Alexis · Fondateur d'YVY Maté
Like matcha, tea or coffee, mate has its own preparation ritual.
Contrary to popular belief, this ritual is no longer or more demanding than the others once you're used to it.
So, how do you prepare a traditional mate? What are the steps of mate preparation?
The equipment
Good-quality mate accessories are essential for preparing a good brew.
They are the foundation of your preparation - like a good pan for cooking.
To prepare a traditional mate, you will need:
- A mate gourd (or mate cup)
- A bombilla (or mate straw)
- A yerba mate
- Hot water, ideally in a thermos
The mate gourd
It serves as the vessel for the brew - this is where the yerba and water go. There are several types of mate gourd: some are wood, others stainless steel, glass or even bamboo.
But the most commonly used gourd comes from the squash.
We offer a wide variety of squash gourds, such as the Torpedo, Camionero or Imperiale, with our artisan touch on the band - smooth, chiseled or with bronze panels.
Imperiale gourd
The mate straw
The bombilla is used to filter the leaves from the brew. With a good-quality bombilla, you won't get leaves in your mouth.
We offer bombillas in stainless steel, Alpaca or even silver.
The mate
The taste of the brew is greatly influenced by the yerba mate you use.
If you want a yerba with little bitterness, we recommend the green yerba. It is young and herbal.
For a more intense yerba with measured bitterness, try the 12-month or 24-month aged. For even more bitterness, we recommend the slightly dusty Uruguay yerba.
A coffee lover? Roasted mate is made for you.
Preparing the mate
Preparing a traditional mate
Now that you have the right accessories, let's move on to preparing a traditional mate:
- Heat water to 80°C
- Pour the yerba mate into the gourd, filling it ¾ full (between 10 and 30 g).
- Place your hand over the top of the gourd and shake it up and down to mix the leaves.
- Tilt your gourd to 45° to form the well and the montañita.
- Pour a little cold water into the well to start the brew.
- Let it rest for 5 minutes so the leaves soak up the water - this makes the well easier to keep and prevents the leaves from burning.
- Insert your bombilla into the well.
- Add your hot water (80°C maximum) - water that's too hot will bring bitterness.
Your mate is ready!
Make sure you have hot water within reach to make the most of your mate gourd. Once you've savored the brewed water, feel free to add hot water again. Drink, then keep topping up as you like.
It's also good to know you can use the same mate in your gourd throughout the day. After multiple brews - around 1 to 1.5 liters of water - you'll notice the yerba mate's taste weakening: this is what's called "lavado" (washed) yerba mate.
Think you've made a mistake while preparing your mate? Don't panic! We recommend watching an explanatory video:
How to prepare a fine-cut, Uruguay-style mate
Mate preparation can differ depending on the cut (fine or large-leaf).
The preparation isn't very different between the two cuts. The biggest distinction for a fine-cut mate like our Uruguay mate is the preparation time.
To avoid sucking up mate as you drink, or clogging your bombilla with this finer, dustier cut, you'll need to allow a longer-than-usual "wetting" period.
The principle is simple: when forming the montañita, just pour around 10 cl of cold or room-temperature water into the well and keep the gourd tilted until the mate has fully absorbed the water. The bombilla is often placed under the gourd to keep it tilted.
Dust too fine to be filtered will naturally swell, or dissolve into the water in the case of the finest particles. After this step, you can insert your bombilla into the well and drink your mate normally - with no risk of swallowing any!
Tip: To keep your gourd tilted until the water is absorbed, you can use your bombilla or any other object.
The little mountain and the well
How to drink mate?
There you go - your favorite South American drink is ready to enjoy!
But how do you drink mate? Yes, the tasting has a few particularities of its own:
- To start drinking, pour water into the gourd's well
- Wait a few minutes to let the water brew, then pour hot water again.
- The bombilla lets you drink the mate brew without sucking up leaves or dust. You can now drink the blend.
- Add more water and repeat.
Careful: never stir the yerba into the water. The bombilla must be firmly anchored in the moist yerba and then left untouched for the whole session. That's one of the classic beginner mistakes!
The goal is to keep the well and the little mountain intact as long as possible, so the leaves brew little by little. After around ten refills, it's normal to see the montañita collapse into the well.
