A Yerba Mate Primer

Published on Thursday, June 21, 2007, by Sarah Perry / Edit Post

There are three basic necessities for yerba mate: the mate (gourd cup), the yerba (green stuff), and the bombilla (a sort of filtered straw to sip from). There are many brands of yerba mate; some, like Rosamonte, are quite strong and bitter. Others, like Cruz de Malta, are a little softer. Hit up your local South American market and experiment to see which brands you like.

To brew yerba mate, put the bombilla into the mate and fill with yerba to the top. Put your hand over the top of the gourd, turn it upside down, and shake it to get rid of the tiny dusty bits that clog the bombilla. Fill to the top with green tea–temperature water (180 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit), not boiling water. Some people drink yerba mate amargo (bitter), and some add just a tiny bit of sugar to cut the bitterness. When you’ve finished your cup, add more hot water—you can brew the same cup of yerba mate seven or eight times.

Yerba mate is enjoyed by people throughout South America, and it’s a very social activity, says laguera. Take a sip from the bombilla and pass it on to your companions; it’s much more social and pleasant to share it with your friends, unless you’re germaphobic. This practice also serves to share the caffeine: No one wants to be the sole beneficiary of eight brews’ worth of yerba mate.

Board Links: yerba mate newbie, any suggestions/advice?

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  • Hello,
    Having drunk about a million yerba mate cups now in the past 12 years or so (and having the wisdom of my wife--a yerba mate drinker since birth... and generally with more wisdom anyway) I have to say I don't see the same caffeine-related drawbacks as with coffee. What I do know is that the water can't be too hot: never above 80-degrees Celsius... but more like 70-degrees celsius is...+READ

    Hello,
    Having drunk about a million yerba mate cups now in the past 12 years or so (and having the wisdom of my wife--a yerba mate drinker since birth... and generally with more wisdom anyway) I have to say I don't see the same caffeine-related drawbacks as with coffee. What I do know is that the water can't be too hot: never above 80-degrees Celsius... but more like 70-degrees celsius is preferable. If you have water that is too hot it will really bring out a lot of the bitter flavor and tannins too I suppose... though I think yerba mate is less (let me make up a word) tanninic than regular tea.

    As for how to prepare a good mate... the method by sarah perry is pretty good... but wait until after the shaking part to put in the bombilla (I'm sure she meant that, but just slipped up.) You can also set the mate at an angle--make a slope in the yerba--and pour the water down into that "hole"; this will keep some yerba dry for subsequent pourings and that helps prolong the 'mate'. Also--as far as duration goes--it depends on the volume of the mate/porongo/cuia/poro/poronguito as to how long it will last (bigger=longer). We use a 4-oz. yerba volume mate and drink about 3/4-liter of water with that. Some days it just turns out so flavorful that we drink a full liter. It depend on the moon I think... also a good yerba will last longer; Playadito is the best we've tried so far! Enjoy!-COLLAPSE

  • I've been reading a lot about caffeine and I've decided to eliminate it from my diet, no problem I read that I can decaffeinate teas myself by steeping for 30 seconds, discarding the water and most of the caffeine should be gone, that's fine... but what about Tannins? You say brew up to 8 times, I've read tannins cause all sorts of problems... Any studies that say brewing 8 times is okay?
    Thanks!
    ...+READ

    I've been reading a lot about caffeine and I've decided to eliminate it from my diet, no problem I read that I can decaffeinate teas myself by steeping for 30 seconds, discarding the water and most of the caffeine should be gone, that's fine... but what about Tannins? You say brew up to 8 times, I've read tannins cause all sorts of problems... Any studies that say brewing 8 times is okay?
    Thanks!
    DM-COLLAPSE