The Best Yerba Mate for Beginners: How to Choose the Right Mate

Yerba mate may be a functional beverage, but it definitely is an acquired taste. For most people, the promise of a beverage rich in antioxidants, which supports physical fitness, mental focus and clarity, and gut health, is extremely appealing.

However, the naturally bitter and strong aftertaste of mate can sometimes shock the palate. All the more reason to find the right yerba mate for your individual preferences.

Because when you find the right yerba mate blend, you’ll fall in love with this healthy and vitamin-rich drink infusion.

Ola mate here: you may have seen mate being drunk by celebrities, featured on social media, or showcased in popular television shows.

If you’ve ever considered trying loose-leaf yerba mate, this guide is for you. In this article, we’ll walk you through the following:

• Why the first sip of mate is often surprising

• The anatomy of the plant: Understanding leaves, stems, and dust

• The blend: How fruits and herbs make mate beginner-friendly

• How to choose a mate based on country of origin

• How storage and packaging affect quality

• The importance of USDA-organic ingredients

• The difference between traditional mate and Ola mate

Why mate is an acquired taste

Yerba mate is famous for its "kick,”  both in terms of energy and flavor.

In South America, drinking mate is a daily ritual often shared among friends and family. However, for beginners in other parts of the world, mate’s traditional flavor profile can be challenging.

Mate is naturally bitter, herbaceous, and intense, often similar to a very strong green tea or black coffee.

Many beginners make the mistake of trying a strong variety first, or burning the leaves with boiling water, which results in a harsh, bitter brew.

Since its inception, the world of mate has expanded. We’ve discovered all the different ways mate can be brewed, packaged, and made: in a gourd with a bombilla straw, as a sparkling tea, or with a French press.

Ola mate is perfect for you if you’re looking for an on-the-go option that skips the bitterness. But if you’re looking for an exceptional loose-leaf experience, you’ll need to know which components make up an exceptional mate blend.

Part 1: The anatomy of yerba mate  

When you buy a bag of traditional loose-leaf, you aren't just buying leaves. You’re buying a specific mix of three structural components.

1. Hoja (the leaf)

2. Polvo (the dust)

3. Palo (the stem)

1. Hoja

If you’re looking for quality, traditional, loose-leaf yerba mate, one of the best ways to know its quality mate is by looking for whether the mate includes leaves in the mixture. The leaf provides the core flavor and the nutrients. A balanced yerba mate usually consists of about 65% leaves.

Exposure to weather, production processes, and the age of the leaf can affect the quality and flavor of the leaves overall.

You want to look for mate that includes whole leaves, as this blend generally provides a smoother, more recognizable "tea" flavor. If you want a classic experience, look for a high percentage of leaves.

2. Palo

Translating to “stick”, palo refers to the small white stems inside the yerba mate brew. The best yerba mate brands are made with at least 25% stems. The stems act as a natural sweetener, cutting the bitterness of the leaves.

The more stems, the lighter the flavor of the yerba mate. Stems tend to be milder in flavor than their cousin, polvo, the topic of our next section. 

3. Polvo

Another key ingredient in a winning batch of yerba mate is what we call polvo. The Spanish polvo translates into “dust,” or the finely ground leaves and stems that make up a traditional loose-leaf yerba mate blend.

A quality, loose-leaf batch of yerba mate tends to consist of 10% polvo, giving the batch a stronger taste. The reason for the stronger taste is that the blend consists of less air and more mate material.

A blend with too much dust can be very strong and hard to filter. As a beginner, you might want a blend with less dust until you master your brewing technique.

Let the dust settle, and you have a delicious yerba mate brew.

Part 2: The flavor profile (the “blend”)

Once you understand the anatomy of the plant, you can look at fruit and additives. Additives are often the best entry point for beginners because they mask the natural bitterness of the herb.

• Fruit (for example, blueberries, raspberries, and more)

• Adaptogenic herbs (for example, ashwagandha and lion’s mane)

Fruit

Just as green tea is often accented and flavored with fruit flavor profiles like pomegranate, peach, and mangoes, quality yerba mate blends often include dried fruit.

With yerba mate blends, you can expect your blend to include about 60% yerba mate (which includes the leaves, stems, and dust) and 40% fruits and herbs. Flavored yerba mate blends tend to be good for beginners and for those looking to reduce the full punch of traditional yerba mate.

Adaptogenic herbs

Yerba mate often includes adaptogenic herbs. Mate produces no toxins in the body. It comes as no surprise to learn that yerba mate also often pairs well with other adaptogenic herbs.

Blends that include adaptogenic herbs also tend to be favored by novice and veteran yerba mate drinkers. Adaptogenic herbs, such as lion’s mane, ashwagandha, reishi mushroom, ginger, and holy basil, often pair well with loose-leaf yerba mate.

A blend of roughly 60% yerba mate and 40% herbs/fruit is usually the "sweet spot" for beginners. But what if you’re new to drinking yerba mate?

Let’s explore how to choose the best yerba mate for your needs.

How to choose the best yerba mate as a beginner

Compared to ready-to-drink yerba mate, which is often combined with other delicious organic ingredients, when you’re first starting to explore loose-leaf yerba mate, it can be a bit strong. 

