Yete Recipes

Pumpkin Spice Mate

This is a fall favorite around here, the same gourd and yerba we always use, just dressed for the season. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and fresh ginger steep alongside the yerba, so the spice comes through in every refill instead of fading after the first pour. This is the perfect addition to your fall mate routine. The warmth of the cinnamon and nutmeg, plus the ginger, will energize you.

Ingredients

• 2–3 tbsp yerba mate, loose leaf
• 1 small cinnamon stick, broken in half
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 sprinkle of nutmeg, freshly grated if you have it
• A few slices fresh ginger, chopped
• Hot water, well below boiling
• Optional: a small drizzle of maple syrup, if you want it sweeter

Method

1. Break the cinnamon stick in half and drop it into the gourd along with the cloves, nutmeg, and chopped ginger.

2. Pack the yerba mate on top, filling the gourd about two-thirds full.

3. Cover the opening with your hand and give the gourd a few good shakes to mix the spices through the yerba.

4. Tilt the gourd on its side and build your montaña, letting the finer yerba dust settle toward the low wall. Pour a little cool water over it and let it sit for a minute so the leaf softens and the spices start to open up.

5. Nestle the bombilla under the montaña and leave it in place.

6. Pour hot water slowly over the same spot, hot but not boiling, or you'll burn the leaf. Let it steep for a few seconds before the first sip.

7. Drink it down, then refill with hot water and pass it to the next person in the mate circle. The spices keep giving flavor through several refills.