Mate 🧉
Traditional infusion from Latin America


Mate, is a traditional South-American caffeine-rich infused drink.

It is made by soaking dried leaves of the yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis), in hot water and is served with a metal straw in a container typically made from a calabash gourd (the mate proper), but also in some areas made from a cattle horn. Mate was consumed by the Guaraní and Tupí peoples. It has been drunk in South America since before the arrival of Europeans. Its consumption was exclusive to the natives of Paraguay, more specifically the departments of Amambay and Alto Paraná. Some ethnic groups that consumed it are the Avá, the Mbyá and the Kaiowa, and also, to a lesser extent, other ethnic groups that carried out trade with them, such as the ñandevá, the Taluhet and the Qom people: Tobas.

It is the national beverage of Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

    📝 Step by step: How to prepare a traditional Mate

  1. Heat water to a boiling point -between 70 and 80ºC- without letting it boil.

  2. Fill 3/4 parts of the mate (container) with yerba.

  3. Cover the mate with your hand, invert it upside down and shake gently to mix the components well.

  4. Raise the mate little by little up to an inclination of about 45 degrees and pour a little warm water on the side that has less grass, to moisten the bottom.

  5. Taking advantage of this inclination, we introduce the light bulb against the internal wall, trying to make it fixed and not move it later.

  6. Add hot water slowly through the bulb side, until the surface is filled with foam.

  7. As the grass absorbs the water and lowers the level, add a little more water until you reach the top.
    Now the Mate is ready to enjoy!




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