Yerba Mate Pajarito Elaborada Selección Especial 1kg

Selección Especial is drawn from the first harvest, the pick of the season, and is the step up from Pajarito’s traditional blend. Smooth, again with a high stem content.

Hot in a gourd or cold as tereré. Worth drinking on its own before mixing it with herbs, since the point of a first-harvest blend is what the leaf does unaided.

The traditional way is a gourd and a bombilla. Fill the gourd three-quarters with yerba, tip it to one side and shake so the powder settles, then wet the leaf with cool water and let it swell before any heat touches it — that is what stops the bombilla clogging. Top up with water at about 75 to 80°C, never boiling. A French press works if you have no gourd.

Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis), with stems.

Pajarito is a Paraguayan house and one of the best-known yerba brands in the country.

One kilogram. Store in a cool, dry place, away from strong smells — tea and chocolate both take on whatever is next to them.