Mate Kraus Organic

The Kraus family comes from the province Misiones in Argentina, and their company was the pioneer of organically produced mate tea in Argentina. They are also certified with Fair Trade label.  After the harvest the tea is dried only by hot air circulation, which eliminates potentially smoky taste and preserves soft and delicate aroma of the beverage.   PREPARATION Mate is traditionally prepared in a gourd, also called mate or cuia, and we sip it with bombilla, a metal straw. The gourd is filled up to one third with crushed leaves and infused with hot but not boiling water. We leave the infusion for about three minutes and drink it with the straw. We add hot water again and after a couple of minutes drink the beverage with the straw, repeating the process for another one or two times, or as long as the crushed leaves retain some aroma. We can also prepare mate just like any other tea: infuse a full teaspoon of leaves with a cup of hot water, leave it for three to five minutes and then filter it. We can drink it without any additives or with a touch of roasted sugar and/or lemon juice, as is often a custom in South America. We can also try the non-traditional mate with milk.