Yerba Mate Tea: What It Is, How It Tastes and How to Brew It
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Yerba mate is one of the oldest and most widely consumed traditional drinks in South America. In Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and southern Brazil it functions much the way tea does in the UK — a daily ritual shared among friends and family, drunk from a hollow gourd through a filtered metal straw called a bombilla. It has been consumed in this form for centuries and remains one of the most culturally significant beverages in the region.
In the UK it is better known as a loose leaf or bagged herbal tea, and it has grown steadily in popularity over the last decade as more people have discovered its distinctive flavour and natural caffeine content.
What plant does it come from?
Yerba mate is made from the dried leaves and stems of Ilex paraguariensis, a tree in the holly family native to the subtropical forests of South America, particularly Paraguay, Argentina and southern Brazil. The name yerba mate comes from the Spanish word for herb (yerba) and the Quéchua word for the gourd it is traditionally drunk from (mati).
Unlike most herbal teas, yerba mate contains caffeine — roughly 85mg per 8oz cup, which is considerably more than green tea (around 30–50mg) though slightly less than a standard cup of coffee (around 95mg). It also contains theobromine and theophylline, two other naturally occurring stimulants found in tea and cacao.
What does yerba mate taste like?
Yerba mate has a strong, earthy, slightly bitter flavour with a grassy, herbaceous character. It is more robust than most herbal teas and has a flavour that takes some getting used to for people new to it. Brewed lightly it is milder; brewed strong in the traditional gourd method the bitterness is much more pronounced.
Our organic yerba mate tea bags are air-dried and unsmoked, which gives a cleaner, lighter flavour than smoked varieties. The loose leaf version allows you to brew to any strength. Both sit within our organic herbal tea range.
Smoked vs unsmoked yerba mate
Traditional yerba mate is often dried over a wood fire, which imparts a smoky flavour. Unsmoked yerba mate — dried with hot air rather than smoke — has a cleaner, grassier, more delicate flavour and is generally preferred by people who are new to it or who want something closer to a green tea character.
Both our tea bags and loose leaf are air-dried and unsmoked.
How to brew yerba mate
Tea bags: Steep in water at around 80°C (not boiling) for 3 to 5 minutes. Boiling water can make yerba mate more bitter than necessary. It works well both hot and iced — brewed double-strength and poured over ice is a popular summer format.
Loose leaf: Use one heaped teaspoon per cup, steep for 3 to 4 minutes in a strainer. Adjust strength to taste — the flavour holds up well to multiple infusions if you are brewing in the traditional gourd style.
Traditional gourd method: Fill the gourd two-thirds with loose leaf, add hot (not boiling) water, and sip through the bombilla. Refill repeatedly — the same leaves are typically used for multiple rounds.
Caffeine content compared to coffee and tea
| Drink | Approx. caffeine per 8oz |
|---|---|
| Coffee | ~95mg |
| Yerba mate | ~85mg |
| Black tea | ~47mg |
| Green tea | ~28mg |
| Herbal tea (caffeine-free) | 0mg |
Because yerba mate contains significant caffeine, it is not suitable for people who are sensitive to stimulants, pregnant or breastfeeding without medical advice, or anyone avoiding caffeine for other health reasons.
For the specific question of whether yerba mate dehydrates you — and how its caffeine and electrolyte content affect hydration — our yerba mate and hydration post covers the detail. Both our tea bags and loose leaf are Soil Association certified organic.
