The Tradition of Mate
Yerba mate may seem like a relatively new product in the United States, but it has a centuries-long history in South America.
The Guarani people from the south-central part of the continent have been brewing the leaves of the Ilex paraguariensis plant for as long as we know.
Spanish colonialists and Jesuit missionaries adopted the practice of drinking the tea out of gourds known as mate. Hundreds of years later, the caffeinated drink is a crucial part of daily life throughout Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, as well as parts of Chile and Brazil.
We are proud to carry several mate products in our stores. To help you cebar like a sudamericano, let’s break down the components and terms of drinking mate.
The yerba is the dried leaves of the tree, a holly that can grow as tall as 40 feet. Good yerba should have bright aromas of minty herbs and even citrus notes like lime. We have a couple of Argentinian brands for sale and are working on sourcing more.
The mate is traditionally a dried, hollowed out calabash gourd in which you infuse the yerba with hot or cold water. Simpler versions are also made of wood, metal or other materials - even animal hooves! The bombilla is the metal straw used to drink the brew.
Cebar is the act of preparing and serving the mate. A cebador ensures the water is the right temperature (about 160-170 degrees Fahrenheit - right before little pre-boil bubbles begin to percolate in heated water). Once the yerba starts losing its intensity of flavor, the mate is lavado, or ‘washed out.’
Unlike traditional tea that’s brewed once in a cup, the same yerba leaves are infused multiple times with water kept warm or cold in a thermos. Fill the gourd with enough water to leave a little tip of dried yerba above the water line. Each time you brew, wet a little more of the dry leaves.
Take as many sips as you need to finish the serving, and take your time! Much like coffee and tea, mate is a great meditative drink or to be enjoyed spending time with friends.
In Argentina, mate is often shared by a group with the designated cebador making sure everyone is taken care of. Like tea time in many parts of the world, whatever is happening in the office or home stops for some conversation, caffeine and maybe some nibbles.
“Mate brings us together,” Valeria Trapaga, the world’s first mate sommelier, told Argentine newspaper Clarín. “It breaks the ice. Any distance that existed between us diminishes with each serving.”
Uruguayans tend to each drink their own mate, even when in a group. If you’ve been to Uruguay, you’ve probably noticed everyone walking around with a thermos of hot water under their arms for their mate breaks.
Paraguayans drink tereré - yerba mate infused with ice cold water and mixed with fresh mint and other wild herbs known collectively as yuyo.
Mate can of course energize you - the caffeine level is somewhere between black tea and coffee - but it has many other health benefits. The leaves are loaded with antioxidants and vitamins. It can also help with weight loss, digestion and mental focus.
The flavor of yerba mate can be too bitter at first for many people. Use fewer leaves in the gourd as you start (maybe two tablespoons or so in the mate that we sell and then experiment from there). You can also add a little sugar to the yerba to balance the bitterness. Some South Americans hollow out a grapefruit or orange and use it as the mate.
Of course, some lightly sweetened cookies or galletitas can take the bitter edge off too. Check out this lineup of Argentinian cookies by Cachafaz from our La Cosecha store, as well as this yerba mate soda made by Baltimore’s Mobtown Fermentation.
If you buy your own mate, you need to cure the gourd. Otherwise the interior walls of the mate can grow mold, or it may crack. To cure, first make sure the mate is thoroughly cleaned inside and free of debris. Soak some yerba in water and strain it. Add enough used yerba leaves to almost fill the mate. Let it sit for about a day, and it should be ready.
