Throughout Argentina, friends and family sit down for a yerba mate sharing circle - often at least once a day. It is a time to relax and enjoy each other’s company and toast to friendship. Here's how:
- Fill a thermos or pitcher with hot water and prepare the mate as instructed in our previous post - How to Drink Yerba Mate.
- The cerbador (server) sips the first pour right away, testing the waters to ensure quality. She drinks until there is no more water left in the gourd.
- Now the cerbador is ready to pour sips for friends and family in the yerba mate circle. The gourd is re-filled and passed counter-clockwise with the bombilla (filter straw) facing the recipient.
- Each person sips right away, drinking all of the tea until the straw gurgles. Then they pass the gourd back to the pourer for refilling.
- Newcomers tend to jiggle the bombilla and stir the herb. Resist this temptation, or you’ll end up clogging the bombilla!
- The cerbador keeps pouring for each person in turn, going round and round the circle, until the hot water runs out or the mate is lavado (washed out). Much chatting is required before, during and after. Now go talk and sip!
