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You've probably had a matcha latte sometime this month, or at least once in your life. But have you ever tried yerba mate? Pronounced mah-tay (not mate like your buddy), this traditional herbal infusion is part and parcel of daily life in countries like Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. Some of your favourite athletes, like footballers Messi and Ronaldo, and F1 driver Franco Colapinto, have been in on it for years.
Dubbed South America's 'tea', mate is often described as having a slow-release caffeine hit similar to matcha, unlike the caffeine crash and heart palpitations that coffee sometimes brings. There are just two ingredients: yerba mate leaves steeped in water. And it has quite a distinct look too, typically enjoyed out of a gourd-shaped cup (or just 'gourd') and sipped through a metal straw with a filter.
Previously, you'd have to trawl through the internet, research, find local hobbyists and source your own supply of yerba mate. But now, there's an easier way to get started. Yerba Yerba, which recently opened on Bali Lane, is Singapore's first and currently only café dedicated to mate. Its founder is 38-year-old ceramicist Ben Loong. By day, the full-time artist teaches at Lasalle and runs Ubi Studio of Art, a ceramics studio and co-working space at Ubi, offering open studio rentals and the occasional workshops.
Yerba Yerba is his passion project, and his handiwork is dotted across the space, from the gourds and plates used for serving to other pieces that you can buy off the shelves. The café is part of a wider retail store, Commongoods, run by Ben and his friend who operates the yakitori joint Sa Tae Bak downstairs. Here, you can browse a small but growing collection of mate equipment, trinkets, clothes and ceramics, mostly by local artists. The duo also plans to introduce community-led events and workshops in the future.
Ben's mate journey began when an Argentinian friend introduced him to it. As a former coffee purist, his first sip of the warm, earthy-tasting liquid left a surprisingly good impression. Three years on, he drinks it daily and has mostly swapped out coffee, apart from a kopi o peng every now and then.
The menu at Yerba Yerba is compact. For complete newbies, start with the cold brews ($5 to $9), which are the most approachable entry point. They're milder, less bitter and also customisable, whether you fancy something creamier with oat milk ($7), full-bodied and spiced with cinnamon ($8), or refreshing and herbal, with ingredients like chamomile and mint ($9). The simplest is the El Clasico ($5) – a pure, cold-steeped mate which Ben named after the iconic showdowns between the two Spanish League legends, Barcelona and Real Madrid.
If you prefer to dive right in, go for the traditional mate service. At $16, you get a gourd of loose-leaf mate and a kettle of 70°C water for eight to ten refills, or until the flavour gives out. Ben gets his supply from Every Good Thing, a local online business and a go-to among mate enthusiasts in Singapore. Choose from four blends, ranging from mild to intense: two Argentinian (Cruz de Malta and the organic, unsmoked Porongo) and two Brazilian (Rei Verde Premium and the Canarias Edición Especial).
Ben's quick crash course on how to brew mate:
- Measure 25 grams (about a tablespoon) of loose-leaf mate for a 125ml gourd.
- If you're using more powdery blends like those from Brazil or Uruguay (as opposed to Argentinian mate, which usually contains more stems), then cover the top of the gourd with the palm of your hand and shake. A ring of excess powder should form on your palm.
- Lean the gourd at an angle so the leaves form a slope.
- Pour 70°C water, starting from the base of the slope, and wet only the bottom of the leaves. Eyeball the amount, and go slow to allow the leaves to absorb the water, while keeping most of the slope dry. Each refill steeps a bit more of the leaves, which is how one gourd can last so long.
- Gently compact the leaves further and tuck the filter portion of the metal straw under the base of the slope.
- Try not to move the straw, stir or agitate the leaves for the rest of the session.
We tried Ben's favourite, the Rei Verde Premium. The first steep is bitter and slightly astringent, and because of the finer Brazilian blend, tiny sediments do end up seeping through the filter, which we're told is totally normal. Stick with it, because the taste mellows out after the third or fourth refill, with some describing it as slightly malty, creamy, and even faintly sweet. For regular Chinese tea drinkers, the initial grassy, woody notes might resemble some lightly processed green tea varieties, if just more intense. At this point, we are in need of a sweet treat, and Ben offers us a mate chocolate chip cookie (from $2.50), which he baked himself.
Right now, Yerba Yerba gets a handful of regulars, mostly from Singapore's small mate community, who drop by for leaves, gourds and straws. Then there are the curious football fans, drawn in by the drink's reputation. But for the most part, mate is still so foreign that some first-timers even ask Ben if it's legal. (It is. Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong has posted about it on Instagram, and the Argentinian embassy has also helped spread the word about the café.)
Ben's wish is to get more people sipping on mate, starting with developing more cold brew recipes and slowly expanding his range of mate and pastries. With some open-mindedness and a touch of unrestrained creativity, who knows what creations we'll see down the line, or if mate might even have the potential to blow up the way matcha did? But for now, it's a good time to get in early. Pop by the store, take it slow, and let Ben show you the ropes.
Yerba Yerba is open from Wednesday to Thursday, 1pm to 6pm, and Friday to Sunday, 1pm to 7pm, at 31A Bali Lane, Singapore 189867.
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