To be a great “matero” it is necessary to manage the optimal techniques to make the most of the yerba. This implies managing to drink a greater amount of mate while maintaining a long-lasting flavor.
Indeed, one of the maneuvers of a great matero is to flip the yerba. Why do we do this? To move the yerba that has lost its flavor from the various “cebadas” or drinks… and start drinking from the part of the mate where there is still flavor!
How to flip the yerba mate:
So, how do we flip it to be able to renew the flavor of our mate?
● There comes a time when the mate starts to lose its flavor and becomes “lavado” or washed. When this happens, we need to move the used yerba that’s already wet (in the lower part of the mate). When drinking mate, the objective is to get the yerba wet little by little. In this way, we can obtain a higher yield from it.
● To use the higher part of the mountain (the dry yerba that wasn’t used, in the upper part of our mate), remove the bombilla and transfer the used yerba to the opposite side of the mate gourd with it. If possible, it is advisable to use a bombilla with a flat filter, to compress the used yerba on one side of the mate gourd with it’s flat surface.
● Little by little, you can take portions of dry yerba (the one in the upper part of our mate) and pass it to the area that comes into contact with the water. In other words, move it to the space we created by transferring the used yerba (the side where we are going to continue drinking).
● Then, continue to drink, because the mate is new again. This is what is called “flipping the yerba”.
And now?
We can use this trick when after several sips, the yerba begins to lose its flavor. With this trick, we have renewed the mate and can continue drinking it. And if the yerba loses flavor again, we can do this one more time.
Let it be noted that although this is not 100% necessary, it is recommended. It will give you mate a longer flavor, especially if you plan to drink during different times of the day!
