Green Mate

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GREEN MATE CANCHEADA

(Traditional Drinking Herb)

Country of Origin: Brazil

Region: Mato Grosso

Shipping Port: Rio de Janeiro

Grade: Cancheada

Altitude: Below 1000’ feet

Manufacture Type: Traditional

Cup Characteristics: True gaucho flavor tending slightly bitter and wild. Mate is rich in mateine and was used as caffeine in Latin America before the advent of coffee. It remains very popular in Argentina and Brazil.

Infusion: Tending light and yellowish

Ingredients: Luxury green mate

Information:

Getting on the bad side of the Spanish Inquisition was definitely not a positive experience. People judged guilty of heresy found themselves in all sorts of shall we say, "uncomfortable" positions - stretched over the rack for example. Anyone and anything could come under scrutiny as a possible offence against the Catholic Church - even unfamiliar or "questionable" exotic foods. Once the Inquisition’s reach extended to Spanish holdings in the New World, Peru in particular, the consumption of mate amongst the native inhabitants was deemed questionable. Jesuits sent to missions deep in the countryside found people drinking what the Spanish called the "Herb from Paraguay" in copious amounts. They felt that the habit might be dangerous and in 1610 presented the herb to the Tribunal of the Holy Inquisition in Lima. Thankfully, mate was found perfectly fit for human consumption.

As the Jesuits became more familiar with the herb they began to promote its use as an alternative to chicha, an alcoholic drink made from the fruit of the algarrobo (carob tree). To this end the Jesuits became the first people to cultivate mate on plantations they developed on the grounds of their missions. (Previously mate was harvested wild from the jungles.) In 1645 they received permission to trade mate commercially and subsequently also became the first people to make real money from the herb. Their domination of the trade continued until 1767 when they were expelled from the country.

By the 1800s, enjoyment of Mate had become immensely popular throughout South America. Travelers’ accounts from the period describe the traditions and customs that had arisen to dictate how it was to be served and drunk. Thomas Woodbine Hinchliff, a British visitor wrote the following in 1863: "Up the country in every shepherd’s hut where a traveler stops to rest himself and his horse, the good woman of the house instantly retires to make mate for the new visitor, who would be considered something of a barbarian if he declined the delicacy…" Depending on how mate was served, it was called by various names. Without sugar it was called mate cimarrón. Brewed cold it was known as mate tereré and with milk and sugar mate misqui.

Today the popularity of drinking mate continues to grow, especially in North America. As it does, the number of varieties available on international markets likewise increases – this unfermented green mate Cancheada is a fabulous example. The cup is raw, with slightly bitter overtones and imparts a world of history with each sip.

Traditional method: Mate is traditionally prepared in a hollowed calabash gourd known as a mate or guampa. The gourd is packed anywhere from 1/2 to 2/3 full of leaf and then filled with hot, but not boiled water. (70 - 80ºC / 160 - 180ºF) Next, a stylized silver straw tipped with a built in strainer, the bombadillo, is inserted into the gourd. The brewed mate is sipped through the bombadillo. Once finished, the mate may re-brew upwards of 10 times.

Hot tea brewing method: Bring freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 teaspoon of tea for each cup into a teapot. Fill with boiled water. Cover and let steep for 3-7 minutes according to taste (the longer it steeps the stronger the tea).

Iced tea-brewing method: (to make 1 liter/quart): Place 6 teaspoons of tea into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Pour 1 1/4 cups of freshly boiled water over the tea. Steep for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the leaves. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste. [A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to double the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water].

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