Calabaza
Calabash gourd in Spanish. The term calabaza or calabash is used to clarify the gourd material, because usually the term gourd is used to describe any vessel for drinking mate.
Campo
Countryside in Spanish. When yerba mate is branded as Campo it usually means that it was grown on the plains and plantations, as opposed to yerba mate that is grown in the shade of the jungle or on the slope of the hill or mountain. This ensures that yerba mate is more exposed to sun and winds.
Canchada
Yerba canchada is the green leaf of yerba mate that has undergone the process of drying and is roughly crushed. At this stage yerba mate can be exported and transported to the milling facilities for further grinding and aging.
Carob wood
South American tree, also known as algarrobo, also known as Prosopis alba. Carob wood is a popular material for gourds because its naturally sweet, fragrant and piney wood contributes to the flavor of mate.
Cebador
From Spanish verb cebar — to prime or to make. Cebador is the person who prepares the mate. When people gather in circle to drink mate, cebador is the one who prepares mate, hands it to one of the person in group, receives mate back, refills it and hands it to another person.
Chimarrão
Pronounced [she-muh-HOW]. Chimarrão means mate in Portuguese. Usually the term chimarrão is used to describe Brazilian way of preparing mate, using erva mate, cuia and bomba.
Compuesta
Compound in Spanish. Another word for a yerba mate blend. Yerba mate marked as compuesta comes with added herbs, like mint and lemongrass, or even with something like orange zest and green tea.
Con palo
With stems in Spanish. Con palo is a type of yerba mate cut which is characterized by presence of stems, or palos in Spanish. Usually mate brewed with con palo yerba mate is more light and sweet than mate prepared from sin palo cut. Very popular in Argentina and Paraguay. In Argentina, according to point 2.1 of the article 1194 of Argentine Food Code, con palo yerba mate should contain no less than 65% of dried leaves, coarsely ground or pulverized, and no more than 35% of coarsely or finely ground stems and sticks.
Cuia
Gourd in Portuguese. Term cuia is used to describe relatively big and thick gourds made from a top part of calabash, which are used as a vessel to drink chimarrão from. Also see porongo.
Curing
Process of adapting a new calabash or wooden gourd to mate. Curing of calabash gourd happens when it is filled with yerba mate and hot water to infuse walls of the gourd with mate, which seals little pores and cracks in walls, and also helps to loosen and get rid of the natural debris that are left from calabash hollowing. Curing of wooden gourd happens when it is cared with oils that make wood more elastic and prevent it from cracking.