How To Drink Yerba Maté The Traditional Way

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The traditional yerba maté gourd is used to drink Mendo Maté® yerba maté with a bombilla. The gourd has acted as a cup in this unique relationship for 100s if not 1000s of years in South America's indigenous population. To use the traditional gourd and bombilla follow these 6 steps:

Fill your gourd with your favorite blend of Mendo Maté yerba maté.

Turn your gourd to the side and pad the yerba maté against the gourds wall.

Add a few table spoons of water from your thermos to moisten the tea.

Let your Mendo Maté steep for a few minutes.

Insert your glass or traditional bombilla onto the top of the moist packed yerba maté.

Fill your gourd with hot water from your thermos and take a small sip to test the tempiture of the water, you should never have the thermos above 150F or you will burn the tea and yourself. Once trusted and your ready... Power It®'till its gone. Refill and pass on to your friend or family member.

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Another Traditional Technique

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There are many different techniques to prepare Yerba, here is another traditional method technique.

  1. Fill the Maté cup with Yerba Maté up to 3/4 of its capacity.
  2. A variation that will give you more Tea per infusion and a less potent taste is to fill the Maté cup only half way, or even a little less than that.
  3. Pour some hot water in until it nearly fills the cup.
  4. Don't worry if some of the leaves remain dry, floating on the top.
  5. They will eventually absorb water in subsequent infusions.
  6. Let it stand a few seconds and replenish with hot water when the previous one is absorbed by the dry Maté leaves.
  7. When the water is not absorbed anymore, close the bombilla's "mouthpiece" with your thumb and insert it firmly into the Maté.

Some people add sugar and/or some herbs (like mint, for example). Some replace the water with milk, specially for the children. You drink and replenish the Maté with hot water many times till the liquid comes out with almost no taste. The repetitive extraction with hot water seems to be an efficient way of extracting the beneficial properties of the herb.