What Is Tereré? The Cold-Brewed Mate of Paraguay
Tereré is yerba mate drunk ice-cold — water (or juice) poured over the leaf in a guampa and sipped through a bombilla. What it is, how to make it, and why it's the summer way to drink mate.
By The Yerba Mate Reviews Desk · 8 min · Updated 2026-06-14
Find your match.
Answer two quick questions — we'll point you to the lion's mane that fits and this week's best deal.
Tereré (teh-reh-REH) is the cold version of yerba mate: the same dried leaf you'd brew in a hot gourd, but served with ice-cold water — or chilled juice — poured over it and sipped through a bombilla. It's the national drink of Paraguay, where it's drunk all day in the heat, and it's hugely popular across northeastern Argentina and parts of Brazil during summer.
Instead of a hot-water thermos, you carry a jug of icy water (often packed with ice and crushed fresh or dried herbs called yuyos), and instead of a calabash gourd you usually drink from a wide, sturdy cup called a guampa. Like hot mate, tereré is shared — one cup, one bombilla, passed around the circle.
Here's exactly what tereré is, how it differs from hot mate, how to make it, and why the cold serve neatly sidesteps mate's one well-documented caution.
The short version
- Tereré is yerba mate drunk cold — ice-cold water (or juice) poured over the leaf and sipped through a bombilla.
- It's the national drink of Paraguay and the traditional way to drink mate in hot weather across the region.
- It's drunk from a guampa, a wide, sturdy cup (often horn, wood, or steel), rather than the classic calabash gourd.
- The cold water is frequently infused with yuyos — fresh or dried medicinal/aromatic herbs like mint, lemongrass, or menta'i.
- Because it's served cold, tereré sidesteps the IARC 'very hot beverages' caution that applies to scalding hot mate.
- It's refreshing, social, and forgiving — a great hot-weather entry point to yerba mate.
- It still contains caffeine; it's a beverage, not a remedy, and this isn't medical advice.
Find your match
30-sec finder
Question 1 of 6
First things first — what are you after with yerba mate?
What tereré is
Tereré is cold-served yerba mate: loose yerba packed into a cup, with ice-cold water (sometimes fruit juice) poured over it and drunk through a bombilla, the same filtered metal straw used for hot mate. It uses the identical leaf — Ilex paraguariensis — as hot mate; the only difference is temperature and, often, the vessel and the added herbs.
It is the everyday, all-day drink of Paraguay, deeply tied to national identity, and the default way the wider Southern Cone drinks mate when it's too hot for a steaming gourd. In Argentina you'll see it everywhere in the summer; Paraguayans drink it year-round.
Tereré vs hot mate: the differences
Tereré and hot mate are the same drink at two temperatures, but a few things change with the serve:
Temperature. Tereré is cold — ice-cold water is the whole point. Hot mate uses hot (never boiling) water.
The vessel. Hot mate is classically drunk from a calabash gourd; tereré is usually drunk from a guampa, a wider, more robust cup made of cow horn, wood, or stainless steel that handles cold liquid and ice better.
The water carrier. Hot mate needs a thermos of hot water; tereré needs a jarra or jug full of ice water, often with herbs crushed into it.
The herbs (yuyos). Tereré is frequently infused with yuyos — fresh or dried aromatic and medicinal herbs (mint, lemongrass, menta'i, and many others) that are muddled into the cold water for flavor and tradition.
The flavor. Cold water extracts more gently, so tereré tastes lighter, crisper, and less bitter than the same yerba brewed hot. With juice or herbs, it can be downright refreshing.
How to make tereré
Tereré is simple — there's no waiting for a kettle. The method below makes a single guampa you can refill and share.
Use a yerba you like; a smooth con-palo blend is forgiving, while stronger sin-palo blends give a bigger cold-extracted punch. Keep the water genuinely ice-cold — that's the difference between great tereré and a watery cup.
Tereré with juice (tereré ruso) and herbs
Plain ice water is the classic, but two popular variations are worth knowing. Tereré with juice — sometimes called tereré ruso — swaps some or all of the water for cold fruit juice (citrus, pineapple, and tropical blends are common), making a sweeter, more thirst-quenching drink that's an easy on-ramp for newcomers.
The other tradition is yuyos: fresh or dried herbs muddled into the cold water. Mint and lemongrass are everywhere; many Paraguayan households keep a rotation of aromatic herbs for their tereré. The herbs are about flavor, aroma, and custom — we're not making any health claim about them here.
Why drink tereré
The obvious reason is heat: a steaming gourd is miserable at 95°F, and tereré delivers the same caffeine and the same social ritual while actually cooling you down. It's also forgiving — cold water won't 'cook' or scorch the leaf, so it's hard to brew a harsh, over-extracted cup the way hot water can.
