Brewing yerba mate in a French press is a viable option, especially for new mate drinkers. Some may find it a sacrilege to a traditional preparation with gourd and bombilla, but in my opinion there is nothing wrong with making mate this way. French press has its pros and cons, but most importantly, like any other method it allows you experience this magical and powerful herb called yerba mate. Let’s learn how to brew yerba mate in a French press and explore the details and nuances of this preparation method to make sure that it will yield in a delicious and healthy mate.
What is a French press?
A French press is a brewing device, initially designed for preparing coffee, but later adopted for other beverages, such as tea and mate. It basically consists of two parts — a cylindrical beaker, usually made of glass with a metal framing and a handle, and a lid with a plunger that fits tightly on top of the beaker. Plunger of a French press is lined with a steel wire or mesh filter. The ease of use and the widespread availability of this device made it quite popular amongst coffee and tea enjoyers, and with an increasing popularity of yerba mate around the world French press is becoming a viable alternative way of brewing yerba mate for those people who want to know what does mate taste like without committing to a whole set of accessories needed for a traditional mate preparation.
Why brew yerba mate in a French press
The most obvious reason to use a French press for brewing yerba mate is how effortless it is to use. Most households already have a French press, and if yours doesn’t — it’s pretty affordable and easy to find. This way of preparation is very appealing to novice mate drinkers as they are not required to invest in a gourd, bombilla and a thermos, and even if you end up not liking yerba mate you can still find a use for a French press in your kitchen, such as for brewing coffee, tea, or even frothing up hot milk for a homemade latte or cappuccino.
If you’re more concerned about the health benefits of yerba mate than its taste, French press is perfectly fine at extracting all the good nutrients, vitamins and minerals. It is easy to brew some yerba mate in advance if you’re pressed on time (pun intended), and it will provide even more potent mental clarity and energy than a traditional mate, since you’re brewing a whole batch at once instead of stretching it across 20+ refills.
Disadvantages of using a French press for mate
While it may sound like brewing yerba mate in a French press is a better way to get the health benefits, in reality it does come with a drawback — the flavor of the beverage becomes more bitter and strong, because you’re extracting it from all the leaves at once instead of gradually wetting only a part of mountain of yerba in a traditional method. I find that in order to extract all the flavor from yerba mate via French press I have to brew and press the same leaves few more times, and the taste difference between those brews is quite radical and uneven. Mate made with gourd and bombilla will always taste more balanced, as it is more like a percolation rather than steeping and brewing, therefore it is easier to achieve good flavorful taste in each sip and make sure that you used all the flavors that yerba mate leaves and stems have to offer.
Speaking of yerba usage — the French press method yields in less mate than a traditional preparation. In my experience, I find that I’m typically end up using more yerba mate for the same amount of final beverage, so drinking mate with gourd and bombilla is a more efficient way of consuming it.
And finally, and this may be too personal, brewing yerba mate in French press is simply not fun — mate is such a unique and cool beverage, you don’t get to drink tea or coffee in a beautiful looking calabash or wooden gourd with shiny artisanal bombilla. Why deny yourself a pleasure of owning and using all those cool accessories? To me, a French press will always be a “gateway” into a world of mate, that will eventually lead you to discover all the fascinating and unique tools that are fun to use and collect.
What you’ll need to brew yerba mate in a French press
As I already mentioned, the beauty of brewing yerba mate in a French press is that you need less accessories than usual. Still, it may be useful to glance over the requirements for this preparation method and learn what to look for in a good French press, what water to use for brewing and best yerba mates that are appropriate for brewing in a French press.
French press for mate
There are no extra requirements for a French press that you’ll use for brewing yerba mate. Most of the French presses on the market are already designed to handle both fine particles, such as coffee grounds and yerba mate dust, as well as coarse leaves of any herb or plant. Make sure that you get a quality and sturdy French press — opt for a heat-resistant tempered glass beaker and a solid metal frame, lid and plunger. Generally, the less plastic details there is, the better the French press will be.
Bodum Chambord French Press
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Check PriceSize-wise, personally, I am leaning more towards the French presses with a smaller capacity — it is easier to achieve a balanced brew with a smaller French press, and I am more likely to drink the whole volume of it before it becomes too bitter and strong. I highly suggest getting yourself a smaller French press, especially if you are drinking mate solo; otherwise, a standard 1 liter / 32 oz French press will be more optimal for a mate circle of few people.
Yerba mate for brewing in French press
The most important thing to remember here is the amount of yerba mate that is needed for a balanced brew that is not weak, but also is not overly strong. I find that the best ratio to use is approximately 1 tablespoon of yerba mate per each 250 ml / 8 oz / 1 cup of water. For instance, if you have a 1 liter / 32 oz / 4 cup French press, you should use 4 tablespoons of yerba mate. If you are afraid to make it too bitter, don’t worry — you can always dilute the brewed mate if it tastes too strong for your preferences.
When it comes to brands and regional types, technically, you can brew any kind of yerba mate in a French press. However, in my experience mellow and soft yerbas are more optimal for brewing it with this method. As we talked about it earlier, the beverage that French press produces tends to be stronger and more potent than it would be in a gourd with bombilla, therefore I suggest staying away from most of Paraguayan brands, most of which are already smoky and bitter enough, especially with hot water. Argentine yerba mate, on the other hand, is more likely to be balanced in a French press — go with a sweeter con palo yerba instead of more harsh despalada. Since French press is a more popular method amongst novice materos, I recommend checking out our selection of the best yerba mates for beginners.
