tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120684652011-12-27T21:33:57.748-08:00the Yerba Mate Tea GourdYerba mate tea, mates, bombillas--information and musings...
for poets and tea drinkers.The Great Yerbinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449094374738818758noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068465.post-47706494536050101512008-08-15T23:15:00.000-07:002008-08-21T22:29:53.944-07:002008-08-21T22:29:53.944-07:00Traditional Tea Drinkers Shun Dangerous BottlesBy dangerous bottles I refer to those with so-called "recyclable" label # 7' which contain BPA (see link below to a really great article on Boston.com)*. We here try not to buy or use ANY plastic bottles--just a ceramic or glass cup to use over and over and over again... or a gourd mate to use over and over and over again... So don't tell me-- "it's okay... because I'm going to throw that The Great Yerbinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449094374738818758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068465.post-16536018550871556072008-06-08T21:41:00.000-07:002008-12-10T06:04:48.161-08:002008-12-10T06:04:48.161-08:00Who Loves a Big Mouth?It's going to be hard to write what I am really writing about with that shark mouth looming about on the left... but I will give it my best try.The answer to the title question is "no-one" if we're talking about sharks nipping about our ankles or friends who can't keep a secret... but the answer is "some people do" when we're discussing mate gourds, cuias, and porongos for drinking yerba mate The Great Yerbinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449094374738818758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068465.post-42651821406645971822008-04-19T20:23:00.000-07:002008-12-10T06:04:48.267-08:002008-12-10T06:04:48.267-08:00Tea Party Nominee and Leader of the Tea World Now it's time to talk politics and announce our Yerba Mate Tea Gourd election 2008 nominee debate and tea party. We're all deciding where our allegiance lies and looking for clues in the candidate's words and actions which will help us cull the braggards and the big-wigs: now is our chance to finally judge who will rise to the top and be the leader of our tea party. [Wherein the mad hatter has The Great Yerbinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449094374738818758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068465.post-46605201225219351382008-03-06T22:44:00.000-08:002008-12-10T06:04:48.440-08:002008-12-10T06:04:48.440-08:00St. Patrick's Day to be Green Tea FriendlyThere's sacrilege involved in doing any manipulatin' of these holidays.(That's probably what makes it so fun...) However: the laddie who started using drinking beer as an excuse for celebratin' what St. Patrick did (what did he do?)was already a wee bit on the "pushing it" side of things--don't ya think so?[If it be true that the saint was "saintly" for slaying serpents--then the drinking might The Great Yerbinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449094374738818758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068465.post-35507470392472575042008-01-25T22:30:00.000-08:002008-12-10T06:04:48.646-08:002008-12-10T06:04:48.646-08:00W.E.L.O.V.E.Y.O.U.The Yerba Mate Tea Gourd and W.E.L.O.V.E.Y.O.U. (the World Exploratory Laboratory for Obvious Value in Yerba Opportunities Unlimited), residing in a straw bale compound in the Western woodlands of the U.S., have just completed deciding that a study conducted for the past several years is worth continuing to fund... for the value inherent in the actual experimentation in the study they were The Great Yerbinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449094374738818758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068465.post-64888931010858612142007-12-11T22:26:00.000-08:002008-12-10T06:04:48.783-08:002008-12-10T06:04:48.783-08:00The Best Sugar Plum YerbaThese are not sugar plums. These are the fairies. If it were not for the fairies we would not be thinking of sugar plums. If it were not for the fact that the fairies have kept all of the sugar plums to themselves--or else have been so slipshod at arranging a harvest of the little things--we'd've been tooth and belly-aching with the over-eating of sugar-plum laden goodies for hundreds of years The Great Yerbinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449094374738818758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068465.post-40663427286386767282007-08-04T23:27:00.000-07:002008-12-10T06:04:49.083-08:002008-12-10T06:04:49.083-08:00Wooden Mates Will Never Make it to the New World...for the same reason that Columbus would never make it to the New World: his boat would sink from cracking and swelling of the wood... for the same reason that the Norse and the Chinese, and