And it's social in exactly the way mate is: one guampa, one bombilla, a jug of cold water, and a circle of people passing it around. If you've found hot mate too bitter or too hot to enjoy, tereré is often the version that wins people over.
How to Make Tereré
- 1
Chill the water
Fill a jug (jarra) with cold water and plenty of ice. For extra-cold tereré, refrigerate or freeze part of the water ahead of time. Keeping it genuinely ice-cold is what separates good tereré from a watery one.
- 2
Add yuyos (optional)
If you want the traditional version, crush or muddle fresh or dried herbs — mint, lemongrass, or a regional blend — into the cold water and let them steep while you prep the cup.
- 3
Fill the guampa
Fill your guampa (or any sturdy cup) about two-thirds to three-quarters with loose yerba. Cover the top, tip and shake gently, then settle the leaf to one side so part of the cup is leaf-free for pouring.
- 4
Insert the bombilla
Pour a small splash of cold water into the leaf-free low side to settle the dust, then push the bombilla down into that damp side, keeping its filtered end at the bottom.
- 5
Pour and sip
Pour ice-cold water (or chilled juice) into the same low side until it reaches the leaf. Sip through the bombilla without stirring, then refill from the jug and pass it on — one cup shared around the group.
Key terms
- Tereré
- Cold-served yerba mate: loose yerba with ice-cold water (or juice) poured over it and sipped through a bombilla. The national drink of Paraguay and the hot-weather way to drink mate.
- Guampa
- The wide, sturdy cup traditionally used for tereré, classically made of cow horn, also wood or stainless steel. It handles cold water and ice better than a calabash gourd.
- Yuyos
- Fresh or dried aromatic and medicinal herbs (mint, lemongrass, menta'i, and others) crushed into the cold water for tereré, for flavor and tradition.
- Bombilla
- The filtered metal straw used to drink both hot mate and tereré; it strains out the leaf and dust so you sip only the liquid.
- Jarra / jug
- The pitcher of ice-cold water (often with yuyos crushed in) that you carry for tereré, the cold-drink counterpart to the hot-water thermos used for hot mate.
- Tereré ruso
- A popular variation in which fruit juice replaces some or all of the cold water, making a sweeter, more refreshing version that's an easy entry point for newcomers.
Questions, answered
What is tereré?
Tereré is yerba mate drunk cold: loose yerba packed into a cup with ice-cold water (or chilled juice) poured over it and sipped through a bombilla, the same filtered metal straw used for hot mate. It's the national drink of Paraguay and the traditional way to drink mate in hot weather. It's usually drunk from a wide cup called a guampa and is often infused with herbs (yuyos).
What's the difference between tereré and yerba mate?
They use the same leaf — tereré is simply yerba mate served cold instead of hot. The differences are temperature (tereré uses ice-cold water), the vessel (a sturdy guampa rather than a calabash gourd), the water carrier (a jug of ice water instead of a hot thermos), and the frequent addition of herbs called yuyos. Cold water extracts more gently, so tereré tastes lighter and less bitter.
How do you make tereré?
Fill a jug with ice-cold water (add crushed herbs if you like), fill a guampa or cup about two-thirds with loose yerba, settle the leaf to one side, splash a little water in and insert the bombilla into the damp side, then pour cold water (or juice) over the leaf and sip. Refill and pass it around the group.
Does tereré have caffeine?
Yes. Tereré is made from the same caffeinated yerba mate leaf as hot mate, so it still contains caffeine (and theobromine). Cold water extracts a bit more gently than hot, but you refill the cup many times over a session, so intake adds up. Moderate your intake as you would with any caffeinated drink. This isn't medical advice.
Is tereré healthier than hot mate?
It's the same drink at a different temperature, so we don't make any health claim either way. The one notable difference is the temperature caution: the IARC classifies drinking very hot beverages (above 65°C/149°F) as probably carcinogenic — a risk tied to heat, not to mate. Because tereré is served ice-cold, it simply doesn't fall under that caution. This isn't medical advice.
Can you use any yerba mate for tereré?
Yes — any loose yerba works for tereré. A smooth con-palo (with-stems) blend is forgiving and easy, while a stronger sin-palo (stemless) blend gives a bigger cold-extracted hit. Some brands sell yerba labeled specifically for tereré, but it isn't required; the leaf is the same plant you'd brew hot.
Keep reading
The Best Yerba Mate You Can Buy Right Now
Our anchor roundup across every style and strength.
What Is Yerba Mate?
The plant, the ritual, and how mate is made.
How to Prepare Yerba Mate (Step by Step)
The hot-gourd method, packed and poured right.
The Best Yerba Mate Gourd
Calabash, wood, and stainless gourds compared.