The Mate Blog

Buying guide: How to select the best mate thermos?

Alexis Alexis · Fondateur d'YVY Maté Mis à jour le 5 min de lecture
how to choose a mate thermos

L'essentiel

  • Un vrai thermos à maté verse avec un bec précis pensé pour la calebasse
  • La double paroi inox garde l'eau à 70-80 °C pendant des heures : la clé du maté nomade
  • 1 litre est le format idéal : de quoi réinfuser toute une journée
  • Nos références : le Tempera pour la précision et la calebasse intégrée

The mate thermos is one of the essential accessories for enjoying a traditional mate in a gourd.

Obviously, it's possible to do without, but carrying your kettle around is quite an achievement!

To enhance your experience, investing in a thermos becomes essential.

So, what exactly is a mate thermos? What are the advantages and features of a mate thermos? How much should you invest in a quality, durable thermos?

What is a mate thermos?

Having a thermos ensures that the water stays hot (or cold) for many hours.

One might think that any thermos would do. That's partly true, but those specifically designed for yerba mate have some essential features that make preparing the infusion easier. Let's look at the key elements that characterize a yerba mate thermos.

The spout

thermos mate spout

The differences between a mate thermos and a traditional thermos


The spout of a mate thermos is very different from what you usually find.

It has a double stopper action to limit the flow and thus aim as precisely as possible, without risking collapsing the well when you refill your gourd with water.

This spout is very practical for yerba mate but can quickly become a drawback if the thermos is poorly made. Indeed, many inexpensive yerba mate thermoses develop leaks at the spout over time. These leaks also reduce how long the water stays hot.

We will then look at the different thermoses that we have selected for their resistance and manufacturing quality!

The carrying handle

Unlike many thermoses, mate thermoses are designed for transport.

Mate has been culturally rooted in South America for generations; it is common to see someone with a mate kit (mate gourd, mate bombilla, yerba mate and thermos).

High-quality mate thermoses

Many special mate thermoses are available on the internet, unfortunately the vast majority of these are made cheaply in China and have a very limited lifespan.

In keeping with our company values, we have once again chosen to move away from these standard thermoses and select only the finest mate thermoses for you. We guarantee their durability and superior craftsmanship.

Tempera mate thermoses

Tempera is our own brand of thermos. Made from the finest materials, we have placed great emphasis on the quality, strength, performance, and durability of our thermos.

The Thermo Tempera® is a mate thermos that we are very proud to present to you.

This very high quality thermos, made from a double layer of 304 stainless steel, is highly valued for its great robustness as well as for one of the best thermal properties (keeps hot for 24 hours, cold for 30 hours and iced for 96 hours).

As the manufacturer, we guarantee them for 5 years !

The biggest advantage of this thermos is undoubtedly its lid, which can be transformed into a double-layered 304 stainless steel gourd ! This large-capacity gourd (240ml) will allow you to carry your mate equipment everywhere with you without any hassle.

The other key feature is undoubtedly its high-precision pourer with trigger, which allows for a stable flow, with a good flow rate and without jerking!

Key characteristics of Tempera :

  • Hot water retention: approximately 24 hours
  • Cold water storage: approximately 30 hours
  • Ice water preservation: approximately 96 hours
  • 304 stainless steel, BPA-free
  • High-precision pourer with special trigger for mate
  • Height: 30 cm
  • Capacity: 1L
  • Price: €49

Termolar mate thermoses

thermos mate

Termolar is a Brazilian company specializing in mate thermoses since 1958.

These thermoses are renowned for their long period of heat retention (20h) or cold retention (36h).

Unfortunately, these are quite fragile thermoses, with frequent breakage of the handle, as well as at the spout.

The main characteristics of Termolar :

  • Hot water retention: approximately 20 hours
  • Cold water preservation: approximately 36 hours
  • A2 stainless steel, BPA-free
  • Pouring spout with double-action stopper, specially designed for mate.
  • Height: 29.4 cm
  • Capacity: 1L
  • Price: €59

Stanley mate thermoses

thermos mate

A Stanley thermos model

Stanley has also been a key player in the manufacture of insulated products since 1913. This American company specializes in long-term thermal storage for coffee. Their products keep drinks hot or cold for approximately 24 hours.

This difference in preservation stems from the brand's innovation: double-walled vacuum insulation.

Key features of Stanley products :

  • Hot water retention: approximately 24 hours
  • Cold water preservation: approximately 24 hours
  • 304 stainless steel, BPA-free
  • Height: 35 cm
  • Capacity: 1L
  • Price: from €50

Lumilagro mate thermoses

Lumilagro is a company specializing in the manufacture of mate thermoses for over 80 years.

This Argentinian company stands out for the design of its insulated bottles as well as for their specificity in the consumption of mate, just like Termolar.

Key features of Lumilagro :

  • Hot water retention: approximately 12 hours
  • Cold water preservation: approximately 16 hours
  • 304 stainless steel, BPA-free
  • Height: 34 cm
  • Capacity: 1L
  • Price: Not available in France

What is the best thermos for mate? The verdict!

After testing these four brands, we can conclude that they are all of high quality. Indeed, the thermal insulation is excellent.

However, we encountered some drawbacks during our tests:

  • Stanley gourds have the unusual feature of not having a spout specifically designed for yerba mate. This creates a major inconvenience when pouring water into the gourd. Controlling the flow is impossible, and we've often ended up overflowing the gourd...
  • Lumilagro thermoses don't have a handle. This handle is very useful for pouring water into the gourd and for carrying it. You therefore have to hold the thermos with your whole hand, or even with your other hand, which unfortunately makes this simple task a little more complicated.
  • As for the Termolar, the spout is present but less efficient than that of the Tempera thermos; sometimes jerks occur during pouring, which can be unpleasant. Also, the plastic handle, while very practical, seems quite fragile. The long-lasting heat retention is very effective.
  • The Tempera mate thermos is, for us, the ultimate choice. Its integrated gourd is undoubtedly its distinguishing feature. Its retractable handle, welded to the thermos, is also more durable. With its thermal insulation on par with the other three thermoses, we've found our gem !

Through these various tests, we have chosen to manufacture and offer you our Tempera thermoses.

This thermos has met all the essential points on which we were uncompromising in order to pursue our mission: to offer you the best of mate.

Questions fréquentes

Pourquoi acheter un thermos spécial maté ?
Parce qu'un thermos classique verse trop fort et noie la montañita. Un thermos à maté possède un bec verseur précis, souvent avec une position de service avec un filet d'eau, qui permet de verser doucement dans le puits sans détruire la structure de la yerba.
Quelle contenance de thermos choisir pour le maté ?
1 litre est le format de référence : c'est la quantité d'eau qu'une calebasse de yerba absorbe au fil d'une journée de réinfusions. Pour un usage plus ponctuel ou très nomade, un 500 ml suffit ; au-delà d'un litre, le poids devient vite un inconvénient.
Combien de temps un thermos garde-t-il l'eau chaude ?
Un bon thermos double paroi en inox maintient l'eau dans la plage idéale du maté, autour de 70-80 °C, pendant 16 à 24 heures. Astuce : préchauffez-le en le rinçant à l'eau chaude avant de le remplir, vous gagnerez plusieurs heures de maintien en température.

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