Alexis · Fondateur d'YVY Maté
Yerba mate, also known as mate or "mate tea", is an ancestral energizing drink from South America.
Drunk for generations by the Guarani, it is prepared from the leaves - and sometimes the stems - of the mate plant.
Traditionally brewed in a gourd, it can also be enjoyed just like a tea.
Discover our 5 brewing methods for preparing your mate, along with the secrets of its traditional preparation.
Traditional mate preparation in a gourd
The different types of mate
Preparing yerba mate in a gourd (or mate cup) is a true ceremony. Taking the time to prepare your gourd is part of savoring the present moment with friends or family.
It means diving into a unique, convivial experience of the Argentine way of life and of sharing.
The traditional method remains the best: it lets you drink organic mate the traditional way and experience the drink's flavors and virtues in their most concentrated form. You'll need to gather a few essential accessories first.
You will need:
- A mate gourd, which holds your leaves.
- A mate bombilla - a metal straw that filters the leaves from the water.
- A dedicated mate thermos, ideal for keeping and serving water, hot or cold.
To start with all the equipment in one go, our Discovery Mate Kit brings together gourd, bombilla and yerba.
How to prepare mate in a gourd:
- Fill your gourd about ¾ full with yerba mate.
- Tilt the gourd, and once the leaves have all settled on one side, pour in some lukewarm or cold water.
- Let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes so the leaves soak up the water - this makes the well easier to form and prevents the leaves from burning.
- The bombilla acts as the filter. Place its head at the bottom of your gourd.
- Add your hot water (it must not be boiling) into the hollow space of your preparation.
Your mate is ready!
Steps for preparing mate in a gourd
Keep your hot water close by! Once you've drunk all the water in your gourd through the bombilla, add more hot water.
Drink, then repeat - simply by adding water.
Also good to know: you can keep the same mate in your gourd and drink it all day long.
After a few dozen refills (1 to 1.5 L of water), your yerba will have lost most of its taste. This is called "lavado" (washed) yerba mate.
To learn more about preparing organic yerba mate in a gourd, nothing beats a video:
Preparation in plastic-free tea bags
We've developed a mate range packed in plastic-free tea bags. Mate cocido (tea-bag mate) lets you carry your organic drink and enjoy it any time.
These tea bags are made from corn starch, making them 100% natural.
The brewing method is the same as the tea bags you already know. The brewing time, however, differs depending on the type of yerba and the intensity you're after.
We recommend brewing in simmering (not boiling) water for 5 to 10 minutes for moderate intensity, and up to 15 minutes for a more pronounced flavor.
One to slip into your bag: the Green Mate in 15 tea bags, the ultimate on-the-go format.
Mate preparation in a tea infuser
If you don't have a gourd, a tea infuser will do the job too. Our loose-leaf mate comes in recycled - and in turn recyclable - kraft eco refills, perfect for brewing your yerba in a tea infuser.
The principle is simple - identical to preparing tea. Just pour a teaspoon, i.e. 2 to 3 g of your favorite yerba, into your tea infuser. Then brew to taste, in water suited to the type of leaves: between 70 and 80°C for green and 24-month aged mate, and between 80 and 90°C for roasted yerba.
Our eco refills are perfectly suited to the tea infuser: Green Mate, Roasted, 24-Month Aged — or the Discovery Pack to taste them all.
Preparation in a French press
This is the perfect brewing method if you don't have the traditional equipment - a mate gourd and its bombilla. The French press allows an ideal brew in larger quantities.
As with a tea or coffee brew, just pour hot water into the French press and let your yerba steep for 3 to 7 minutes, depending on the intensity you want. The French press has the advantage of brewing the leaves perfectly while leaving no sediment.
You now know how to enjoy this hot drink with friends or office colleagues, with a flavor that's intense and close to the brew you'd get in a mate gourd!
To soften the brew, you can of course add sugar, honey or agave syrup!
Cold-brewed mate, known as "tereré"
Beyond the traditional preparation, you can also drink mate as a cold brew, known as "tereré"
Widespread in Paraguay, this iced way of drinking yerba mate is thirst-quenching, healthy and convivial. We recommend it in summer, as a replacement for lemonade or soda, for example.
