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When talking about maté, the same question comes up again and again: "But what does maté taste like?"
And often, the answers go no further than "it's a bitter drink" or "it tastes like tea."
Here is a complete article about the taste of maté: the taste differences from one type of maté to another, through the role of different ingredients to the influence of production, up to preparation... We cover it all!
Maté has a rather bitter taste that is difficult to describe. While it is traditionally consumed very bitter in Argentina and Uruguay, it can also be enjoyed sweet or flavored. Like tea, coffee, or any type of infusion, there are several types of matés, which can be very (very!) bitter with a powdery texture or quite mild, with a more subtle and caramelized taste.
Quite unique, the taste of maté is really hard to describe. When we are asked "what does maté taste like?", we often reply that it is indescribable, and that you really have to drink it to understand.
We have created a discovery box with green maté (our Original Maté). It is a maté with a particularly mild taste, halfway between tea and coffee. It is ideal for discovering maté.
In the rest of this article, we explain the different criteria that influence the taste of mate so that you have all the cards in hand to understand what makes the taste of mate and that you can choose a type of mate that suits you.
Once harvested, the yerba mate goes through different production stages during which 3 main ingredients are separated and used: the leaves, the stems, and the powder.
It is from these 3 components that each producer, each brand, makes its own blend.
The mate leaf is of course the main ingredient of mate. It constitutes 50% to 95% of the final blend (depending on the brand).
Composition: 50% to 95%
It is very rare for companies to offer "pure" leaf for the simple reason that the taste and texture of mate are not ideal when the leaf is not associated with a minimum of powder and stems.
The taste of mate leaves varies greatly depending on an important criterion: aging (a step that involves aging the leaves for a period ranging from a few months to 24 months).
The longer the leaves are aged, the stronger and more pronounced the taste of the mate will be.
It is this stage that differentiates the two main categories of mate: the refined mate (which is the traditional, classic mate offered by most South American brands) and the green mate.
| Green mate | |
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| Aging period: 3 to 24 months | Aging period: None |
| Taste: Pronounced and intense - generally very bitter. | Taste: Slightly bitter - similar to tea. |
| Note: Not recommended for those who have never drunk mate as the taste is very intense - bordering on "violent". | Note: Type of mate still quite uncommon but very appreciated in Europe. |
Table: Differences between refined mate (traditional) and green mate
The stems (or "palo" in Spanish) are important ingredients in the composition of a balanced mate.
According to the Argentinian Food Code, a mate "con palo" (with stems) can contain up to 35% stems, while a yerba mate "sin palo" or "despalada" (without stems) must contain less than 10% stems.
Composition: 0% to 35%
On the left: without stems "despalada" / On the right: with stems "con palo"
The stems serve to soften the taste of the mate as well as to give texture to the yerba mate. Most Uruguayan mate brands do not use any stems, as Uruguayans prefer their mate with a very strong taste.
When the leaves and branches of mate are cut, a powder forms. It is this powder, or dust, that is found in most commercially available mates.
A mate with a bit too much powder
And this ingredient is often at the heart of debates within mate countries. It was even at the center of a scandal in Argentina in 2017.
A mate enthusiast, Eugenio Maldonado, had the idea to make a video where he removed the powder contained in a bag from a famous mate brand.
What a surprise it was when he realized that the powder represented nearly half of the bag! Many shared his reaction as this video was quickly viewed nearly 7 million times and shared by 200,000 people.
In reality, there is ambiguity around this ingredient:
As a mate brand, knowing all the steps from choosing the mate seed to creating a blend, we think it would be useful to share our informed opinion.
End of the parenthesis, let's return to the powder content of maté and its influence on taste:
Composition: 0% to ... 50% (!)
The powder content varies greatly from one brand to another. But generally speaking, the cheaper matés are often the most powdery.
A maté that contains some powder will tend to retain its taste longer and can be infused more times than a maté made solely of leaves and stems.
Moreover, this ingredient has the advantage of giving consistency to the maté and can improve its texture. It is also this ingredient that will froth the maté when water is poured in.
The quality (and thus the taste) of yerba maté is greatly influenced by certain production criteria. We found it interesting to discuss it (briefly) here.
If this aspect does not interest you, you can directly move on to the next part, which explains the role of the preparation method of maté on its taste.
In theory, maté leaves are harvested every 12 months. But in practice, they are picked every 6 to 24 months.
The longer the duration between two harvests, the more flavorful the maté leaves will be.
Drying of mate leaves
The mate leaves are dried during a step called "sapeco" in Portuguese or "sapecado" in Spanish (or even "zapecado" in Guaraní).
This step can be done with smoke or with hot air without smoke.
The influence of drying on the taste of mate in a few words
Wood fire drying gives a smoky taste to the mate but is also linked to certain health risks. Conversely, dehydration with hot air without smoke gives a slightly less harsh taste to the yerba mate.
The certified organic mates are often dried without smoke, in accordance with European health standards.
All La Bombilla mates are dried without smoke for health (healthier) and taste (smoother) reasons.
As indicated in this article, the taste of mate depends on its composition and its cultivation. But like any drink or food, its taste is greatly influenced at the moment of the final touch: the preparation.
It is very common to infuse the same mate up to 10 times (hence the interest in using a mate thermos). And the taste changes as the infusions progress.
Some people prefer the first infusion, some prefer the following ones.
Tastes and colors...
Traditionally, maté is drunk "amargo", that is to say bitter, without adding anything.
But it is also possible to drink it "dulce", in other words, "sweet".
To do this, simply sweeten the maté by adding a bit of sugar, honey, or stevia.
If you want to know more, we have published a complete article on this topic: How to reduce the bitterness of your maté?
An excellent way to play with the taste of your maté is to flavor it. While there are many already flavored matés available commercially, it is very common to see people flavoring their own maté.
Here is a (small) list of ingredients that can be used with maté:
But here, let your imagination run wild.
There are hundreds of possible blends with maté. There are even some with beer. But we tried this one so you don't have to. Verdict: it's not great!
If you don't particularly feel like creating your own recipe, we have already made flavored maté blends that will please your taste buds.
Indeed, our maté range (6 different flavors) contains 3 naturally flavored matés :
