Traditionally, yerba mate tea leaves are brewed in hollowed out gourds and sipped through bombillas, a metal straw with a strainer at the bottom. (wellnessmama.com)
It is customary to drink Yerba mate from a gourd (dry squash shell), through the bombilla (tea sipper). (golubkakitchen.com)
In the mate drinking ritual, the host fills the gourd two - thirds with yerba mate, places the bombilla on the leaves and pours on hot — not boiling — water. (teapigs.com)