the Polynesians, and the Egyptians, and the Aleuts in Kayaks all never made it to the "New" World thousands of years before mighty Columbus the haughty and confused. Of course they all DID make it here... The Great Yerbinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449094374738818758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068465.post-48741316748577418022007-03-06T22:23:00.000-08:002008-12-10T06:04:49.185-08:002008-12-10T06:04:49.185-08:00Open Mates a Possible Health Risk... May be Detrimental to PreservationAs always a bit on the hysterical side--I know. The question comes to us, however, as to whether there are any gourds that you can get "covers" for. People at work would like to use a mate--everyone should--however according to OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) rules the drinks of "food employees"* must be The Great Yerbinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449094374738818758noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068465.post-1160972687783833072006-10-15T21:22:00.000-07:002007-07-29T23:36:18.627-07:002007-07-29T23:36:18.627-07:00Did the Evil Freezer Kill my Yerba?In a perfect world our freezers would be the driest places: cold and dry. We all know that is not what happens; they are cooling/thawing creators of grotesque rime ice and stalactites. [Stalactites made of ice have another name and I'd appreciate an ice cave explorer or scientist to give me the appropriate word.] Our refrigerators look dry but are more like coastal Alaska. Coastal Alaska is The Great Yerbinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449094374738818758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068465.post-1160889818395171832006-10-14T22:15:00.000-07:002006-10-14T22:36:12.926-07:002006-10-14T22:36:12.926-07:00Help! I'm Getting Leaf up my Bombilla!I'm using an eco-friendly bamboo bombilla and I get bits of leaf coming throught the straw... should I have bought a metal one?I don't think you need a metal bombilla to remedy your problem. The bamboo bombillas work admirably.Many things may be occurring...1) The yerba you are using could be high in powder content... or you are close to the end of the bag--where a lot of powder has sifted down The Great Yerbinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449094374738818758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068465.post-1149445751350780852006-06-04T11:10:00.000-07:002006-06-04T11:29:11.370-07:002006-06-04T11:29:11.370-07:00The Best BombillaDo you find that either the artisan (with the springs) or the standard bombillas work better/last longer?The longest lasting bombillas are in fact the bombillas which do not open. Next most durable are those with the spring-end (photo at right)or the slide end. Bombillas con roscas (screw-end) are the most typical and relatively the most likely to wear out--their threads becoming worn after The Great Yerbinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449094374738818758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068465.post-1141691548269047752006-03-06T16:21:00.000-08:002006-06-04T11:09:42.710-07:002006-06-04T11:09:42.710-07:00We support fair trade... like the next guy... but we don't support the troops, polar bears having ice in the arctic, nor do we support the Girl Scouts.The truth is that most people don't actually "support" these issues--unless you call putting a bumper sticker on your car as "support". I have been known to buy cookies from girl scouts on occasion, we try not to drive the car except when necessary, we really don't want our boys and girlsThe Great Yerbinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449094374738818758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068465.post-1140194234023199352006-02-17T08:34:00.000-08:002006-02-17T08:37:14.023-08:002006-02-17T08:37:14.023-08:00Brrreeeport Yerba Mate?!We are experimenting with brrreeeport and want to know what the effects are. If anyone knows what this is and wants to comment I would be very interested to see what you have to say!The Great Yerbinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449094374738818758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068465.post-1136992869918543372006-01-11T07:21:00.000-08:002007-03-05T12:59:52.503-08:002007-03-05T12:59:52.503-08:00Curing a Mate With Milk Can Kill You...If you fill the gourd from the cow and the cow slips... or if you leave the mate full of milk, forget you had it full of milk for several weeks, have a very bad cold (your nose is stuffed-up) and you don't smell it...and it has gone "off" so badly that the bacteria per square inch sets off a government anti-terrorist warning sensor and your house is suddenly blown to little bits by The Great Yerbinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449094374738818758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068465.post-1134370652839244822005-12-11T22:53:00.000-08:002007-03-05T04:01:12.506-08:002007-03-05T04:01:12.506-08:00Leave your question "comment" and the Great Yerbini will respond.The Great Yerbinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449094374738818758noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068465.post-1128286333988790042005-10-02T13:50:00.000-07:002005-10-02T13:52:13.993-07:002005-10-02T13:52:13.993-07:00Why are you interested in yerba mate tea? Where did you hear about this tea?The Great Yerbinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449094374738818758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068465.post-1124581757221222642005-08-20T16:46:00.000-07:002006-06-04T11:37:01.563-07:002006-06-04T11:37:01.563-07:00Organic Yerba Mate?Is yerba mate tea organic?We carry La Merced Organic... and, to answer your question: for the most part, yes. Xanxere (no longer exporting)has claimed to us personally their yerba is 100% organic--but Brazil has no organic certification process for yerba yet. Argentina doesn't have the same certification process as in the United States--nor the same growing interest in claiming "organic." Yerba The Great Yerbinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449094374738818758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068465.post-1124581599200660642005-08-20T16:45:00.000-07:002005-08-20T16:46:39.200-07:002005-08-20T16:46:39.200-07:00Gourd Cleaning/Curing SolutionsHow do I clean my mate?First of all the mate gourd should never, of course be put in a dishwasher, and one should never use soap with it. That said it leaves us a few options for cleaning. Mostly we just rinse ours out with water. If a gourd is left with yerba for several days, moist, and begins to mold... we rinse it and scrub it inside with water only--and then coat the inside with baking The Great Yerbinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449094374738818758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068465.post-1124581500026218152005-08-20T16:08:00.000-07:002005-08-20T16:45:00.040-07:002005-08-20T16:45:00.040-07:00Mate Gourd Mold Solutions.[This comes from a client's question to us. Please also read "Gourd Curing/Cleaning Solutions."]We are sorry to hear you are having a problem with your mate. Unfortunately I don't think beeswax will help--though the thought is logical. The beeswax will not keep the wood dry and will seal in as much moisture as it repels. Mold will grow in any humid condition where it has "food" present. You The Great Yerbinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449094374738818758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068465.post-1121318932182312472005-07-13T22:27:00.000-07:002005-07-13T22:28:52.183-07:002005-07-13T22:28:52.183-07:00Does anyone have an explanation of why yerba mate tea doesn't affect sleep patterns?The Great Yerbinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449094374738818758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068465.post-1121318563272667842005-07-13T22:21:00.000-07:002005-07-13T22:22:43.276-07:002005-07-13T22:22:43.276-07:00How does yerba mate tea affect you?Positively or negatively--we would like to know your experiences!The Great Yerbinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449094374738818758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068465.post-1115430793433565992005-05-06T18:51:00.000-07:002005-05-06T18:53:13.436-07:002005-05-06T18:53:13.436-07:00Favorite YerbaEveryday? Ours is UnionFor espresso? Ours is CanariasThe Great Yerbinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449094374738818758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068465.post-1113526834546784172005-04-14T17:58:00.000-07:002005-04-14T18:00:34.553-07:002005-04-14T18:00:34.553-07:00Morning YerbaMorning YerbaCopyright 2005, Karl Heiss www.YerbaMateTeaGourd.comHer fingertips barely brush my palm as I pass her the mate. My fingertips barely brush her palm as I release it into her hand. We sit at the table. I look out the window toward the mountains where a mist blankets the peaks. She idly moves the papers on the table. She brings the bombilla up to her lips and sips slowly; not aware thatThe Great Yerbinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449094374738818758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12068465.post-1113147480042421982005-04-10T08:36:00.000-07:002005-04-10T08:38:00.043-07:002005-04-10T08:38:00.043-07:00Yerba Mate Tea Gourd votingPlease visit our site to select your vote for your favorite yerba mate tea www.YerbaMateTeaGourd.com/YerbaMateandTeas.htmlThe Great Yerbinihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15449094374738818758noreply@blogger.com0