Ways to Prepare a Yerba Mate

There are an infinite number of ways to live, and an equally infinite number of ways to prepare a Yerba Mate. We prefer the traditional method used in Yerba Mate drinking countries, both for the unmatched level of health benefits the tonic provides as well as the joy one experiences in the unique drinking method. Still, our love for Yerba Mate is so great that we can appreciate all the different, creative ways that people choose to connect with this soul awakening plant. 

There are 2 items that Yerba Mate drinkers traditionally use to best maximize the benefits of the herb:

• A Special Yerba Mate Gourd
• A Filtered Bombilla (straw)

The Reason?: The special shape of the gourd compresses the yerba mate tea around the bombilla, allowing the maximum extraction of the helpful nutrients. Ultimately the gourd and bombilla allow the Yerba Mate drinker to time release the healthful nutrients throughout the day without wasting any of the herb. The gourd and bombilla are fundamental, time-proven tools, which have benefited yerba mate drinking cultures for centuries.

Gourd:

The gourd performs two important tasks:

1) Gourd Compresses Yerba Mate to Create Suction

As the Yerba Mate expands in the gourd, it uses the shape of the gourd to compress the tea around the bombilla. The compression serves three functions:

• Helps to control the release of nutrients and phytochemicals from the special herb
• Helps prevent clogging in the straw 
• Helps to create suction so that the nutrients can be pulled from the herb rather than just becoming diluted in water

2) Gourd Enhances Flavor of Yerba Mate

The gourd reduces the bitterness of the tea and adds back any flavors it may have absorbed from previous uses. People often refer to this as the "memory" of the gourd, which improves over time and helps one feel connected with their gourds.

The three traditional methods use a gourd, while other methods do not. We invite you to explore each of these methods.

• Traditional Method (hot water)
• Traditional Method Terere (cold water)
• YerbaCup® (Automated Traditional Method)
• Mate Cocido (small 3gr bag soaked)
• Mate SunTea
• Coffee Machine
• Espresso Machine

General Benefit Note:

Jane Higdon, Ph.D, Oregon State University, writes that it may be difficult to drink enough of other teas "to reach sufficient plasma and tissue levels of tea polyphenols to realize a protective effect." The American Chemical Society supports this claim by noting that the "direct measurements in people's blood" when using a tea without the gourd and straw are "typically less than one-tenth" the amount shown to produce any significant result. (2003) Fortunately, the Traditional Method of consuming Yerba Mate increases your ability to gain its many benefits. Laboratory tests confirm that drinking mate via the Traditional Method appears to be the only way to receive certain benefits (Bixby, 2005, c.v. Palermo, 2003).