Yerba Mate Guides

Learn how to prepare your mate cup to be used for the first time, cleaning the mate, and bombilla. Finally, how to store your yerba mate.

Called tereré, it’s the Paraguayan official drink – and since 2011, it is considered part of their cultural heritage. It is also commonly drunk in the north of Argentina and Southeast of Brazil. It is, indeed, a great option for summer days.

Mate is more than an exotic tea. Its preparation and consumption have some elements of ritual or even ceremony. If you want to know what to expect, keep reading, and keep in mind that the ‘mate etiquette’ varies from place to place, so do not be afraid of asking!

As you might guess by now, there is a huge culture around mate and with it comes a number of specific terms. Here are some of them that can ease you into the yerba mate world.

If you tried hot mate and found it be too bitter, there are a few alternatives you can try. A few ways you can prepare boiled, sweet, and mate with milk.

We have previously talked about the basic mate kit and how to create one targeted for travelling. In this article we'll help you select an insulated water bottle or thermos, a non-essential, yet a crucial tool for modern-day mate drinking.

Water is an essential, yet overlooked part of mate drinking. The quality of the water, its temperature, and even how it’s poured on the mate are all factors that will alter the drink’s performance, taste and health benefits.

While technology has contributed to the efficiency of the whole production process, historian Javier Ricca has stated that mate’s taste, aroma, and quality has not necessarily improved. According to him, we're probably drinking a mate that is as tasteful as the indigenous communities in the 16th century and earlier.

Bombillas are one of the most crucial aspects of mate drinking. It also makes it so different from tea or coffee. They are what determines the act and way of drinking it, slowly and throughout the whole day.

Throwing used yerba mate directly into the garden is very common practice, and many believe it serves as a natural fertilizer. In this article, we explain why this is not recommended and what to do instead.

As a yerba mate newbie, you may find your first mate a little intimidating. From what style of mate to make, what yerba to buy, what bombilla and mate to use, and how to prepare it, there’s a lot to think about. Today we’ll break down the process so that you can choose your first yerba mate to try - and actually enjoy it, too.

Bored of your plain, traditional mate? Check out our list of ingredients to add like sugar, cinnamon, honey, and coconut.