Well, South American snobbery aside, there is an essential difference in the taste and experience of mate from the bombilla [through a straw from a gourd, or – as the Argentines and Urugyanans I know simply refer to it – the... (8 replies, last updated by SouthOCHound January 14, 2008)

Hello. I am addicted to yerba mate (tea from Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil). I’m in the Bay Area for over a week and I forgot my bombilla (the straw with which to drink the loose tea) and yerba (the loose tea). Does anyone... (5 replies, last updated by gp March 16, 2005)

I don’t know about other South American countries but yerba mate is a popular tea in Argentina. It is drunk with "mate y bombilla". The traditional mate is a cup made from a hollowed and dried gourd. The bombilla is a metal... (4 replies, last updated by seo April 6, 2005)

That was undoubtedly a “bombilla,” a metal straw with a strainer tip that’s used by the Gauchos (and others) to drink yerba mate. Yerba mate (or just “mate,” as it’s commonly referred to in South America) is a popular... (6 replies, last updated by leanneabe September 22, 2008)

are Rosamonte and Cruz de Malta, and I would expect to find them somewhere local with all the transplants! I’m also trying to find the Bombilla (the filter straw used to drink it). I figure there must be some larger... (6 replies, last updated by LRS January 23, 2008)

) and bombillas (straws) as well. Not so cheap, but well made. This place also looked like it had a really good parrilla going too. Just another item of interest – Uruguayans are wild about Mate (I think just a little more... (5 replies, last updated by The Chowhound Team May 9, 2005)

“mate”) — about 3/4 full. A metal straw (the "bombilla") with one filtered end is stuck into the dry leaves and settled, resting against one side of the cup. I’ve seen people pour a little cold water into... (9 replies, last updated by lgss April 14, 2008)

It is a green tea grown in South America that is most commonly drunk in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay. You put the loose tea in a gourd, and drink it through a silver straw with holes in it called a bombilla. The gourd... (5 replies, last updated by Chowbabe May 8, 2001)

I drink mate regularly........For a quick fix, you can buy the Yerba Mate bags at Trader Joe’s. Pretty decent quality. A couple of years ago, I bought a bombilla (cup made of hollowed out gourd) and metal straw from a matte... (5 replies, last updated by itaunas February 22, 2008)

Tried some and liked it. Went online and ordered 10 different 4 oz samples, a glass wonder straw and a few different uncured and cured cups (all with strange sounding names)-bombilla ! Anyhow, any CH advice as to how do I... (15 replies, last updated by drobbia June 17, 2007)

've tried doing this myself and it never works, but it still turns out okay). You then let it settle a bit and put in the bombilla (a metal straw with the strainer on the end) on the side without the mate and drink. Then you pass... (8 replies, last updated by marcusv March 28, 2007)

me into it. It needs to be drunk properly of course. Lots of leaves and a bombilla to sip through. I can understand why a lot of people wouldn’t like maté though. Each to their own! (7 replies, last updated by vandan February 19, 2009)

bags of standard stuff – all pretty strong. Typically, this is drunk in a cup (also called a mate) with a bombilla, or metal straw with a filter. You pour the loose tea over the mate tea and then fill with water and a... (8 replies, last updated by Great Yerbini April 14, 2008)

know of a good place to buy yerba mate in the southbay or westside areas? Also, are there any brands/types in particular that are enjoyable or recommended? Do any of these places also sell the gourds and straws needed to drink... (20 replies, last updated by izzizzi May 23, 2007)

In Argentina, you often see people carrying around a thermos of hot water and a gourd with a metal strainer/straw. Yerba mate is packed into the gourd (an alarming amount of it really), and then they pour the hot water over it,... (10 replies, last updated by Kinnexa April 15, 2008)