Origins and virtues: What is mate?

The Matero: Regular mate consumer

The gourd: This is the container for drinking mate. The most common gourds are: Traditional gourds with a pumpkin interior and stainless steel gourds.

The bombilla: This is the metallic straw used for drinking mate.

The yerba mate: This is the original name of the plant in Spanish. In literal translation, it means 'Mate herb', but rest assured, it is indeed legal!

To prepare a mate, you need a calabash, a bombilla, and mate. Having a mate thermos is a plus, but it is not essential.

Step 1: Heat water to 80°C
Step 2: Fill your calabash two-thirds full with mate leaves and form a well with your yerba
Step 3: Place your bombilla in the calabash while blocking its end, then pour in the hot water.

Discover how to prepare a mate in video

There are three varieties of mate: The refined mate, the green mate, and the roasted mate. The refined mate is the type of mate called "traditional," it is a yerba mate with a yellowish hue, a dusty texture, and a very bitter taste: This is the type of mate marketed by most mate brands. The green mate is a mate with a balanced taste, less bitter than the refined mate. Its less dusty texture and pleasant taste make it an ideal mate for beginners who want to discover this drink. This is the type of mate that constitutes our Original mate and our flavored mates. The roasted mate is a mate that has undergone a roasting phase (process used for coffee production). This process involves heating the mate leaves at high temperature allowing the leaves to reveal a caramelized taste with aromas close to cocoa.

Unlike tea and classic infusions, mate is consumed in multiple infusions. It is enough to add hot water to your gourd throughout the day without having to change the herb to enjoy the drink. To the question "when to drink mate?", our answer is therefore all day or in the morning before going to work; moreover, we advise stopping mate after 6 PM to avoid possible insomnia. It should be noted that the consumption in multiple infusions is only valid for traditional consumption and not for consumption in a teapot or teabag where the yerba mate is only infused once.

Where the tea bush grows in Asia, the mate tree has the particularity of growing only in South America: Mainly in Argentina and Brazil. The two plants differ both in their shape and in their size.

Mate has the advantage of containing 90% more antioxidants than green tea, and if you know the slogan "Eat 5 fruits and vegetables a day" it's especially for the antioxidants, so drinking mate will boost your health. In terms of energy, mate also wins the battle as it has more caffeine than tea and also contains theobromine (a stimulant not found in tea).

The mate and coffee are recognized for their energizing virtues; however, the sensation of energy provided is not exactly the same. Indeed, mate combines two energizing molecules, caffeine and theobromine, giving mate a pleasant and long-lasting energizing effect. If many think that caffeine is the molecule of coffee, well, that is not the case because caffeine is a natural stimulant found in more than 60 plants. The terms mateine, theine, or even guaranine (which is found in guarana) are misuses of language and refer to the same molecule: 3,7-trimethylxanthine (caffeine). Theobromine, for its part, is an energizing molecule that diffuses more slowly in the body. Theobromine is known for the feeling of good mood it provides; it is also found in cocoa.
If you are wondering why chocolate and mate make you happy, now you know.

At La Bombilla, we tested mate in every way, and after extensive research, we managed to uncover some amazing recipes as precious as your grandmother's recipes. So since you've read this far, we consider ourselves ready to share them with you! 😉

Intense mate cookies:To make this recipe, on one side, boil 10 cl of milk, add 20g of Intense yerba mate and let it steep for 20 minutes. On the other side, put 120g of brown sugar and 125g of butter in a container and mix. In the same container, then add 220g of flour, 1/2 packet of baking powder, and an egg, then mix again. Finally, strain the infusion of the milk and yerba mate mixture using a sieve and pour the infusion into the container, then mix again.

Then place the preparation in portions on a baking sheet, add chocolate chips on each portion, and bake for 10 minutes at 180°C.

The mate cooler:This is the ideal cocktail to stay fresh in any situation. The recipe is simple; just serve 6cl of infusion of original mate, add 6cl of grapefruit juice, 6cl of tequila, ginger syrup, and a few drops of lemon juice. Then add a bit of sparkling water, and you're all set!

'Mate-me por favor': Popular in São Paulo, Brazil, the "Mate-me, por favor" is a drink that takes the very sweet base found in the famous caipirinha.

To make this cocktail, serve 2cl of vodka, add half a lemon, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and a few ice cubes. Then add 20cl of infusion of original mate and serve very cold.