{"id":203536,"date":"2025-10-29T11:49:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T11:49:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/?p=203536"},"modified":"2025-12-10T14:02:34","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T14:02:34","slug":"the-art-of-drinking-mate-in-patagonia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/the-art-of-drinking-mate-in-patagonia\/","title":{"rendered":"The art of drinking mate in Patagonia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What\u2019s the most iconic drink in Argentina and Chile? If you take a look at a wine rack, you might imagine a full-bodied Malbec from Mendoza, or a flinty Sauvignon Blanc from Chile\u2019s central wine valleys. They\u2019re both delicious of course \u2013 and internationally celebrated, but if you\u2019re an Argentinian or a Chilean, you\u2019ll be looking for something that you can drink from breakfast until late night. What you want is mate.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#what-is-mate\">What is mate?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#tradition-of-drinking-mate\">The tradition\u00a0of drinking mate<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#How-do-you-prepare-mate\">How do you prepare mate?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#how-do-you-drink-mate\">How do you drink mate?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-is-mate\">What is mate?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Mate (<em>mah-tey<\/em>), also known as yerba mate, is <em>the <\/em>drink that\u2019s closest to the heart of any local in Argentina and Chile. It\u2019s a true cultural symbol as much as a beverage, and one that comes with its own distinct iconography as well as a singular taste. If you see someone holding a gourd and sipping its contents through a metal straw, you know you\u2019ve found a mate drinker. It\u2019s a sight we&#8217;re more than familiar with at Swoop: with so many of our team members based across Patagonia, we know that at any given moment someone will be drinking mate, our putting the kettle on to refresh their brew.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"lyte-wrapper fourthree\" style=\"width:420px;max-width:100%;margin:5px;\"><div class=\"lyMe\" id=\"WYL_NhJXvZdBukk\"><div id=\"lyte_NhJXvZdBukk\" data-src=\"\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/NhJXvZdBukk\/hqdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/NhJXvZdBukk\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/NhJXvZdBukk\/0.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"295\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:420px;margin:5px;\"><\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>But what exactly is mate, and why is the gourd and straw so important?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tradition-of-drinking-mate\">The tradition\u00a0of drinking mate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>People have been drinking mate long before Christopher Columbus thought he could take a shortcut to the Indies and stumbled on the Americas instead. The indigenous Guaran\u00ed of northern Argentina and Paraguay were the first people to discover its delights. They picked the leaves of the yerba shrub (<em>Ilex paraguaranesis<\/em>) that\u2019s abundant across the region, and prepared it in the way that it\u2019s still drunk today: steeping the chopped yerba leaves in water, and drinking from a small calabash gourd. The main difference today is that their straws were wooden rather than the metal used today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Drinking-mate-in-Patagonia-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-203551\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Drinking-mate-in-Patagonia-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Drinking-mate-in-Patagonia-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Drinking-mate-in-Patagonia-855x481.jpg 855w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Drinking-mate-in-Patagonia-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Drinking-mate-in-Patagonia-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Drinking-mate-in-Patagonia-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Drinking-mate-in-Patagonia-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Drinking-mate-in-Patagonia-1980x1114.jpg 1980w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Drinking mate on the move in Patagonia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When the first Europeans arrived in the region, they automatically looked down on anything indigenous as being &#8216;uncivilized&#8217;. One early governor of Buenos Aires even tried banning drinking mate in the early 17th Century lest it encourage Spanish colonists to emulate the locals in drinking these \u2018dusts in hot water\u2019. Then as now, the practice was to have a mate on the go at any given time, with people carrying their gourds at all times of the day and night.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In time however, the colonists worked out that the Guaran\u00ed were onto something. By the end of the 17th Century, the Jesuits were actively promoting it as a healthy alternative to alcohol, and happily turned a profit by cultivating it themselves. From this point on, mate\u2019s place in the hearts of all future Argentinians and Chileans was guaranteed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"How-do-you-prepare-mate\">How do you prepare mate?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For the Guaran\u00ed, drinking mate was frequently a central part of religious ceremonies, but in today\u2019s Argentina and Chile, mate is best enjoyed as a social drink. You can drink it on your own of course, but at its heart mate is all about spending time with friends and family. An invitation to share a mate is always a sign that you\u2019re part of the group.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Mate-showing-yerba-leaves-and-bombilla-straw-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-203550\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Mate-showing-yerba-leaves-and-bombilla-straw-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Mate-showing-yerba-leaves-and-bombilla-straw-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Mate-showing-yerba-leaves-and-bombilla-straw-855x481.jpg 855w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Mate-showing-yerba-leaves-and-bombilla-straw-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Mate-showing-yerba-leaves-and-bombilla-straw-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Mate-showing-yerba-leaves-and-bombilla-straw-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Mate-showing-yerba-leaves-and-bombilla-straw-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Mate-showing-yerba-leaves-and-bombilla-straw-1980x1114.jpg 1980w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The mate (gourd) filled with yerba, with the separate bombilla (metal straw)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Mate is both the name of the drink and the container it\u2019s drunk from. Traditionally, a small calabash gourd is used, though you can also find them made from wood. New gourds bought from a shop should ideally be seasoned by steeping them with wet yerba before the first drink. Over time, their insides become richly stained by the leaves, to take on their own character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The second essential part of the kit is the straw, or bombilla. One end is slightly scooped to fit into the bowl of the gourd, and has a strainer to avoid sucking up the yerba leaves while drinking.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yerba can be bought anywhere and everywhere in large bags in any grocery store in Argentina and Chile \u2013 if they don\u2019t have any, check that you travelled to the right country. In the USA and Europe, it\u2019s often found in health food stores. To prepare your mate, you\u2019ll put the bombilla in the gourd and then fill the bowl just over half full of yerba.