How to choose the perfect mate cup?

There are many types of mates, but how to choose the ideal one for the use you will give it? Here are some tips and features to help you choose yours today.

Some points to keep in mind before starting

• The mates come in a variety of shapes and colors – there’s something for everyone!
• There are containers that, by preventing the yerba from sticking to the wall of the mate,?facilitate hygiene and provide better preservation of the original flavor of the yerba?(for example: glass, stainless steel, ceramic or porcelain). It is not necessary to treat these mates.
• For the more traditional ones, there are also mate containers such as those made of gourd or wood, which?seek to recover the history and origin of the mateada.?In addition to providing a characteristic flavor to mate. Important: It is necessary to treat this variety before the first use.

Did you know that??Wide-mouth mates ensure that the mateada is always more profitable, since the yerba mate takes longer to get completely wet.

Let’s go for a mate!

The companion: the metal mate

Companion of the kettle and special for an afternoon of mates. Some of these mate vessels transmit the heat of the water to the touch, while others are manufactured using layered stainless steel. This ensures that the mate does not get hot after several brews and does not hinder the brewer’s task when holding it in his hands.

What’s the best part of it? They are easy to clean and do not need to be cured.

The elegant one: the alpaca mate

If you are one of those who like to?shine mate to mate, the alpaca and/or silver ones are the most indicated. They are made from selected gourds, which are then dyed so that an artisan can finally perform the metal ornamentation work.

In these cases, the ferrules (girdle of the mate) can be decorated using silver inlays.

On the other hand, the solid silver mate containers have a technique that involves designing, drawing, melting the metal, laminating it, forging it to give it the shape and then giving it different types of finish such as chiseling or engraving.?These mate containers are finished with a special polish that provides total elegance.

The classic: the wooden mate

This mate, together with the gourd mate, can be considered?the most traditional in the market.

What is the most important thing? That the mate container is made with hard or semi-hard woods and not very aromatic (wooden gourds acquire a slight flavor typical of the tree), which aggressively invade the flavor in the infusion.

They are made of turned carob, palo santo, quebracho, oak. They are dyed, carved and decorated in different ways.

It is advisable to treat them before the first use.

The Creole: the gourd mate

The most typical mate container and chosen by most people. They come in many shapes (pear, pore or cookie) and sizes because they come from a climbing plant called?Lagenaria vulgaris.

As with wood,?it is essential to treat it and dry it very well after use?(don’t worry,?here ?we tell you how to do it).

Did you know that??The horn or bone mates should be left in soap for 24 hours, before treating with yerba mate, to remove the greasiness.

The exotic: the “asta” or “guampa” mate

These mate containers are more common to find in the countryside and are made with cow horns, taking advantage of everything the animal provides.

The mate made of cow horn was?formerly used by gauchos and muleteers,?and is currently widely used in Paraguay to drink tereré.

To manufacture it, the piece of horn is burnished to obtain a transparent and smooth product like glass. Sometimes the larger diameter end is closed with a wooden lid, and the narrower end is used as a mouth.

The practical: the glass or ceramic mate

These mates are special time savers, because of their very practical surface for cleaning and no treating is required.

They can be lined with leather and their main advantage is that both glass and ceramic do not absorb the flavor of the yerba mate.

On the other hand,?it is important to pay attention to sudden changes in temperature?to prevent them from breaking when preparing and cleaning them.

When the time comes, it is essential not to use water that is too cold or too hot.

The modern: the silicone mate

They are the most modern of all the options and are also?easy to clean.

What’s the best part of it? Silicone mate cups do not bind bacteria or flavors; they retain heat, are unbreakable and extra easy to empty. In addition, they come in a?variety of colors and eye-catching designs.

But be careful, as they are flexible, it is a bit difficult to hold them and sometimes they tip over, it is a matter of getting used to it.?

The sustainable: grapefruit mate

Did you know this variety of mate container? As you can imagine, you can use a?hollowed grapefruit as a container?and give your mate a more citric flavor

This combination takes advantage of the antioxidant virtues of yerba mate and the vitamin C of grapefruit, essential to strengthen the immune system in the autumn and winter months.

The downside? It lasts only one round of brewing.

?Extra! Follow?these instructions ?to cure your gourd or wooden container before first use.

Do you already have the perfect bombilla??Here ?we tell you how to choose the ideal one.

And then?

Once the gourd is well treated and you start to drink in that mate, it is convenient, when you finish brewing, throw the yerba and rinse, drain and let the gourd dry face up.

Be careful, the most common mistake is to leave the gourd upside down and this favors the formation of fungi.

There are as many types of mate as there are brewers, which one will you start with?