How to prepare iced mate?

With the hot summer days arriving, what could be better than savoring a refreshing iced mate?

Easy to prepare and deliciously thirst-quenching, iced mate is an excellent alternative to classic sugary drinks.

Follow our guide to learn how to prepare this summery cold drink in a few simple steps.

How to prepare an iced mate infusion?

There are two ways to prepare an iced mate infusion. You can:

1. Brew the mate hot, then chill it
2. Cold-brew the mate

Method 1: Brew hot, then chill

With this brewing method, you'll have an iced mate in no time.

Mate brews very quickly when hot, letting you chill the drink and enjoy it cold in under 10 minutes.

We highly recommend our gourmet organic mate infusion recipes, created especially for this style of brewing.

Here are the different ways to make an iced mate from a hot brew.

In a teapot, infuser, tea ball or French press

Recipe for 1L of iced mate:

1. Heat the water:

   • Heat water until it reaches around 70-80°C, before boiling.

2. Brew the mate:

   • Pour around 2 to 4 tablespoons of mate tea into your teapot, French press or even straight into a one-liter saucepan.
   • Pour 500ml of hot water over the mate and steep for at least 10 minutes (for our infusion recipes, so the fruits rehydrate and release their flavor properly).
     
     Don't forget to experiment! We encourage you to try different steeping times to find your own balance.
     
     Top up with 300/400ml of cold water to cool the preparation.

3. Strain the brew:

   • If you brewed directly in the teapot or a saucepan, use a strainer to filter the mate infusion into a large carafe, pitcher or glass bottle.
   • If you used a French press, simply press the plunger to filter the mate and pour it into your favorite carafe.
   • If you used the Tempera infuser, just add cold water and ice cubes - done!

4. Add ice cubes and pour:

   • Fill a carafe with ice cubes.
   • Pour the mate infusion over the ice. This will chill your mate quickly.

Organic mate infusion

With mate tea bags

Recipe for 1L of iced mate:

• Heat the water
  • Heat water to 70-80°C, before boiling
• Brew the mate
  • Place 3 or 4 mate tea bags in a saucepan or teapot.
  • Pour 500 ml of hot water over the tea bags.
  • Steep for 10 minutes, depending on the flavor intensity you want.
• Remove the tea bags
  
  • After brewing, remove the tea bags and top up with 300ml of cold water to cool the preparation.
  • If you'd like to sweeten your mate, add sugar, honey or agave syrup at this stage and mix well.
• Chill the brew
  • Pour the lukewarm mate infusion into a large carafe or pitcher filled with ice cubes.

Cold tropical mate tea-bag infusion

Method 2: Cold-brew the mate

Unlike method 1, this brewing method takes more time.
Hot water extracts the maximum aroma from the mate leaves.

Cold-brewing does extract the aromas, but with more difficulty - so patience is required.

Whether with mate tea bags, a teapot or a French press, here's how to cold-brew.

Recipe for 1L of iced mate:

Teapot:

• Place 1 to 2 tablespoons (around 16g) of mate in the teapot.
• Add cold water.
• Steep in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
• Strain and serve over ice.

French press:

• Put 1 to 2 tablespoons (around 16g) of mate in the French press.
• Fill with cold water.
• Steep in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
• Press the plunger, strain and serve over ice.

Mate tea bags:

• Place 4 mate tea bags in a carafe or glass bottle. Add cold water.
• Steep in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
• Remove the bags and serve over ice.

Tempera® infuser:

• Add 5 to 10g of mate to the built-in one-piece filter.
• Add cold water and ice cubes to the bottle.
• Close, flip... Enjoy!

These methods let you prepare a refreshing, flavor-packed iced mate effortlessly.

Cold mate in a teapot with ice cubes

Iced mate in a gourd: the tereré

Tereré is a traditional drink of Paraguay and parts of Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia.

It's the iced version of mate, drunk mainly to cool off on hot summer days.

Tereré is prepared and served in a mate gourd with a bombilla, just like traditional hot mate - but with iced or cold water.

How to prepare a tereré mate?

• Fill the mate gourd
  • Fill the gourd two-thirds full with yerba mate.
  • Tilt the gourd so the leaves gather on one side, forming a little hollow: the well.
• Add cold water
  
  • Pour cold/iced water straight into a mate thermos. Ours keeps water iced for 96h!
  • Pour the cold water into the gourd, filling the well formed in the mate. Wait a few moments for the leaves to absorb the water.
• Add the bombilla
  • Insert the bombilla into the well, positioned so the filter is fully immersed in the mate.
• Serve and enjoy
  • Drink the tereré through the bombilla. Keep refilling until the mate is "lavado" (no flavor left).

Tereré isn't just a perfect thirst-quencher for summer - it's also a convivial way to share a moment with friends. Try this method and enjoy tereré's freshness and unique flavors!

Iced mate in a gourd by the water