Mate Tea

Mate, also known as Chimarrão or Cimarrón, is a traditional South American beverage made from steeping the dried leaves of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) in hot water. It is traditionally served in a calabash gourd and drunk through a metal straw called a bombilla. This straw has a flared end with small holes in that act like a sieve to filter out the chunky dried sticks and leaves from the water. It has many cultural associations with the people of South America and is often drunk as part of a social ritual or with cultural associations in mind. Mate is also available in convenient tea bags called Mate cocido but it is considered a completely different drink, with none of the cultural associations and never drunk in the same fashion.