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Adding-hot-water-to-mate-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-203554\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Adding-hot-water-to-mate-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Adding-hot-water-to-mate-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Adding-hot-water-to-mate-855x481.jpg 855w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Adding-hot-water-to-mate-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Adding-hot-water-to-mate-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Adding-hot-water-to-mate-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Adding-hot-water-to-mate-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Adding-hot-water-to-mate-1980x1114.jpg 1980w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Topping up with hot water<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>To drink, just add water that\u2019s hot rather than boiling. An essential part of any mate drinker\u2019s kit is a thermos flask (<em>termo<\/em> in Spanish), so you can keep your drink topped up. Every hotel and cafe is used to filling up thermoses, so when you\u2019re travelling a useful phrase to learn is \u2018\u00bfPod\u00eda calentar agua para mate?\u2019 (\u2018Would you mind heating water for mate?\u2019). The termo is what makes mate such a supremely portable drink, as any hiker can attest when they get to a viewpoint in the trail and the mate comes out to add to the occasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With each top up, the yerba becomes gradually weakened, so the first and freshest taste is always the strongest. When all the flavour has gone, it\u2019s time for more yerba.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-do-you-drink-mate\">How do you drink mate?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When shared socially, a single gourd is passed around the group, rather than everyone drinking individually. One person, known as a cebador, takes responsibility for making the mate, filling the gourd and offering it to each person in succession. The cebador will customarily take the first and strongest drink before refilling to pass it around.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Yerba-mate-in-Patagonia-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-203565\" style=\"object-fit:cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Yerba-mate-in-Patagonia-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Yerba-mate-in-Patagonia-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Yerba-mate-in-Patagonia-855x481.jpg 855w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Yerba-mate-in-Patagonia-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Yerba-mate-in-Patagonia-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Yerba-mate-in-Patagonia-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Yerba-mate-in-Patagonia-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Yerba-mate-in-Patagonia-1980x1114.jpg 1980w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Never stir your mate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For those new to mate, the yerba can have a slightly astringent flavour, but you\u2019ll develop a taste for it. Most people in Argentina and Chile start to drink it as children, but for travellers to the region, being invited to share your first mate is an essential part of the experience \u2013 and recognition that you\u2019ve properly arrived and been welcomed into the group.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When offered mate, accept the kindness that it comes with, and drink the whole mate before handing it back. Although there will only be one gourd being circulated, there\u2019s no need to rush \u2013 the whole point of mate is to enjoy it as a social occasion. The straw should always stay in place, so rest any temptation you may have to use the straw to stir the leaves. When you\u2019ve finished drinking, hand the gourd back so that the cebador can top it up with hot water and pass it to the next person.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re offered mate and have had your fill, simply say \u2018thank you\u2019 (gracias)&nbsp; \u2013 this sounds counter-intuitive at first, but is the socially accepted way of politely declining the drink.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Mate-ready-to-drink-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-203552\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Mate-ready-to-drink-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Mate-ready-to-drink-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Mate-ready-to-drink-855x481.jpg 855w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Mate-ready-to-drink-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Mate-ready-to-drink-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Mate-ready-to-drink-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Mate-ready-to-drink-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Mate-ready-to-drink-1980x1114.jpg 1980w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Fresh mate ready to share with friends<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s very easy to develop a taste for mate \u2013 both the drink and ritual. So don\u2019t be surprised if you find yourself taking home a gourd and looking for packs of yerba in your local supermarket at home. As anyone who has been to Patagonia knows, it\u2019s the ultimate portable souvenir \u2013 and one that you can go on to enjoy anywhere in the world, if you just keep your thermos flask topped up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">*<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What\u2019s the most iconic drink in Argentina and Chile? If you take a look at a wine rack, you might imagine a full-bodied Malbec from Mendoza, or a flinty Sauvignon Blanc from Chile\u2019s central wine valleys. They\u2019re both delicious of course \u2013 and internationally celebrated, but if you\u2019re an Argentinian or a Chilean, you\u2019ll be [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":203553,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[311],"tags":[365],"class_list":["post-203536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories-and-inspiration","tag-food-drink"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The art of drinking mate in Patagonia - Swoop Patagonia Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Everything you need to know about Argentina and Chile&#039;s iconic drink yerba mate, from its cultural traditions to how to prepare and share it with friends.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/the-art-of-drinking-mate-in-patagonia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The art of drinking mate in Patagonia - Swoop Patagonia Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Everything you need to know about Argentina and Chile&#039;s iconic drink yerba mate, from its cultural traditions to how to prepare and share it with friends.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/the-art-of-drinking-mate-in-patagonia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Swoop Patagonia Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-29T11:49:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-10T14:02:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/A-gaucho-guide-drinking-mate.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1350\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Paul\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Paul\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/the-art-of-drinking-mate-in-patagonia\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/the-art-of-drinking-mate-in-patagonia\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Paul\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/6b8a28039f01700a59d0b2d6de971dd2\"},\"headline\":\"The art of drinking mate in Patagonia\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-29T11:49:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-10T14:02:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/the-art-of-drinking-mate-in-patagonia\/\"},\"wordCount\":1239,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swoop-patagonia.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"food &amp; 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