On a bamboo tray, I have a tea kettle, a wooden container of Uruguayan or Argentinian loose-leaf yerba tea, a maté cup (a dried gourd made into a small round cup), and a bombilla (a metal straw with a little spoon-shaped strainer at the end).
In either a quiet room or out on the patio, I sit on a cushion with the tray in front of me. I set the kettle on a single-burner, single cylinder propane stove, and while the water heats up, I prepare the cup -spoon in the yerba and a little bit of sugar- and then I meditate. When the water gets to about 140F, I slowly pour it over the tea til the cup is about 1/2 full, slip in the straw, and if I see a bubbly little foam on top, I finish the pour. (if not, the water needs more heat)
I casually sip at the first cup til the water's gone, and do another pour. After the 4th cup, you usually dump out most of the tea and replace it with fresh, but I usually only have 3 or 4 cups. Also, in addition to my traditional gourd cups, I have a few maté cups that are carved out of wood. The cups infuse the tea with their flavor, and I'm liking the wood ones best these days.
Anyway, I do this 2 or 3 times a day. The tea is a bit bitter but really yummy. It gives you a feeling of general well-being, and the ritual is calming, to say the least.
Traditionally (in South America), you have yerba maté with a group; it's a social thing where the pourer has the first cup, refills it and gives it to the person to his/her right, and so on; but no one around here drinks maté. A few of my grandkids have it with me when they visit, and me and Paxton used to drink it together once in a while, but I enjoy doing my quiet rituals alone. It's been good for me.
Good morning, day, afternoon evening, night, happy whatever etc. #6-New !
