Yerba Mate

My bombilla is not working properly.

When I drink yerba mate, I always get tiny bits of yerba in my mouth, is that normal?
you know, the yerba mate dust.

Pete answers:

It is normal to get some at the beginning when you first set up your mate gourd.

Normally after the second or third gourd full of water there shouldn’t be any dust because the herb is completely wet.

If you are drinking an unusually fine blend like Canarias yerba mate the tendency is for your bombilla to clog due to the fine particles getting by the filter and clogging the passage of water.

Next time you set your gourd up try this.   Shake the gourd up a little bit and create a mound off to one side and wet the herb with a little warm water.

This will cause the herb to “swell” or expand, also it gets the herb ready for the hot water.

This will reduce the dust after the second or third gourd full of water and will extend the life of your yerba mate.

Take a look at the video we shared on My yerba mate store’s You Tube page, it will show you what we are talking about.