roasted mate chai
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origin
brazil, sri lanka, & india
ingredients
roasted mate, black tea, chopped and powdered ginger, chopped and powdered cardamon
hot brewing method
bring freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. place 1 heaping teaspoon of tea for each cup into the teapot. pour the boiling water into the teapot. cover and let steep for 5-7 minutes. while the tea is brewing prepare your cup to receive the chai – put 2 teaspoons of sugar in the cup and add warm milk (about 10 - 20% for color) of the cup’s volume. when the chai is ready – pour into your cup.
to fancy up the cup of chia you can froth warm milk or use an alternative like eggnog (festive!) or use soy or potato milk if you have sensitivities to milk.
information
also known as paraguay tea and yerba mate , mate is an herb prepared from the leaves of a south america evergreen shrub, illex paraguayensis, a relative of the common holly. the leaves are oval and about 6 inches long. flowers of the plant are small and white. the fruit appears in small clusters of tiny red berries growing close to the stems of the plant. like guarana and yopo, mate is rich in caffeine and was used as a caffeine beverage source by the native population of latin america centuries before the european settlers arrived to establish coffee plantations.
mate leaves are processed somewhat like tea leaves. the tips of the branches are cut just before the leaves reach full growth and the leaves are steamed and dried over fires. the dried leaves are sifted and allowed to age in order to enhance the flavor of the mate. the caffeine content of mate is comparable to that of mild arabica coffee.
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