Chimarrão (Yerba Mate)

 I would call Chimarrão (pronounced She-Ma-How for the English speakers reading this) a ritualistic social drink. It is a loose-leaf tea made from ervamate, and is prepared in a special way. Chimarrão is a tradition of the Gauchos (Ga-Oo-Show) here in Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. It is also found in Paraguay, Uruguay, southern Argentina, and other Brasilian states, but with less popularity.  The cup in which Chimarrão is prepared is called a Cuia (coo-ya). It is traditionally made out of the narrowing part of a gourd. 

The straw that has essentially a mini-colander on one end is called a bomba.  The higher quality bombas are made of stainless steel.

The Ritual: Hot water is put into a 1-liter thermos; the water is best just short of boiling. The Erva is then prepared in the Cuia normally by the owner of the house, or the most experienced participant, or by who ever the owner asks to do it. The person who prepares the Chimarrão takes the 1^st turn and drinks all of the water from the Cuia. When the Cuia is empty the drinker often makes a slurping noise. The Cuia is then refilled with water by the preparer and passed to the next person in line. If you are sitting in a circle it usually rotates around the circle, regardless of the formation the order is always maintained. If someone joins the group they are usually offered the next turn and thus are in that spot of the order. Below is a list of the 10 commandments of Chimarrão that I have translated to English for you all.  The 6^th commandment is VERY important because if the bomba is move it will most likely cause it to clog.

The 10 commandments of Chimarrão:

1.     Thou shall not put sugar in the Mate

2.     Thou shall not say Chimarrão is unsanitary

3.     Thou shall not say the Mate is too hot

4.     Thou shall not leave the Cuia half-full

5.     Thou shall not be ashamed of “slurping” as you finish

6.     Thou shall not move the Bomba

7.     Thou shall not alter the serving order

8.     Thou shall not fall asleep with the Cuia in hand

9.     Thou shall not condemn the owner of the house for taking the 1^st turn

10. Thou shall not say Chimarrão causes throat cancer

If you have had enough, then when you have finished your turn, as you hand the Cuia back to the person serving the Chimarrão you say “obrigado”. This means “Thank You”, but in context it is a signal for I don’t want any more.  If the water runs out and some people still want more Chimarrão you simply refill the thermos with more hot water.

Chimarrão is very social, and a huge part of the culture in Rio Grande do sul.