Mate Utensils Yerba Mate, a favorite beverage of South America, is traditionally consumed using a cuia, or mate gourd, and a bombilla, or mate straw.

A spoonful of Yerba Mate is put into the mate gourd and hot water is added. The mate is then drank through the mate straw, which has small holes on the bottom to filter out the mate leaves. Mate utensils come in all shapes and sizes (and budgets) and are a matter of pride and pleasure.