How to brew Yerba Mate the Paraguayan way?

Travellers who, during their journeys, have only basic accessories at their disposal – a cup, a straw and a thermos of hot water – can teach us an easy way to brew Yerba Mate. Brewing Yerba Mate the Paraguayan way is one of many ways of drinking this beverage. Everyone can brew Yerba Mate their own way, however they like, and there are no strict rules here. You can also approach the subject as an important ceremony and brew Yerba Mate to be enjoyed in a circle. Find out how to brew Yerba Mate at home, at the office or while travelling.

How to prepare Yerba Mate without strictly following the rules?

Brewing Yerba Mate the Paraguayan way is an unceremonious method, recommended when you don’t want to spend too much time and attention preparing a drink from dried leaves. Place a portion of the dried leaves in a cup – to about 1/3 – 2/3 of its capacity, insert the straw, or rather push it into the centre, pour warm water at a temperature of 70–80 degrees Celsius and wait 5 minutes. The aroma of the infusion depends not only on the amount and quality of the dried leaves, but also on the vessel. In an ordinary cup you brew ordinary tea, whereas the best Yerba Mate is made in a vessel made of Palo Santo – rosewood with a unique aroma. The outer coating of this vessel is made of stainless steel. In South America it is advised to spit out the first sip of the yerba mate infusion, because when the bombilla is pushed into the dried leaves, a bit of dust gets into it, so it’s worth drinking Yerba Mate from the second sip onwards. Natural gourds and rosewood carry a risk of bacteria and fungus development, which is why ceramic matero vessels by Yerbador, made of enamel free of cadmium, molybdenum and lead, are extremely popular. 

Yerba Mate accessories – how to brew easily and enjoyably?

At the beginning of your adventure with Yerba Mate, preparing the drink may seem a bit complicated to anyone. Appearances, however, are deceiving, and once you get the basic accessories, it will quickly turn out to be simple and intuitive. You need to stock up on dried Yerba Mate leaves, a gourd-shaped vessel of appropriate size, a metal straw with a filter will come in handy, and of course water at the right temperature and, particularly important, a thermos with water for subsequent refills of Yerba Mate. How to prepare for brewing Yerba? The essential Yerba Mate accessories are matero and bombilla.

Vessel for drinking Yerba Mate

Matero is a shaped cup for brewing Yerba Mate, in which the flavour of the infusion can fully develop from the bottom of the vessel. The Guarani Indians once used a hollowed-out gourd to brew Yerba. Nowadays, the most valued vessels are those made of Palo Santo wood and coated on the outside with stainless steel, or ceramic ones. Preparing Yerba in an ordinary cup robs the drink of its unique flavour, and drinking it loses its unrepeatable charm. Natural vessels made of wood or ceramic from glazed clay have many advantages. These handmade eco-friendly cups are one of a kind. The material from which vessels for drinking Yerba Mate are made genuinely affects the flavour and aroma of the infusion, adding unique notes to it.

Shaped scoops for dried leaves

Bombilla and matero along with a thermos of warm water are the accessories that reveal a true Yerba Mate enthusiast. They don’t part with them even away from home – at work, while travelling or under a tent during an expedition into the wild. Bombilla is a slightly curved metal tube ending in a strainer that filters the infusion from the dried leaves. It can be used as a scoop for dried leaves, to stir the Yerba Mate infusion after adding water, and to help clean the walls of the vessel of leaves before brewing a new portion. Dried Yerba Mate leaves are much finer than classic tea leaves. Sipping Yerba without a bombilla is no longer as pleasant, since fine particles of dust can get into your mouth. This isn’t a problem though, as it’s still all about health and a wealth of nutritious substances. Bombillas come with various tips, matched to the type of dried leaves, the brewing method and the individual needs of the person drinking the infusion of Paraguayan holly.

The water temperature that won’t scald Yerba Mate and will allow you to achieve the best flavour of the infusion is 70–80 degrees Celsius. Boiling water straight from the kettle, right after it’s boiled, will be too hot. When travelling, practically any thermos or thermal mug that retains heat for a long time will work well. Among the additional accessories, a handy thermometer and a brush for cleaning the tube may come in useful, but even without them, brewing Yerba and drinking the infusion will still be fully satisfying.

Yerba Mate – how to brew it correctly?

Beginners who visit our shop for the first time, before finding their favourite way to enjoy Yerba Mate, usually want to know how to brew the dried leaves according to the rules. Paraguayan holly (Ilex paraguariensis) is the natural raw material used to produce Yerba Mate. This plant grows in South America in the region of 4 countries: Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina – in the land of Yerbador. This isn’t ordinary black tea that you pour boiling water over. Yerba Mate and green tea have something in common – both infusions should be made with cooled water at a temperature of 70–80 degrees Celsius. Yerba can be drunk cold or hot.

Traditional way of preparing Yerba Mate:

• Pour the dried leaves into the vessel to about 3/4 of the cup’s volume. The more dried leaves, the stronger the infusion will be. Check out how to dose Yerba Mate.
• Tilt the vessel so that the dried leaves shift to the side wall and reveal the bottom.
• Insert the bombilla into the mound all the way to the bottom, with the filter facing down.
• Pour a small amount of cool water onto the bottom and wait until the liquid soaks into the dried leaves. This disappearance of water is called the “sip for St. Thomas”.
• Pour hot but not boiling water (70–80°C) over the leaves and let it steep for about 5 minutes.

The ritual of preparing Yerba Mate in a circle

The local Paraguayan way of brewing Yerba Mate and the traditional method with a sip for St. Thomas complement the ritual of brewing and drinking Yerba Mate in a circle. The mate ceremony is led by the host, called the Cebador. It is he who prepares the infusion, takes the first sip, refills it and passes the vessel on. The Argentinian Mate Ceremony ritual is vividly illustrated by the art of the Guarani people.