Try tereré, a cold brewed yerba mate!

What’s the story behind tereré?

The exotic-sounding term comes from the language of the Guarani tribe, the discoverers and also the first mate tea gourmets. Tereré got popular around European settlers and up until today it’s an important alternative to mate tea served hot. It’s most popular in Paraguay where the word tereré is associated with mate tea drinking in general. Their government has even put it on the country's cultural heritage list as one of national drinks.

How to prepare tereré?

It's very simple! Yerba mate leaves release its stimulating properties and characteristic flavour both in contact with hot and ice cold water. The preparation of tereré is similar to preparing a classic infusion. However, it takes a little longer. It’s recommended to let it brew for around 5-10 minutes. The important thing is to use very cold water, preferably adding ice cubes.

Try special mate tea blends for tereré or… create your own mix!

Tereré can be prepared with any type of mate tea and additional ingredients. Traditionally, Guarani Indians would drink tereré with mixes of herbs known as yuyos. To this day, fresh yuyos can be found on Paraguayan street markets. Fortunately, you don't have to visit Paraguay to prepare a good tereré. You can experiment by adding to a drink whatever you like. We know from experience that cold yerba mate tastes good with spices like mint, boldo or hibiscus. It will be equally refreshing in combination with fruits. You can even replace cold water with juice. It’s really great!

However, if you don’t feel like experimenting, there are many blends by renown producers created especially for tereré. We recommend especially those with rich in varied ingredients. Among our favourites there’s Verde Mate Tereré, delicate Brazilian mate tea with e.g. goji berries and orange peel. We also liked Frutos Tropicales and Frutos del Bosque blends offered by this brand. We also recommend trying fruit and herbal variations of mate teas produced by CBSe, Yaguar and Guarani. They will be perfect as tereré!