I’ve always been a simple gourd and yerba Matero: preparing mate the most traditional way, with either a calabash or wooden mate gourd and bombilla. But with old traitions come new traditions. Mate is expanding and it’s no longer necessary to limit yourself to the gourd. In South America, the gourd is still the mainstay. [...]

New Mate drinkers often wonder whether it’s okay to add sugar or other sweeteners in their Mate or not? The simple answer is: sure! It’s your Mate; add whatever you want. If you like sweet flavors, then sweeten your gourd till you’re content. No problema! But is it healthy? That’s another question, entirely. It’s common [...]

There are many reasons to unplug the bombilla from the mate, either partially or fully. The server needs to constantly maintain space around the bombilla, while preserving the precious mountain of mate. At times, it’ll be necessary to totally remove the bombilla after taking a few hard slurps, then replace it in an superior position. [...]

When you flood the mate, you add water over your mountain of mate and immerse all of the yerba. This is an alternative to bombilla hemisphere switching and, if done properly and at the right time, can be just as effective in prolonging the cycle length of your mate.

Below is a simple way how to prepare yerba mate.

As the server, never lose your purity of heart. Your vibrations must be of such a high frequency, that you pick everyone up off their feet. Which is also to say, you must remain the lowest, most meek, humble servant. Only in service to others can you rise as the steam does each gourd. Only [...]

In this video on bombilla hemisphere switching, I show you how to use your bombilla while drinking yerba mate. The main idea is to keep your waterhole clear and to always maintain your mountain of mate. Pull out your bombilla from New York and place it directly in Argentina, then remold your new mountain of [...]

Yerba Mate: Practically all of the vitamins necessary to sustain life This isn’t a chemistry lesson, and I’m not someone with a scientific background (bear with me!), but I’m going to do my best to explain several chemicals, compounds, molecules, and vitamins that are key to Yerba Mate’s chemical composition, which makes it one of [...]