As temperatures soar, we ought to give our bodies a little helping hand and it’s the perfect time to experiment with different cool drinks to keep ourselves hydrated. Lately we’ve been brewing what the South Americans locally call Terere (Iced Yerba Mate) and we’re slowly discovering why it’s referred to as the drink of the Gods. If you’re hearing the words Yerba Mate for the first time, here’s all you need to know about it.
One of the easiest, no-fuss methods to brew tea and herbs is to cold brew them overnight in the fridge. Cold brews produce a mellow and smoother tasting drink with minimal effort and very little room for error. If you’d like to know why we prefer the cold brew method over the hot brew one for preparing iced teas, and the main differences between the two, here’s a quick read.
With only 2 simple steps to follow, cold brew Yerba Mate has got to be the easiest energizer drink to prepare.
- Infuse 2g of Yerba Mate into 200ml of room temperature water and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.
- The next morning strain the concentrate and use as desired.
Yerba Mate can be had as is, poured over ice, but we recommend zesting it up in one of the following ways:
- Add in herbs and spices of your choice such as fennel, mint, coriander, holy basil, lemongrass, ginger or even chamomile. Feel free to experiment as Yerba Mate’s malty and earthy flavour make it easy to pair myriad flavours with it.
- Add in 60 ml of Yerba Mate concentrate in a tall glass + 30 ml of fruit juice and top it up with chilled water and ice cubes. Citrus juices like orange, tangerine, lemon, grapefruit pair best. You can add sweetener of your choice if desired and adjust sweetness based on the juice used.
In addition to being super tasty, this iced Yerba Mate drink also gives you an energy boost. It is rich in vitamins, minerals and is loaded with antioxidants making it the only drink you need to keep you hydrated all summer long. So brew your own Terere (Iced Yerba Mate) and come to life with this energizing drink!
