Why Do Athletes Drink Yerba Mate?

Time to Read: 6 minutes

If you follow soccer, you have seen it. A player steps off the team bus with a thermos under one arm and a small cup in his hand, sipping through a metal straw. Lionel Messi does it. So does Luis Suárez. Whole national teams travel with it. The cup is full of yerba mate, and the reason they drink it is probably not what the supplement corner of the internet would have you believe.

Why do so many athletes drink yerba mate?

The short answer is home. For players from Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil, yerba mate is not a training tool. It is the drink they grew up sharing with family and friends, and they simply kept drinking it after they turned pro.

Yerba mate is the national beverage of Argentina and Uruguay, and people across the region have been drinking it for centuries (Yahoo Sports). A gourd is the cup itself, traditionally a hollowed calabash, though ours come in wood, ceramic, and stainless steel. A bombilla is the metal straw with a built-in filter at the bottom. Put those together and you have the setup you keep seeing courtside and pitchside.

So when Messi has a gourd before a match, or the Argentina and Uruguay squads travel with crates of yerba, you are watching a cultural habit rather than a supplement plan. Reporting on Inter Miami noted the staff packed around 25 pounds of yerba for a single preseason trip abroad, and that close to half the roster drinks it (Yahoo Sports).

The real thread running through all of it is connection. One Argentine player told ESPN that mate takes you back to your country, a companion for the hours when you are far from the people you used to drink it with (ESPN). On a team, one person prepares the gourd and passes it around the group, refilling and handing it to the next teammate. That passing is the whole point.

Is yerba mate a performance drink?

Not in the way supplement ads suggest. There is no strong evidence that yerba mate makes you a better athlete, and we are not going to tell you it does. What it does contain is caffeine, so it can help you feel more awake and alert, in the same broad way a cup of coffee can.

That lines up with how the people around these teams describe it. Inter Miami’s team nutritionist framed mate as a stimulant much like coffee, something that helps players feel alert and less tired, while also giving teammates a reason to sit together before and after training (Yahoo Sports). So if a player feels sharper after a gourd, that is mostly the caffeine and the calm of the routine, the same reasons plenty of people reach for coffee. If you ever see mate sold as a shortcut to fitness, it is fair to be skeptical.

How much caffeine is in yerba mate?

A single cup of yerba mate has roughly 70 to 85 milligrams of caffeine, similar to a cup of coffee and often a touch less. The exact amount shifts with how you brew it. The thing to know is the traditional method: you refill the same gourd many times over an hour or two, so the caffeine across a full session adds up well past one cup.

Practically, treat it like coffee. If you are sensitive to caffeine, ease in with fewer refills, and keep an eye on late-afternoon rounds if you want to sleep well that night.

How do you brew a gourd the way they do?

Here is the hands-on method, the way we actually do it at Yerba Crew. It takes a minute to get the feel for it, and then it becomes second nature.

1. Fill the gourd about two-thirds with loose-leaf yerba.
2. Cover the top with your hand, tip the gourd over, and shake gently. This settles the finest powder to one side and keeps your bombilla from clogging.
3. Sit the gourd back upright with the yerba resting in a slope, so there is a small hollow on the low side.
4. Pour a little cool water into that hollow first and let it soak in for a moment. This protects the leaves before any hot water touches them.
5. Add hot but not boiling water, around 150 to 160 F. Boiling water scorches the leaves and turns the whole cup bitter.
6. Slide the bombilla down into the wet hollow, and then leave it alone. No stirring.
7. Drink the full gourd, refill the same leaves, and pass it on. When you are with others, one person, the cebador, keeps pouring and handing it around the circle.

Can you drink yerba mate the way athletes do?

Yes, and you do not need a locker room to do it. The habit that travels with these players is simple and open to anyone: a gourd, a bombilla, good loose-leaf yerba, and ideally someone to share it with. Drink it hot from a gourd the traditional way, or try tereré, the cold, refreshing version popular in Paraguay, on a warm afternoon.

The point was never to drink it like a professional. It is to slow down for a bit and share a cup, which is exactly what we mean when we say drink to connect.

Frequently asked questions

This article is for general information and is not medical advice. Yerba mate contains caffeine. If you have questions about caffeine and your health, talk to a professional.