Alexis · Fondateur d'YVY Maté
The mate thermos is one of the essential accessories for enjoying a traditional mate in a gourd.
Of course, you can do without - but carrying your kettle around is quite the feat!
To improve the experience, investing in a thermos becomes essential.
So, what is a mate thermos? What are the advantages and particularities of a thermos made for mate? How much should you invest in a quality, durable one?
What is a mate thermos?
Having a thermos means water kept nice and hot (or cold) for many hours.
You might think any thermos would do. That's partly true - but those made for mate have a few essential features that make preparing your brew easier. Let's look at the key elements that define a mate thermos.
The pouring spout
The difference between a mate thermos and a traditional thermos
The pouring spout of a mate thermos is very different from what you'd usually find.
It features a double-stop action to limit the flow, letting you aim precisely without risking collapsing the well when refilling your gourd with water.
This spout is very practical for mate, but can quickly become a drawback on a poorly made thermos. Many entry-level mate thermoses develop leaks at the spout over time. These leaks also shorten how long the water holds its temperature.
Below, we'll look at the thermoses we've selected for their sturdiness and build quality!
The carrying handle
Unlike many thermoses, mate thermoses are designed for carrying.
Mate has been culturally rooted in South America for generations - it's common to cross paths with someone carrying a full mate kit (mate gourd, mate bombilla, yerba mate and thermos).
Quality mate thermoses
Plenty of mate thermoses are available online; unfortunately, the vast majority are cheaply made in China and have a very limited lifespan.
True to our company's values, we chose once again to steer clear of those, and instead select the cream of mate thermoses for you. We guarantee their sturdiness and high build quality.
Tempera mate thermoses
Tempera is the thermos brand we currently carry in our shop. Made from the best materials, our attention went - as always - to the quality, sturdiness, performance and durability of our thermos.
The Tempera® Thermo is a mate thermos we're very proud to present.
This very high-quality thermos, made with a double layer of 304 stainless steel, is much appreciated for its sturdiness and for one of the best thermal performances around (keeps heat 24h, cold 30h and iced 96h).
Tempera thermoses come with a 5-year guarantee!
The big plus of this thermos is without doubt its lid that converts into a gourd - double-layer 304 stainless steel! This large-volume gourd (240 ml) lets you carry your mate equipment everywhere, hassle-free.
The other crucial point is its high-precision trigger spout, allowing a steady pour, with good flow and no jolts!
Tempera key specs:
- Keeps water hot: around 24h
- Keeps water cold: around 30h
- Keeps water iced: around 96h
- 304 stainless steel, BPA-free
- High-precision trigger spout, made for mate
- Height: 30 cm
- Capacity: 1 L
- Price: €49
Termolar mate thermoses
Termolar is a Brazilian company specializing in mate thermoses since 1958.
These thermoses are renowned for their long retention of heat (20h) and cold (36h).
Unfortunately, they're fairly fragile thermoses, with quite frequent breakage of the handle and the pouring spout.
Termolar key specs:
- Keeps water hot: around 20h
- Keeps water cold: around 36h
- A2 stainless steel, BPA-free
- Double-stop pouring spout, made for mate
- Height: 29.4 cm
- Capacity: 1 L
- Price: €59
Stanley mate thermoses
A Stanley thermos model
Stanley has also been a staple of insulated goods since 1913. This American company specialized in long-lasting thermal retention for coffee. They keep heat and cold for around 24h.
This retention performance comes from the brand's innovation: double-wall vacuum insulation.
Stanley key specs:
- Keeps water hot: around 24h
- Keeps water cold: around 24h
- 304 stainless steel, BPA-free
- Height: 35 cm
- Capacity: 1 L
- Price: from €50
Lumilagro mate thermoses
Lumilagro has specialized in mate thermoses for over 80 years.
This Argentine company stands out for the design of its insulated bottles and their mate-specific features, much like Termolar.
Lumilagro key specs:
- Keeps water hot: around 12h
- Keeps water cold: around 16h
- 304 stainless steel, BPA-free
- Height: 34 cm
- Capacity: 1 L
- Price: not available in France
Which is the best mate thermos? The verdict!
After testing these 4 brands, we can conclude they are all four of high quality - the thermal insulation is excellent across the board.
However, we ran into a few drawbacks during our tests:
- Stanley thermoses have no mate-specific pouring spout. That's a big drawback when pouring water into the gourd: flow control is impossible, and more than once we ended up overflowing the gourd...
- Lumilagro thermoses have no handle. Yet the handle is very useful for pouring water into the gourd and for carrying. You have to grab the thermos with your whole hand - or even both hands - which unfortunately makes a simple task a bit more complicated.
- As for Termolar: the pouring spout is there, but less effective than the Tempera's - jolts can occur while pouring, which can be unpleasant. Also, the plastic handle, though very practical, can feel quite fragile. The long thermal retention, however, is very effective.
- The Tempera mate thermos is, for us, the ultimate. Its built-in gourd is without doubt the extra differentiator. Its retractable handle, welded to the thermos, is also more resistant. With thermal retention on par with the other 3, we found our gem!
Following these tests, we chose to favor and offer the Tempera thermos.
This thermos ticked every crucial box we refused to compromise on, in keeping with our mission: bringing you the best of mate.
