Tea Break Essentials – Gift Pack
Great gift for the maté enthusiast
             •      YerbaMaté gift pack
             •      One traditional drinking gourd
             •      One bombilla StrainerStraw™
             •      One 6 oz box of loose YerbaMaté
                     Royale® tea
             •      Great value

Throughout Paraguay, Argentina and other parts of South America the native people drink their potent and nutritious yerba maté – known to them as “Beverage of the Gods” – in a gourd with a bombilla (straw). For the Guarani Indians their yerba maté is a daily ritual and social experience. Traditionally, the host fills a gourd about three-quarters full with the loose herb and inserts the bombilla into the gourd. The host then pours water over the herbs and passes the maté to the first guest. The guest drinks the entire preparation and passes the gourd back to the host. The host refills the gourd with water, using the same herbs, and passes the maté to the next guest. This process continues until the maté loses its flavor.

In North America, most people prefer to have their own gourd and bombilla. They share the same pleasures of drinking maté the traditional way but with a drink all their own.

Yerba maté give you quick energy and is filled with naturally occurring vitamins and minerals including carotene, A, C, E, B complex, magnesium, calcium and iron. Yerba maté is known to improve physical endurance and athletic performance, to stimulate alertness and improve concentration.

How to Cure the Maté Gourd
1. Fill gourd 2/3 full with maté.
2. Add warm water, just enough to wet the maté inside the gourd.
3. Let the gourd sit 24-48 hours.This will allow it to expand and seal.
4. Scrape the inside of the gourd with a spoon and rinse.
Now it is ready for use.

How to Prepare Maté in a Traditional Gourd
1. Fill the gourd with yerba maté up to 2/3 full.
2. Cover the gourd with your hand and turn it upside down. Shake it so that the smaller leaf particles go to the top.
3. Pour a small amount of luke warm water over the leaves.
4. Let stand a few seconds and insert bombilla (metal or bamboo straw) firmly until it touches the bottom of the cup. Keep in place at all times and do not move, even while sipping.
5. Pour hot, but never boiling, water on the leaves and sip the infusion through the bombilla.