First time experience was really demotivating
Hello hello.
I am a complete newbie when it comes to yerba mate as a whole and I was looking to try it out before actually commiting to buying the essentials. (Please don't come at me if I butcher anything.)
Recently I went out with a couple friends to a spot that serves all types of authentic tea from all around the globe and I saw that they also offer both yerba and terere.
Today I decided to go back to the same spot with the intent of trying the yerba that they offered. As I sat down and had a look through the menu I noticed that the options were as follows:
Yerba mate:
Rancho (strong)
Amigo (twice as strong)
Mate terere:
Rancho (strong)
Amigo (twice as strong)
With hopes of asking the server for more information, I unfortunately got told that they don't have a lot to offer when it comes to both Yerba and Terere so I chose the Yerba Rancho. Continuing the unfortuante streak, the Yerba got served to me in a ceramic dish that had a quite narrow opening at the top and the leaves were completely flooded. With the little research I did I knew that what I've received was far from an ordinarily prepared beverage and got quite disappointed. Even when I tried to form a montanita after drinking it most of the way the leaves wouldn't stick to the dish and collapsed almost immediately after I poured more water inside. To top it all off I could feel very small pieces of the Yerba in my mouth that weren't getting filtered by the bombilla and the taste was far from pleasant.
Safe to say I've had a pretty bad experience which demotivated me quite a bit from getting into the world of Yerba mate. Although deep down I still want to get into it as a hobby. I like how interactive it seems and that it can also provide a nice dose of caffeine.
Any tips or helpful comments would be greatly appreciated.