If you’ve ever travelled to Argentina, or perhaps if you’re a football fan, you may already be familiar with mate – one of the national drinks of Argentina!
Mate (or yerba mate) is a type of herbal tea, consumed in certain regions of South America, particularly in countries such as Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and some parts of Brazil. Traditionally, mate is drank from a hollowed out gourd, into which, yerba is poured. Then, hot water is added and the tea is consumed through a bombilla (straw). Things can get confusing, as the word “mate” is used to refer both to the drink, and to the vessel from which the tea is drank from, so stay with me!
Most commonly, mate is drank in social situations amongst friends and family, during which each member of the group will drink from the same bombilla. Aside from learning how to actually make mate, it’s also important to understand the customs that go along with drinking it – we’ll discuss this later!
Now though, we’ll look at how to make the perfect mate!
Firstly, as mentioned briefly, you’ll need:
- Mate
- Yerba
- Bombilla
- Flask or kettle of hot water
- Stainless steel mate with bombilla: https://amzn.to/42S5NwE
- Playadito yerba: https://amzn.to/42O94gB
- Contigo flask: https://amzn.to/48COqRW
Step 1: Fill a flask with hot water
Fill your flask with hot water – the ideal temperature is between 70-80ºC. If you don’t have a thermometer, aim to get the temperature somewhere between lukewarm and boiling! If you don’t have a flask, you can pour from a kettle just fine. In Argentina, most people use flasks as it’s a more convenient way to drink mate on the go or with friends!
Step 2: Add yerba to the mate and shake
Take your mate and fill 3/4 with yerba. Then, cover the top of the mate with your hand, and shake. This is done to avoid powder from the yerba accumulating at the bottom of the mate, so that the bombilla doesn’t get blocked!
Step 3: Create a slope of yerba and add lukewarm water
Hold the mate at an angle so that the yerba falls to one side, creating a “slope” of yerba on one side, and a clear wall on the other. Then, add a small amount of lukewarm water to the bottom of the slope of yerba. At this stage, the water should be lukewarm to avoid burning the yerba!
Step 4: Add the bombilla
Add the bombilla to the bottom of the slope of yerba. Take care to cover the top of the bombilla with your thumb – this prevents it from becoming blocked!
Step 5: Cebar
Pour a small amount of hot water from your flask into the mate. The water should be poured in the area where the bombilla sits. This part is known as “cebar”, and should always be done by the same person if you’re drinking in a group! Repeat this process either until you run out of water, or until the mate is “lavado” (washed), meaning that the flavour of the yerba has been lost!
Drinking mate like a proper Argentine
Mate is often drank amongst friends and family, so it’s important to stick to these rules:
- It should always be the same person who pours the water, and the pourer should always drink the first mate!
- Don’t wipe or move the bombilla before drinking from it – it may seem rude!
- When you’re finished, always pass the mate directly back to the pourer!
- Don’t hog the mate!
Let us know how you get on below!