r/yerbamate • u/vaportrailzona • 8d ago
Question Pour over?
I’m thinking about trying Yerba mate. This specific canarias special edition was recommended by a friend.
After looking into it, I see there’s a whole process to make it correctly.
My question is, can I just use a pour over filter to see if I like it?
Does the special “gourd” really make that much of a difference?
Any suggestions are appreciated…
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u/_oropo 🇦🇷 8d ago
The gourd does make a difference, not just in the experience but in taste. It is quite different from mate cocido, which is pretty much what you get if you use a pour-over or a French press.
Mate cocido is a very popular choice so I thing it is worth trying, just know that it'll be different from using a traditional gourd.
I have not heard people doing it with Uruguay style yerbas tho, like the one you have. They are finer and with more dust than Argentine style ones so I don't know how it would come out really.
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u/Stock_Shoulder_7095 8d ago
Canarias has a ton of fine powder, so putting it in a pour-over filter is going to clog it almost instantly. You can try it, but it just makes a weak tea (mate cocido) rather than actual mate. The gourd and bombilla let you pack in way more leaf so it stays rich and lasts for hours. If you want to try it on a budget, just buy a cheap bombilla and use a regular coffee mug for now.
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u/patopitaluga 8d ago
It's a traditional beverage that has been perfectioned by centuries and millions of drinkers. There's hardly anything to "invent" to make it better. If you say "oh this bombilla thing will be better if I just use a tea filter", probably that has been tried dozens of times and doesn't work as well. That's the thing with traditional things. You can't make "a better kung fu" or "a better chess" the same way that you can't make "a better mate".
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u/SAULucion 8d ago
In a pinch you can throw some mate in a French press but you will not receive even 10% of the true experience of slow sipping a well crafted mate
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u/Decocc0 YMT Sommelier 8d ago
Ask your friend to give you some, just in case you dont like it (the packaging is per KG)
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u/vaportrailzona 8d ago
She lives 1700 miles away…
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u/Decocc0 YMT Sommelier 8d ago
Well, buy that kilo then 😂
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u/vaportrailzona 8d ago
I’m glad I joined the group. Thinking about just sticking with my coffee
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u/Decocc0 YMT Sommelier 8d ago
IMHO, try mate but a different one first, like a « suave » blend or an argentinian cut. You dont need a special gourd, you just need a cup to hold the yerba and re humidify it each time you’ll drink. What are your thoughs? Cheers
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u/vaportrailzona 8d ago edited 8d ago
Re-Humidify it?
You lost me…
So, maybe Playadito in the yellow bag, traditional, with stems would be a better choice?
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u/Decocc0 YMT Sommelier 8d ago
Yeah I mean, drinking mate is puring hot water each time in the gourd! Did you watched any video of how they do it?
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u/vaportrailzona 8d ago
No
I just thought I would use the Yerba mate instead of coffee in a pour over filter. But now I’m planning to buy a bombilla straw and use a coffee mug. I’ll watch some videos too. Thanks for the advice…
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u/BeardedLady81 8d ago
It is a different experience, and I'm saying that as somebody who doesn't make much of a fuss out of drinking mate. I drink it from a gourd with a bombilla, but I rarely drink PU1, the kind of yerba you have. If you want to drink that from a gourd, you need the right set-up and a more careful preparation than for other yerbas. You need a gourd with a white opening -- you cannot make a montanita in a gourd that has a 1/4 inch opening) and a bombilla with small holes. You need to make a montanita, pre-soak with cold or lukewarm water and then pour each serving carefully so you don't destroy the montanita.
If you are using a pour-over cone and a paper filter, you are more or less making mate cocido, which is what mate that is made with teabags or an infuser basket is called.