How to Make Mate with Loose Leaves at Home | Mati Blog

How to Make Mate Like a Brazilian

Let me tell you a secret, the first time most people try making mate with loose leaves, it goes a little wrong. The straw clogs, the water is way too hot, someone stirs it like it’s a cappuccino, and somewhere in Brazil a grandma feels a shiver down her spine. So consider this your shortcut, because once you get it right, it’s one of the coziest rituals you can bring into your home.

In the south of Brazil people drink chimarrão, which is mate the traditional way, loose leaves in a gourd called a cuia, sipped through a metal straw called a bomba. It’s slow, it’s warm, and it’s never really about the drink alone, it’s about who you’re sharing it with. Perfect energy for a rainy Dutch evening, if you ask me.

The fun starts with the leaves. You fill your cuia about two thirds of the way, cover it with your hand, flip it and give it a good shake, like you would a cocktail. That brings the fine dust up so it doesn’t end up in your straw. Then you tilt everything so the leaves pile up on one side, and give the empty side a splash of lukewarm water to wake the leaves up gently.

A person in an orange hoodie pouring hot water from a thermos into a dark gourd with a silver rim and a metal bomba, on a kitchen counter next to the sink.

Then comes the bomba, which goes in on the wet side all the way to the bottom, and here’s the one rule nobody is allowed to break, once it’s in, you leave it alone. No stirring, no poking, no fixing it because it looks a bit wonky. Trust me, the bomba knows what it’s doing.

Now the part where everyone messes up, the water. Mate and boiling water are not friends, it burns the leaves and turns everything bitter, so you want it hot but not bubbling, somewhere around 70 to 80 degrees. Our trick is switching off the waterkoker right before it clicks. Pour slowly next to the straw, sip until you hear that little slurp at the end, and refill, one round of leaves lasts for ages so get comfortable.

Two people passing a leather wrapped gourd with a metal bomba from hand to hand, in front of a calm lake with misty trees in the background.

If friends are around, there are a few unwritten rules too. Whoever prepares the mate drinks the first one, since it’s the strongest and most bitter, then refills and passes it on. And only say thank you when you’re done, because in Brazil that’s the polite way of saying no more for me.

Don’t have a cuia yet? A wide mug does the job while you practice, nobody is checking. And with our new Mati Leaves, bringing this little piece of Brazil into your kitchen just got a lot easier, so heat up that water (not too much!) and start your first round.