How to Brew
Learn how to make yerba mate at home in a gourd or teapot with this in-depth look at Argentinian, Paraguayan & Brazilian mate.
While it's certainly not traditional to brew yerba mate in a teapot or infuser, it is a convenient way to try this delicious and healthful caffeinated herbal tisane from South America without adding new equipment to your tea cupboard.
1. Heat your water to 185°F (never use boiling water!)
2. Measure your yerba mate using a ratio of 5 grams yerba to 16 ounces of water
3. Steep your mate for 3-5 minutes (remember: the longer you steep, the more caffeine you will extract, but also the more tannins/bitterness)
4. Remove the leaves & enjoy your first cup or pot of yerba mate
5. Resteep your yerba mate until the leaves are spent
Argentinian yerba mate is a mix of leaf, twig, and stem and probably the most approachable of the types of yerba mate - as well as the easiest traditional preparation. Yerba mate is traditionally prepared in hollowed out calabash gourds and drunk through a bombilla (a straw with a filter at the bottom). Today you will find yerba mate gourds made from many materials, including traditional hollowed clabash gourds, wood, ceramic, and even glass. Though our yerba mate is grown in Brazil, we find it lends itself best to this style of traditional preparation.
1. Heat water to 185°F and add to a thermos (never use boiling water! It is not only considered passé, it also makes the mate taste very bitter)
2. Fill your gourd 2/3 full of mate
3. Cover the gourd with your hand and turn it upside down
4. Shake the gourd gently to mix the components; this will move larger pieces to the bottom and smaller pieces to the top and make it so you don’t drink the smaller pieces through your bombilla
5. Lift the gourd slowly up to an inclination of about 45 degrees to create the mate mountain (may also be referred to as a slope or wall); you may want to have a rest or a block to lean your gourd against to maintain this slope
6. Pour a bit of room temperature water on the side that has less yerba to moisten the bottom; this water should come about halfway up the mountain
7. Wait a minute or two until the leaves absorb the water and expand
8. Using this same inclination, insert the bombilla into the well left by the yerba until it reaches the bottom and press it against the yerba mountain
9. Pull the bombilla toward you then turn 1/4 of a turn to position it under the mountain of yerba
10. Rest the body of the bombilla firmly against the side of the gourd; try not to move the bombilla later
11. Add your hot water slowly on the side of the bombilla, until you see the surface foam
12. Begin enjoying your yerba mate immediately, as leaving it to steep will create a bitter brew
13. The yerba will absorb the water; as the water absorbs, pour a little more until it reaches the top and enjoy your next sip
14. Continue adding water and enjoying your yerba mate until the leaves are spent
Brazilian mate (erva mate) is very different in appearance and character from Argentinian yerba mate. Erva mate has far less twig and stem matter, and is more powdered or ground in consistency (as you can see in the photo, it is very reminiscent of matcha in color and consistency). This affects both the flavor and the preparation and makes this version of yerba more bitter than its Argentinian counterpart. Also prepared in a gourd, Brazilian chimarrão (pronounced she-muh-how) is made in a cuia, which has a distinctive shape. The cuia has a narrow base that gradually widens into a rounded midsection before flaring outwards at the top, creating a wide, open mouth.
1. Heat your water to 150-170°F (again! remember not to boil your water completely)
2. Pour the hot water into your cuia to where the neck starts
3. Add a good amount of the chimarrão on top of the water
4. Slide the chimarrão to one side with your bomba (Brazilian Portuguese for bombilla) until you get to the water
5. Once you see the water, fill your cuia with more water
6. Place your thumb over the opening of the straw and insert the bomba into your cuia
7. Twist the bomba to the side once you reach the bottom to create better filtration
8. Continue to add water until all the flavor has been spent from the chimarrão
1. Heat your water to 150-170°F and add to a thermos
2. Fill your cuia with erva mate (chimarrão) until you reach the neck of the cuia; if you are using a gourd, fill it 2/3-3/4 full
3. Cover the opening of the cuia or gourd with your hand; flip it over and gently shake it to redistribute the larger stems to the bottom to help with filtration
4. With the top covered, bring the cuia upright to a 45° angle; this will leave you with a mountain of erva mate on one side and a well on the other
5. Pour room temperature water into the well and wait for the chimarrão to absorb the water
6. With your finger over the opening at the top of your bomba (the Brazilian Portuguese word for bombilla), gently place it into your cup or gourd
7. Once the straw reaches the bottom the gourd, twist your bomba to the side to aid filtration
8. Add hot water to the well and enjoy your delicious and healthful high-energy drink
9. Continue adding water until you feel like the chimarrão is spent
The consistency and character of Paraguayan yerba mate is very similar to that of its southern neighbor, Argentina. Though also drunk hot, as in Argentina, the national drink of Paraguay is a refreshing cold infusion of yerba mate made with infused water or fruit juice.
1. Make a pitcher of iced water, limeade, lemonade, mint water, fruit-infused water, or fruit juice
2. Fill your cup or gourd 1/2 to 2/3 full with yerba mate
3. Cover your gourd with your hand and turn upside down
4. Shake gently to distribute the leaves ideally
5. Tilt back up to a 45° angle to form a slope or mountain of yerba
6. Slide your bombilla into the well left by the yerba mate slope and place an ice cube on top
7. Fill the well with cold water (or other cold drink of choice) and let it steep for 3-5 minutes
8. Add sugar or simple syrup, as desired, and enjoy
9. Continue to add water and enjoy until the yerba has no more flavor to give
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