Recipe
Chimarrão — mate from the gourd
- Herb:
- Yerba mate Ilex paraguariensis
- Method:
- Herbal infusion (tea)
- Plant part:
- Leaf
About 10 minBeginnerRecipe science profile
Procedure
- Fill the cuia (gourd) two thirds with ground mate, cover with your palm and shake sharply to separate the dust; then tilt the gourd and slide the leaf to one side.
- Pour a little lukewarm water into the empty side and let it soak for 1–2 minutes; then push the bombilla (metal straw with a strainer) down to the bottom.
- Pour water at 70–80 °C — not boiling — always into the empty side, 100–150 ml at a time. Let the drink cool before each serving; only then drink the portion and refill.
- By southern Brazilian custom one gourd circulates in the group and one person (the cebador) serves it; you say 'thank you' only when you want no further round.
Extraction
- Herb:
- cuia (gourd) two-thirds full of ground mate, about 40–50 g for a whole round
- Solvent:
- water at 70–80 °C, never boiling; repeated pours of 100–150 ml
- Shelf life:
- drink immediately; the round lasts as long as the leaves retain their flavour (lavado)
- Target compounds:
- caffeine, chlorogenic acids and saponins are released gradually; hot, not boiling water protects the taste and mucosa
Notes
A caffeinated drink (about 80 mg per round of the gourd). The most important rule is temperature: IARC classes drinking very hot beverages above 65 °C as a probable oesophageal carcinogen, not mate itself — what matters is the temperature when drinking, not when pouring. Let the drink cool before drinking and do not drink it very hot. Not for pregnant women in quantity and not for children.
Why it works
Successive infusions release caffeine and polyphenols from the leaf in stages, which is why the drink holds its flavour through many rounds. Heck & de Mejia's review summarises composition and epidemiology; in 2016 IARC reclassified mate from Group 2A to 3 and named the drink's temperature, not the plant, as the risk factor.
Literature
- IARC Monographs Vol. 116 (2018): Drinking Coffee, Mate, and Very Hot Beverages — Maté itself is not classifiable (Group 3); very hot drinks above 65 °C are probably carcinogenic (2A).
- Heck CI, de Mejia EG (2007): Yerba Mate Tea (Ilex paraguariensis): A Comprehensive Review on Chemistry, Health Implications, and Technological Considerations. J Food Sci 72:R138–R151 — Review of composition and health associations, including discussion of oesophageal cancer.
Related
Yerba mate — Herb card
Herbal infusion (tea) — Processing method detail