Beginners: You can also follow these four steps to enjoy yerba mate.

1. Start on the lighter side with Argentinian: We recommend starting with Argentinian yerba mate. It’s generally lighter and more floral.

2. Avoid (for now): Paraguayan (often smoked/barbeque flavored) and Uruguayan (very strong, bitter, and malt-like) mate

3. Watch the water temperature: This is the number one mistake beginners make. Never use boiling water. Boiling water burns the leaves and makes the tea incredibly bitter. Aim for 170°F (75°C).

4. The 7-Day Challenge- Try it for a week: Your palate needs time to adjust to mate’s earthy profile. If you drink black coffee or unsweetened tea, you’ll likely quickly adapt. If you prefer sweet drinks, feel free to add a little honey or agave at first. You’ll enjoy the health benefits of mate in no time.

As a beginner, the best way to determine your mate is by experimenting and asking a mate expert (often called a matero) for their advice on what the best mate flavor is for beginners.

The best yerba mate by country

The best loose-leaf yerba mate depends on your taste preferences. With that being said, you can find the best yerba mate by looking at each country’s flavor profile.

Each South American yerba mate flavor has a different profile. The one that’s best is the one that fits your unique taste preferences.

• Argentinian yerba mate: We recommend starting with Argentinian yerba mate, because the majority of this yerba mate is on the lighter and sweeter side compared to other South American mate flavors. Argentina is one of the world’s largest producers of yerba mate.

• Paraguayan yerba mate: Paraguayan yerba mate is similar to Argentinian yerba mate, but it includes more of the polvo (“dust”) than other mates. Paraguayan yerba mate tends to be smoked and has a more intense flavor than most beginners are used to tasting. The mate tends to be more complex and bold than Argentinian mate, and you may experience floral, smoked, or even nutty notes in the background.

• Brazilian mate: Often called erva mate, Brazilian mate is quite different from Argentinian and Paraguayan mate. Brazilian mate tends to be more challenging to prepare, as you often need proper tools and the right techniques to brew it to perfection. It includes more dust and fewer stems and leaves; plus, it’s lighter, the texture is creamier, and the bitterness is, well, less bitter. Similar to matcha tea, Brazilian mate often includes notes of fresh grass, nuts, butter, or salt.

• Uruguayan mate: unlike the other mates listed above, Uruguayan mate consists mostly of leaves and dust. Uruguayan yerba mate is more full-bodied and tends to be bolder and stronger, so we don’t often recommend it to beginners.

As always, though, the quality of yerba mate depends on how it’s sourced, packaged, and stored. The best yerba mate brands value all three.

How storage and packaging affect yerba mate quality

The absolute best yerba mate is fresh from the field. However, since most of us don’t live on an agricultural reserve in South America with yerba trees in our backyard, proper storage is the next best thing.

The best yerba mate is packaged and stored in the right conditions. Exposure to air and moisture can dry out the essential oils in yerba mate and reduce the shelf life of the herb.

• The Golden Rule: Store your mate in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight. An opaque, airtight container is ideal.

• Refrigeration: If you’ve already opened a bag of loose leaf, placing it in the refrigerator can help lock in the freshness longer.

• Packaging matters: When shopping, look for brands that use vacuum-sealed packaging. Vacuum-sealed packaging is the gold standard for preserving mate’s flavor profile from the factory to your pantry.

Delicious yerba mate starts with USDA-organic ingredients

Finally, the best yerba mate, whether sipped in a piping hot gourd with a bombilla or from an ice-cold aluminum can, comes from USDA-organic ingredients cultivated in pesticide-free soil.

Always opt for brands that are non-GMO and USDA-organic. Opting for yerba mate brands that are non-GMO and use USDA-organic ingredients is a sure-fire way to give your body the nutrients it needs in as natural a way as possible.

A quality yerba mate brands includes non-synthetic, USDA-organic ingredients.

Sparkling Ola mate — clean ingredients and no bitter aftertaste

With more people than ever worldwide looking to live healthier lives, incorporating yerba mate into a daily routine has never been more attainable. As more research confirms the staggering number of health benefits of yerba mate, we’re going to keep seeing yerba mate become the star of the natural drink world.

If the idea of measuring leaves, checking water temperatures, and filtering dust sounds like too much work right now, we’ve got you covered. If you’re looking for convenient and tasty yerba mate, consider sparkling mate tea.

Ola mate’s sparkling tea offers all the benefits of the loose-leaf experience, the adaptogens, the energy, and the focus, without the time needed to prepare a fresh batch. It’s packed with all-natural, non-GMO ingredients and tropical fruit blends that give you lasting energy throughout the day and the fuel you need to conquer the night

When choosing yerba mate for yourself, the best yerba mate includes the following:

• A blend of yerba mate leaves, stems, sticks, fruits, and adaptogenic herbs

• USDA-organic, clean, and natural ingredients

• No artificial sweeteners

• Environmentally-friendly packaging and storage
  

To find the yerba mate that’s best for you, browse our entire collection of on-the-go, ready-to-drink sparkling yerba mate teas. And once you’re done, let us know how it tastes.

We hope this article helped, and we look forward to hearing from you soon!

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