I’ve had a lot of people ask me about the Yerba Maté and Stevia tea “maté cocido” that my wife and I like to drink. So here is the information on where I buy the ingredients and the recipes I use to brew it.
My favorite type of Yerba Maté for brewing tea is “sin palo” (without the stems) and without added flavoring, like mint or lemon. If I’m going to drink tereré, I like to use yerba that does have stems and sometimes with different flavorings, like lemon or mint. I purchase the yerba from www.GoYerbaMate.com.
This is where I buy the Stevia online:
Either the “Super Sweet Organic Stevia Leaf – Cut” or the “Super Sweet Organic Stevia Leaf – Powder”
Either the “Stevia Leaf – cut and sifted” or the “Stevia Leaf – powder”
Here’s the recipe I use for brewing a quart of sweeter-tasting tea for Lisa:
3 tablespoons of Yerba Maté
1 tablespoon of crushed Stevia leaves
1 quart of cold water
And here’s the recipe I use for myself, since I don’t like it quite as sweet:
3 tablespoons of Yerba Maté
1/2 tablespoon of crushed Stevia leaves
1 quart of cold water
I put the ingredients into an 8-cup french press (one for Lisa and one for me). I usually put the yerba and stevia in first and then add the water, making sure that all of the yerba and stevia are mixed well into the water. Then I let the tea steep for at least an hour before straining it.
If you don’t have a french press, then I would recommend straining the tea twice, once with a regular kitchen strainer and once with a plastic mesh or metal mesh coffee filter (paper filters won’t work).
As with anything new in your diet, start small. Drink only a few ounces of it a few days each week until you and your body get accustomed to it (both the effects on your system and the taste). I’ve been drinking it for years and will drink the entire quart of tea throughout the morning, every day. Lisa drinks hers in the afternoon.