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Yerba mate (pronounced “yare-ba mah-tay”) comes from a shrub in the holly family Aquifoliaceae, and is native to South America. Like other teas, it is dried, chopped, and ground into a powderous mixture. Unlike other teas, mate is traditionally sipped from a hollow gourd, through a special metal straw (traditionally silver) called a bombilla (pronounced “bom-bee-ya”).
