Tradition / Culture of Maté

Mate is traditionally served in community with friends, offered in a ritual of love and friendship for each other and our natural world. One individual assumes the task of server. This person typically fills the gourd and drinks its contents completely, sipping through a Bombilla (metal or cane drinking straw or tube, which has a filter carved / attached to the lower end to strain out leaf fragments). The server subsequently refills the gourd and passes it to the next drinker who likewise drinks it all. The ritual proceeds around the circle in this fashion until the mate is exhausted, typically after the gourd has been filled about ten times. Warning: do not say "thank you" or "gracias" unless you intend to have no more Mate. See some sharing-rules: http://www.mundomatero.com/yerba/Sharing-Rules.html.

-- Mate is bet enjoyed in groups. However, even alone, the cup of maté in your hand as you begin a new day promises to leave you refreshed and with a great feeling of well being.