Yerba Mate Latte
Posted: Feb 2nd, '11, 02:49
Today was a snow day (as is tomorrow), with below-zero temperatures--started off my day with a delicious homemade yerba mate latte. Naturally, this warming concoction prompted me to wonder as to the experiences of those at TeaChat regarding mate lattes. There are quite a few recipes out there regarding this beverage, surprisingly:
http://video.about.com/coffeetea/Yerba-Mate-Latte.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_5045116_make-ye ... latte.html
http://www.welikeitraw.com/rawfood/2007 ... _latt.html
http://guayaki.com/mate/3451/Mate-Latte-Recipes.html
I made my latte today with about a cup of strong-brewed mate (approx. 3-4 tbsp. of Guayaki brand leaves), 1/4-1/2 cup whole milk, 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract and a dash of cinnamon. Delectable as it was, my mate latte was far from perfect; I noticed that, despite the potency of the mate, it tasted rather diluted due to the water and "thin". These observations led me to ponder the perfect recipe for a yerba mate latte drawing upon elements of the recipes in the above links. Unfortunately I did not have mint leaves (for flavor) or soy/fortified milk (for frothiness) available; I wonder, however, if it would have been better to just directly steep the mate leaves in the hot milk rather than adding the milk to the mate water. The third link above suggests the use of cashew milk/butter and agave sweetener; I found that the vanilla along with a pinch or two of cane sugar rendered it sufficiently sweet without overpowering the already-competing flavor of mate. What is your take on the best recipe for this underrated but excellent beverage?
http://video.about.com/coffeetea/Yerba-Mate-Latte.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_5045116_make-ye ... latte.html
http://www.welikeitraw.com/rawfood/2007 ... _latt.html
http://guayaki.com/mate/3451/Mate-Latte-Recipes.html
I made my latte today with about a cup of strong-brewed mate (approx. 3-4 tbsp. of Guayaki brand leaves), 1/4-1/2 cup whole milk, 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract and a dash of cinnamon. Delectable as it was, my mate latte was far from perfect; I noticed that, despite the potency of the mate, it tasted rather diluted due to the water and "thin". These observations led me to ponder the perfect recipe for a yerba mate latte drawing upon elements of the recipes in the above links. Unfortunately I did not have mint leaves (for flavor) or soy/fortified milk (for frothiness) available; I wonder, however, if it would have been better to just directly steep the mate leaves in the hot milk rather than adding the milk to the mate water. The third link above suggests the use of cashew milk/butter and agave sweetener; I found that the vanilla along with a pinch or two of cane sugar rendered it sufficiently sweet without overpowering the already-competing flavor of mate. What is your take on the best recipe for this underrated but excellent beverage?