Tereré: how to prepare cold yerba mate
What is tereré?
Tereré is a way of preparing yerba mate with cold water, usually with ice. You drink through a bombilla and add water several times. It offers a different ritual from traditional hot-water preparation.
What do you need?
- Yerba mate suitable for your chosen preparation method.
- A glass or another suitable cup.
- A bombilla with a filter.
- Cold drinking water, ice and a jug or thermos.
- Optional citrus or mint for flavour.
Check the recommendations for your yerba and equipment. For a first try, we suggest a simple version with water and ice, without many additions.
Preparing tereré, step by step
- Add the yerba. The Yerba Mate Argentina guide suggests filling the glass about halfway.
- Prepare cold water. Put water and ice in a jug or thermos.
- Position the bombilla. Add ice and the bombilla to the glass, then pour in cold water.
- Drink and refill. Add more cold water after drinking. Follow the taste rather than expecting a fixed number of refills.
A variation with citrus or mint
Taragüi also describes tereré with citrus flavour, lemon slices or mint. If adding them, change one ingredient at a time to discover what you enjoy. This page does not prescribe one single “correct” combination: the base is yerba with cold water.
Frequently asked questions
Do you pour hot water over it first?
The cold method described here starts with cold water and ice. For hot preparation, see our separate guide to traditional mate.
How do you clean the glass and bombilla afterwards?
Remove the used yerba and clean the equipment according to its material. Check the bombilla filter for remaining leaves. Find more details in the equipment care guide.
If you are still choosing yerba, read what con palo and sin palo mean.
Suggestions for personal tasting are editorial advice from Matehaus.
Sources: Yerba Mate Argentina / INYM: iced mate tea; Taragüi: preparing tereré.
Find your next step. Explore yerba mate or browse equipment for preparation.
For your first tereré, make one change at a time
Try the first preparation with water and ice alone. Next time, add one slice of citrus or a little mint to the water rather than several juices at once. You can then distinguish the yerba from the addition. Use clean equipment and ingredients, and remove used yerba when you finish.
Choosing your first yerba · Explore the yerba collection
