What Is Yerba Mate?
Yerba mate is a naturally caffeinated drink made from the leaves of the Ilex paraguariensis plant, a holly species native to South America.
Its history is especially tied to the Guaraní and other Indigenous peoples in the regions now known as Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay, and southern Brazil, who prepared the leaves as an infusion long before European colonization.
When Spanish colonizers arrived, they adopted the drink, and by the 17th and 18th centuries Jesuit missionaries helped cultivate yerba mate more systematically in Paraguay. Because of this, it was sometimes called “Jesuit tea.”
Over time, yerba mate became deeply embedded in daily life across the Southern Cone. It was consumed by Indigenous communities, gauchos, rural workers, families, students, and urban professionals. Traditionally, it is prepared in a gourd, steeped with hot water, and sipped through a filtered straw called a bombilla.
One of the reasons mate became so culturally important is the way it is shared. In many places, one person prepares and serves the mate, refilling the gourd and passing it around. This made it part of conversation, hospitality, routine, and friendship.
Different regions developed their own versions. Argentina and Uruguay are known for hot mate. Paraguay is known for tereré, a cold version often made with ice, herbs, or citrus. Southern Brazil is known for chimarrão, usually made with a finer, bright green yerba.
People like yerba mate for its natural caffeine, distinctive earthy flavor, and long-standing cultural rituals. Some drink it for energy and focus. Others drink it because it is part of family, community, work, study, or daily life.
Today, yerba mate is consumed traditionally in gourds and also sold as loose leaf, tea bags, bottled drinks, sparkling beverages, and canned energy drinks. Its form has changed, but its roots remain deeply connected to South American history and culture. #yerbamate
Yerba mate has been bringing people together and fueling daily life for centuries — long before energy drinks existed. That tradition is exactly what inspired Steep. We took the same plant that Guaraní communities, gauchos, students, and everyday people have relied on for generations and made it easy to take anywhere.
Clean caffeine. No crash. Just yerba maté the way it was always meant to be — natural, purposeful, and real.