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Yerba mate has a deep, distinguished earthy flavor. It’s certainly an acquired taste, much like coffee.
Some people drink yerba mate straight and unsweetened. But many regular yerba mate drinkers enjoy adding a little sweetener or flavor to their yerba mate to brighten things up.
Here are our favorite ways to sweeten and flavor yerba mate to make it taste even more delicious!
Sweetener Option #1 - Honey
Sweetening tea with honey is a tried and true method and it certainly works well with yerba mate. It’s probably also the easiest, as it takes a quick squeeze of the honey bottle and you’re done.
The amount of honey comes down to personal preference, but we recommend a heaping teaspoon of honey.
Not only is honey our sweetener of choice, but honey has health benefits similar to yerba mate.
Sweetener Option #2 - Lemon
The earthy bitter flavor of yerba mate pairs well with sugars and acids. Lemons contain a small amount of naturally occurring sugar along with citric acid, making it the perfect addition to a cup of yerba mate.
Lemon is one of the fruits frequently added to yerba mate in South America.
We recommend cutting one lemon into four wedges. Squeeze the juice of one lemon into your cup of yerba mate and then drop the wedge into the mug to let it brew even more flavor into your cup!
Sweetener Option #3 - Orange
Oranges contain more sugar and less acid than lemons, making them ideal for sweetening yerba mate as well. If you want a bit more flavor and sweetness than a lemon can provide, sweetening your cup of yerba mate with an orange is a great option.
It’s also very popular in South America to sweeten yerba mate with orange.
We recommend cutting an orange into four wedges. Squeeze the juice of one wedge into your cup and then drop it into your yerba mate to let it brew even more sweetness and flavor.
Sweetener Option #4 - Stevia Leaf
Stevia leaf comes in two forms - the actual leaf of the stevia plant, and powdered stevia leaf. Both work fine to subtly sweeten yerba mate, but we believe the actual stevia leaf brews more evenly and doesn’t require stirring.
The big positive with stevia leaf is that it’s zero calories and zero sugar. If you’re watching your sugar intake, stevia leaf may be a great option to sweeten your cup of yerba mate.
What’s The Best Way To Brew Yerba Mate?
These sweetener options above will work with all yerba mate brewing methods. Here are the three most popular brewing methods for yerba mate:
Gourd & Bombilla
Yerba mate has been brewed in a gourd and consumed through a filtered straw called a bombilla for over 600 years. To say this is the most traditional method of consuming yerba mate would be an understatement. It’s not just a tradition but an experience.
Unfortunately not everyone has a gourd and bombilla. They aren’t too popular outside of South America. Additionally, drinking hot liquids through a straw such as a bombilla poses burn risks to your mouth and throat. Repeated burning of those areas increases your risk of throat cancer, which is something to be aware of.
Loose Leaf Tea & Strainer
Tea strainers are fairly popular and are a perfectly good way to brew loose leaf yerba mate as well. It does take a little more effort than normal tea bags to brew and clean up, but it can yield one tasty cup of yerba mate.
Tea Bags
We believe the team here at Animate Yerba Mate has perfected yerba mate in a tea bag. From the tea bag material and volume to the yerba mate sourcing and blending, no detail was too small. The end result? The most delicious and convenient cup of yerba mate around.
Revitalize Your Day With Animate Yerba Mate!
Whether you need a quick pick-me-up to battle the midday slump at work, or you are taking a break from coffee but still need that boost of focus and energy, yerba mate is the answer.
And if you want the purest unsmoked organic yerba mate, look no further than Animate Yerba Mate.