Playadito Con Palo
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Another two regional types of yerba mate that new mate drinkers have trouble with are Uruguayan yerba and Brazilian erva mate. Both Uruguayan P.U.1 cut and Brazilian moída fina tend to be very fine, and French press offers a viable alternative for brewing these types of yerba mate without any hassle associated with clogging bombilla.
Canarias Serena
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Barão De Cotegipe Tradicional
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Water for brewing yerba mate in a French press
No matter if you’re making a traditional mate with gourd and bombilla, or brewing yerba mate in a French press, the requirement for water is the same — it should never be boiling! Boiling water ruins the taste of yerba mate and makes it overly bitter, something that you definitely want to avoid with a French press. The selection and preparation of water for mate is a surprisingly deep topic, so I suggest you to read our guide about it, as well as reading our yerba mate reviews where I go into details about what temperature of water I find to be the best for any given yerba mate if you want to get the best taste, durability and effect. As a rule of thumb, make sure that you have water between 60° C and 86° C / 140° F and 185° F , and don’t be afraid to experiment with temperature, especially when it comes to brewing yerba mate in a French press. It may be a good idea to lower the temperature of water for this particular preparation method, because usually colder water will extract flavors from yerba mate more slowly, and may potentially yield in a slightly more balanced brew.
Kettle for brewing yerba mate in a French press
Since it is important to make sure you use the correct temperature of water for brewing yerba mate in a French press, a good kettle with temperature control comes here in handy. Check out our buying guide to pick out the best kettle for your needs, no matter if you prefer stovetop or electric kettle.
Fellow Stagg Electric Kettle With Temperature Control
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Gooseneck Kettle With Thermometer
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Check PriceAnother option is to use a thermometer. Most likely you already have a simple kettle in your kitchen, so getting a food thermometer or contactless infrared thermometer may be a quick and affordable option to keep track of the exact water temperature for your brew.
ThermoPro Digital Food Thermometer with Stainless Steel Temperature Probe
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KIZEN Infrared Thermometer Gun
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Check PriceCup or a mug
Last but not least, you will need a regular cup or a mug to drink your pressed mate from. Since we are not using a gourd with this preparation method, having an alternative vessel is required after your mate in brewed and ready to be enjoyed. Personally, I really enjoy using a clear glass cup when I’m drinking mate from a French press, as it allows me to adore its beautiful golden color.
Bodum 350 ml / 12 oz Glass Cup
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Once you have all the necessary tools and supplies for preparing mate with a French press, it’s time to get started! The process is really simple and straightforward.
Prepare hot water
Fill your kettle with clean drinkable water. Then heat it up to a desired temperature in range between 60° C and 85° C / 140° F and 185° F.
Fill French press with yerba mate
Remove the lid of your French press. Fill the beaker of French press with yerba mate. In my experience, the best ratio is using approximately 1 tablespoon of yerba mate per each 250 ml / 8 oz / 1 cup of water. Optionally, you can also add some other herbs and spices, such as mint or orange peel to enhance the flavor of your drink.
In my demonstration I am using a French press with capacity of 750 ml or about 24 ounces or 3 cups, therefore I am using a solid 3 tablespoons of yerba mate.
Add a room temperature water
Pour a small amount of room temperature water to prime yerba mate and protect it from hot water. All leaves should be soaking in water, you can lightly tamp them down with a spoon to make sure that yerba mate is completely covered.
Add a hot water
Fill up the rest of the French press with hot water. Put the lid back on top of the beaker, but don't press on the plunger yet and leave it steeping for about 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how strong you prefer your drink.
Press the mate and enjoy!
After steeping yerba mate for about 3 to 5 minutes, gently press the plunger to separate the leaves from the brew. Grab your favorite cup or a mug, pour yourself some fresh mate and enjoy!
Next steps
Congratulations on preparing your first yerba mate in a French press! The yerba, depending on a brand, will still be potent for few more brews, so don’t be quick to discard it after you’re finished drinking. Don’t let the yerba sit in a French press for too long as it will become too strong and bitter — it’s better to brew it again a couple of times to get all the flavors and nutrients from it. I tend to get 3 to 5 brews from the same batch of yerba mate in a French press, so try it for yourself and see how much flavor you can get from subsequent brews and when the taste becomes washed out. If you have a thermos, it will be a good idea to transfer the brewed mate to it as soon as it’s done steeping, so you can have a warm and balanced beverage to sip on throughout the day.
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I already mentioned that personally, nothing still beats a traditional mate with a gourd and bombilla. To me, French press will always be a beginner-friendly gateway into a vast world of yerba mate. This is not gatekeeping, on the contrary — I encourage you to brew yerba mate with a French press! Don’t let anyone shame you for preparing mate in an “incorrect” way, drink it however is more comfortable to you right now and experience its positive effects on your mind and body. And once you’re hooked, give a traditional mate a go! Trust me, you will appreciate this drink even more after you start sipping it from a gourd through a bombilla.
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Have you tried brewing yerba mate in a French press? How does it compare to other preparation methods for you? Which method do you prefer? Share it in the comments below!
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