How to Drink Yerba Mate: Gourd, Cafetière, Cold and Sachets

2 min read By Mataye

In brief

Four ways to drink yerba mate, from the traditional gourd to a cold sachet, with steps, water temperatures and tips to avoid bitterness.

How to Drink Yerba Mate: Gourd, Cafetière, Cold and Sachets

You can drink yerba mate the traditional way from a gourd with a metal straw, brew it like tea in a cafetière, have it cold as tereré, or stir a sachet into water. The one rule for hot mate: use water well below boiling, around 70 to 80°C, or it turns bitter. Here is each method step by step. New to it? Read what is yerba mate first.

What you need

Method Equipment Best for
Gourd and bombilla Gourd (cup), bombilla (filtered metal straw), kettle The full experience, sharing
Cafetière or tea bag Cafetière or a mug A simple hot cup
Cold (tereré) Jug or bottle, ice Hot days, less bitterness
Sachet A glass of cold water Work, gym, travel

1. The traditional way: gourd and bombilla

  1. Fill the gourd about two thirds with loose yerba mate.
  2. Cover the top with your hand, turn it upside down and shake gently so the fine dust settles away from the straw.
  3. Tilt the gourd so the leaf forms a slope. Pour a little cool water into the low side and let it soak in for a minute; this protects the leaf.
  4. Push the bombilla into the wet side, down to the bottom. Do not stir with it.
  5. Pour hot water, about 70 to 80°C, into the same spot and sip until you hear a slurp.
  6. Refill with hot water and repeat. The flavour lasts for many refills.

Each refill adds caffeine, so a long session can add up to more than one coffee. See yerba mate caffeine.

2. Cafetière or tea bag

  1. Add one to two tablespoons of loose yerba mate to a cafetière, or use one tea bag per mug.
  2. Pour water at about 70 to 80°C. Let a boiled kettle stand for a few minutes if it has no temperature setting.
  3. Steep for 3 to 5 minutes, then press or remove the bag.
  4. Add honey, lemon or milk if you like.

3. Cold: tereré

Swap hot water for iced water or juice. Cold brewing pulls out less bitterness, so it is the easiest way to start. Full method in our guide to tereré.

4. Sachets

Powdered sachets dissolve in cold water with no equipment. Super Yerba Mate is made this way: one 10 g sachet in a glass of cold water, raspberry lemonade flavour, around 100 mg of caffeine and 2 g of sugar. Step by step: how to prepare yerba mate sachets.

Tips for a better cup

  • Too bitter? Your water is too hot, or you used leaf-only (sin palo) yerba. Use cooler water, or try it cold.
  • Too dusty? Shake the gourd before adding water, and do not move the bombilla once it is in.
  • Not strong enough? Use more leaf rather than hotter water.
  • Drinking in the afternoon? Remember the caffeine if you want to sleep.

Safety

Drink it warm, not scalding: drinks above about 65°C are classed as probably carcinogenic by the World Health Organization's cancer agency. Keep total caffeine under 400 mg a day for adults (EFSA). More in yerba mate benefits and risks.

Sources

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