Yerba Mate Guides

Chimarrão (pronounced shee-ma-HA-oom) is the name of a caffeinated drink made from Ilex paraguariensis (in Portuguese, ‘erva-mate’) and hot water. It is a type of mate drunk in the southern regions of Brazil.

Can Yerba Mate help you lose weight? How much caffeine is Yerba Mate? Is it safe to drink during pregnancy? Can Yerba Mate cause cancer? Can it help prevent it? Is yerba high in antioxidants? What are Yerba Mate’s side effects?

Of course, yerba mate is much more than a cool trend. For many, it’s an integral part of their culture. For others, it’s a great nutritional alternative to coffee and tea. Today we’ll go over the big benefits of yerba mate, so you can decide whether you want to try a sip! Warning: after reading this article, you may just become a mate enthusiast.

Bored of your plain, traditional mate?

As a yerba mate newbie, you may find your first mate a little intimidating. From what style of mate to make, what yerba to buy, what bombilla and mate to use, and how to prepare it, there’s a lot to think about. Today we’ll break down the process so that you can choose your first yerba mate to try - and actually enjoy it, too.

Throwing used yerba mate directly into the garden is very common practice, and many believe it serves as a natural fertilizer. In this article, we explain why this is not recommended and what to do instead.

Bombillas are one of the most crucial aspects of mate drinking. It also makes it so different from tea or coffee. They are what determines the act and way of drinking it, slowly and throughout the whole day.

While technology has contributed to the efficiency of the whole production process, historian Javier Ricca has stated that mate’s taste, aroma, and quality has not necessarily improved. According to him, we're probably drinking a mate that is as tasteful as the indigenous communities in the 16th century and earlier.

Water is an essential, yet overlooked part of mate drinking. The quality of the water, its temperature, and even how it’s poured on the mate are all factors that will alter the drink’s performance, taste and health benefits.

We have previously talked about the basic mate kit and how to create one targeted for travelling. In this article we'll help you select an insulated water bottle or thermos, a non-essential, yet a crucial tool for modern-day mate drinking.

If you tried hot mate and found it be too bitter, there are a few alternatives you can try.

As you might guess by now, there is a huge culture around mate and with it comes a number of specific terms. Here are some of them that can ease you into the matero’s world.