How To Prepare Chimarrao (Traditional & 11-Second Method)

When getting into yerba mate, at some point you'll run into Brazil's, known as chimarrao. It's the most unique type out there and requires a different method of preparation. Composed of mostly powder, it’s a lot easier to clog and become undrinkable

In this guide, I'm going to show you how to prepare chimarrao two ways - the traditional way, and the inverted method. Otherwise known as the 11-second chimarrao.

Let's first start with your equipment.

What You Need To Make Chimarrão

To prepare chimarrao, it's best to use the equipment that's unique to Brazil. Other mate drinking countries are not familiar with preparing the finer, more powdery cut of erva mate, so although their equipment can work, they're not always ideal.

Cuia (Mate Gourd)

Chimarrão, like other yerbas, is still traditionally drunk from a calabash. But in Brazil, they call them cuias.&Cuias refer to any mate gourd, but generally refer to the type with an hourglass-like shape with a flared opening. Its shape helps make forming the mountain a lot easier as the "neck" of the gourd offers some support. You'll see how handy this becomes later.

Bomba (Bombilla)

Next, you need a bombilla or a bomba. In Brazil, they usually come with a larger spoon-shaped filter. This is because they offer the best filtration for chimarrao and best prevents clogging. The spoon bomba also helps a lot for when you have to mold the erva.

Chimarrao / Erva Mate

Lastly, you'll need some chimarrãoorerva mate. Chimarrǎo is made from the same plant (ilex paraguariensis), but skips the aging process and is ground much smaller. This gives it its unique vibrant, green color. Popular brands are Barǎo, Ximango, and Madrugada.

Chimarrao Accessories (Optional)

Because chimarrao is so unique in preparation, they also come with accessories that you may find useful such as bombilla filter bags (camisinha). These are like small tea bags you can wrap around the filter of your bomba to act as an extra layer of filtration.

Avira mate is also suggested which is essentially a flat disc to help cover the cuia when forming the mountain. Because cuias have a flared opening, most will be too large for your palm to cover. In Brazil, they sell these as individual items, but an acrylic disc works perfect.

How To Prepare Chimarrão (Traditional Method)

Quick disclaimer: learning how to prepare chimarrao will take practice and is a lot harder than preparing yerba mate from Argentina. So even if you feel that you followed every step here correctly, it's likely it can clog still.

For a better visual along with the steps below, watch our video tutorial:

Step 1: Fill Your Cuia Halfway With Erva

Assuming you're using a cuia, pour in your erva until slightly over the "neck" and that should be around halfway.

Step 2: Form The Mountain

Cover the opening of the cuia, flip it upside down, and shake. If your palm is too small, use a flat surface as mentioned earlier. If you don't have avira mate, a bottom of a plate can work too. Or you can wrap a paper towel over the opening and shake while holding it down.

When shaking, the opening should be at least halfway covered with erva. Gently tilt it back upright but keep it at a 45 degree angle keep the mountain steady.

Step 3:Pour In Room Temperature Water

Pour room temperature water into the empty side of the cuia, and allow 1-2 minutes for the erva to absorb. When time's passed, most of the water should be gone.

Step 4: Place In Your Bomba

Take your bomba, and while covering the opening with your thumb, place it into your cuia on the water side until you reach the bottom. Once at the bottom, twist it to the side so that the filter ends up perpendicular with the mountain, then release your thumb.

Step 5: Pour, Sip & Refill

Top the the rest of your cuia with hot water (140-170F) and drink! Keep refilling until all the erva is wet and there's no more flavor.

How To Make Chimarrao The Inverted Way (11-Second Method)

Although it's unknown who came up with this way of making chimarrao, it's one of the most reliable, quickest, and easiest ways to do.

Step 1: Fill Cuia With Water

Step 2: Cover The Top With Erva

Now, dump in a good amount of erva on top. You want to cover the entire opening to the point you can't even see the water anymore. This may end up being around 3-5 heaping spoonfuls depending on the size of your cuia.

Step 3: Create An Opening

With your bomba, gently push the erva over onto one side until you see water. Keep going until you create a large enough opening to fit your bomba. Then gently wiggle it in.

Step 4: Pour, Sip & Refill

Now, top it off with hot water, drink, and keep refilling.

This is a crucial step you need to know when drinking chimarrão. Otherwise, you will end up wasting a bunch of erva.

As you know, when refilling your gourd, you only pour on the wet side. Leaving half the yerba dry. And eventually, the rest of the leaves will get used as you keep refilling. Right?

Not with chimarrão.

Because of its powdery and cake-like consistency, only some of the erva will be used. The water simply cannot penetrate the entire mountain of powder and steep everything without doing something about it.

Now you might be thinking, Can’t I just pour water onto the dry side?

Good question, but that’s a common mistake. Doing that doesn’t always work. Because of how solid the mountain becomes, the water will likely slide right off and create a mess

So instead, what you want to do is either use your finger or a utensil, and knock a little piece of the mountain down at a time with each refill. Pour over it, drink it, and repeat.

However, at some point, because of the extra erva down by the bomba, it will inevitably clog. At that point, you want to scoop out the used leaves at the bottom into the trash. This will free up room at the bottom so it won't clog. And you'll repeat this process over and over again until everything is used up.

What To Do When Your Chimarrao Clogs

At some point when making chimarrao, your bomba will clog and make it impossible to drink even a drop.

Whenever this happens, the easiest trick to unclogging it is to pull the bomba towards you by half a centimeter and drink. If that doesn't work, slowly keep pulling it higher or twisting it while sipping until it clears. Once you find that spot, keep drinking until its empty and leave your bomba in that exact spot.

This isn't a 100% solution, but can troubleshoot most issues when it comes to clogging.

Preparation will always be the main priority in preventing this from happening.

But since you now know how to prepare chimarrão, you should be able to avoid most problems.

Give both methods a try and see which one you like better and then stick to that. Again, this will take a bit of practice. But once you get it down, you'll have it down pat for good.

If you want to make your experience easier, browse our bombilla collection for ones designed specifically for chimarrao. And grab a traditional cuia on our shop, imported directly from Brazil.