Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil: what each country's yerba is like

Cut, stems, color and aging: why a Uruguayan yerba is nothing like a Paraguayan one.

The plant is the same, Ilex paraguariensis, but each country processes it its own way. Here's how to tell them apart.

Argentina

The most common style is with stems, medium cut and aged for months. It makes a balanced mate that lasts for many refills. There are also stemless, mild and barbacuá (wood-smoked) yerbas.

Uruguay

Yerba here is stemless, very finely ground and quite dusty: the mate is intense, bitter and frothy. Uruguay grows almost no yerba of its own: most of it comes from Brazil, processed in the Uruguayan style.

Paraguay

Yerbas with stems, a coarser cut and a strong flavor, often blended with herbs (mint, boldo, burrito). It's the home of tereré, cold mate.

Brazil

For the chimarrão of southern Brazil, the yerba is bright green, barely aged and very finely ground, with a fresh, grassy flavor. It's drunk from large gourds called cuias.

Which one to try?

If you're used to Argentine yerba and want something different, start with a Uruguayan one. If you like it intense and cold, try a Paraguayan one as tereré.