How to Make Yerba Mate

Yerba mate is a traditional Argentine drink that is much like tea. The caffeine it contains mildly stimulates. Yerba mate is traditionally prepared in a gourd, filtered through a bombilla and enjoyed in a communal ritual, passing the gourd from one person to the next.

Things You'll Need

• Yerba mate
• Gourd
• Bombilla
• Filtered water

Instructions

1. Get the right equipment. You will need a gourd designed for yerba mate, known as a mate, and a straw through which the yerba mate is filtered, known as a bombilla. If you are not in Argentina, you can find a gourd and a bombilla at local specialty tea shops or online at stores like Yerba Guru.

2. Buy your yerba mate. Tea stores, natural food stores and online stores carry yerba mate. Some yerba mate may be flavored with citrus or other herbs or natural ingredients. You can buy it sweetened (often with stevia or dry honey) or unsweetened.

3. Heat filtered water to just below the boiling point to prepare mate. If the water boils, start over for the best results.

4. Fill the mate gourd 2/3 full of yerba mate. Put your hand or a piece of cheesecloth over the top and shake to bring the dust to the top of the tea. This will ensure that the bombilla doesn't get clogged.

5. Pour the hot water over the yerba mate on one side of the gourd so most of the leaves on top stay dry.

6. Put your thumb over the end of the bombilla and insert the side with the filter into the gourd. Insert it on the same side that you poured the water.

7. Share the mate. Mate is meant to be a social drink, and all drinkers use the same gourd and bombilla. After you have a sip, pass the mate to the next drinker.

8. Pour more water into the yerba mate on the same side as your original brew for more steepings. Pour carefully without disturbing the bombilla. You can continue refilling until the mate looses its flavor, and you can add additional yerba mate as you add water.

Tips & Warnings

• You can make mate with cold water. Follow the regular mate instructions, but use a larger mate gourd and cold water.

• If you don't want to use the traditional method of preparing mate, you can use a French press pot or cotton or muslin tea bags.

• Cure your gourd before using if it is not already cured.

• Don't touch or move the bombilla once it is inserted. This can clog the bombilla and make a dusty brew.

Resources

• Buy yerba mate and mate supplies at Yerba Guru.