop extracting. Do this to prevent the Yerba mate from developing a metallic taste. Pour into a cup. You may want to dilute with water, depending on the bitterness of the tea. Moka pots are one of the top 5 ways I enjoy Yerba mate without a gourd.
Espresso machine
You can easily brew Yerba mate in most espresso machines, granted a little unusual, and a different tasting mate. Some of my favorite recipes are made with an espresso machine and Yerba mate, especially if you like adding things to your teas, such as sugar, brown sugar, honey, orange peels, hibiscus, raspberry, and lemon.
To make a Yerba mate espresso, start by filling the basket with about 1.5 tablespoons, then moisten with a bit of cold water to expand the leaves. If the yerba mate is tightly packed, it could be hazardous once it expands. Make sure only to fill a third of the basket. Just like a Moka pot, you can dilute the mate espresso with warm water till desired bitterness.
French press
Surprisingly, preparing Yerba mate with a french press is pretty quick and straightforward. Like coffee, preparing yerba mate in a french press is pretty much the same process.
Start by adding 1-2 tablespoons per cup, making sure to soak with cold water to cover all of the leaves as it expands when wet. After filling your french press with hot water, wait for 2 minutes, then plunge. You should start seeing a yellow-brown liquid no need to dilute as about two tablespoons produce a nice rich flavor. This method of Yerba mate without a gourd is what a lot of people will recommend.
Teabags
Although it’s a method of making Yerba mate, teabags (also called mate cocido) are another great way to enjoy it. Enjoying Yerba mate without a gourd doesn’t have to end there.
Like any teabag, you’d prepare it by placing it in a mug and letting it steep for a few minutes. Compared to traditional, the taste will be a lot different. Teabags have a very mild Yerba mate flavor. If you aren’t accustomed to Yerba mate’s bitterness but still want to get the benefits, this is a perfect method. Not only more convenient to prepare, but they’re also very cheap. You can find Yerba mate teabags on amazon for around $10-20.
Conclusion
Any appliance or device you use for your coffee or teas can be used to make Yerba mate without a gourd. Still, if you haven’t tried Yerba mate with a gourd and bombilla, you’re missing out!
If you’re thinking about getting a gourd and bombilla, I’d recommend going on amazon and grabbing a silicone gourd and bombilla set with a cleaning brush as they’re affordable. That way, you can get into drinking Yerba mate traditionally and start your gourd collection.
