[carpenecopinum]

I brew it just like any regular herbal tea and I'm pretty happy with it. The whole ritual with the pipe and gourd is a bonus, but never required.

If you dislike the more bitter flavors about it, try steeping it at a lower temperature (like 70-80C) and only for a short duration (2 or 3 minutes). That should make it a lot more bearable to you. You can also get packages that have less or no stems or powder, which both add to the bitterness.

[the_af]

You're not supposed to brew it like a herbal tea, the proportion of mate to water will be all wrong :) The hotness of the water will also be wrong, mate is brewed with mildly hot water, way less hot than tea.

That said, if you enjoy it, keep doing that way... there's no mate police!

[LargoLasskhyfv]

Tsk. The green stuff. Unroasted. Sieve in glass. Boiling water. 10 minutes. 390ml Äqctiön! :-)