After European colonization, it was spread across the Southern Cone countries, namely Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile, but it is also consumed in the South of Brazil and the Bolivian Chaco.

The submerged end is flared, with small holes or slots that allow the brewed liquid in, but block the chunky matter that makes up much of the mixture.

In the mid-17th century, Jesuits managed to domesticate the plant and establish plantations in their Indian reductions in the Argentine province of Misiones, sparking severe competition with the Paraguayan harvesters of wild strands.

When Brazilian entrepreneurs turned their attention to coffee in the 1930s, Argentina, which had long been the prime consumer, took over as the largest producer, resurrecting the economy of Misiones Province, where the Jesuits had once had most of their plantations.

The word was then used by the people who colonized the region of the Río de la Plata to describe the natives' rough and sour drink, drunk with no other ingredient to sweeten the taste.

Yerba-maté is the national drink of Paraguay, where it is also consumed with either hot or ice cold water (see tereré);[20] Argentina;[21] and Uruguay.

Drinking maté is a common social practice in all of the territory of Paraguay and Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, southern Chile, and eastern Bolivia.

[22] Parque Histórico do Mate, funded by the state of Paraná (Brazil), is a park aimed to educate people on the sustainable harvesting methods needed to maintain the integrity and vitality of the oldest wild forests of yerba-maté in the world.

The drink is so popular within countries that consume it, that several national electric kettle manufacturers just refer to the range 70 to 85 °C on its thermostat as "mate" temperature.

[citation needed] The most common preparation involves a careful arrangement of the yerba within the gourd before adding hot water.

When the gourd is adequately filled, the preparer typically grasps it with the full hand, covering and roughly sealing the opening with the palm.

Once the yerba-maté has settled, the mate is carefully brought to a near-sideways angle, with the opening tilted just slightly upward of the base.

The largest stems and other bits create a partition between the empty space on one side of the gourd and the lopsided pile of yerba on the other.

A layer of stems along its slope will slide downward and accumulate in the space opposite the yerba (though at least a portion should remain in place).

All of this careful settling of the yerba ensures that each sip contains as little particulate matter as possible, creating a smooth-running mate.

It is important for the thumb to form a seal over the end of the straw when it is being inserted, or the air current produced in it will draw in undesirable particulates.

If the straw is inserted into dry yerba, the mate must first be filled once with cool water as above, then be allowed to absorb it completely (which generally takes no more than two or three minutes).

Once the hot water has been added, the mate is ready for drinking, and it may be refilled many times before becoming lavado (washed out) and losing its flavor.

One person (known in Portuguese as the preparador, cevador, or patrão, and in Spanish as the cebador) assumes the task of server, which most of the time is the house owner in family gatherings.

Typically, the cebador fills the gourd and drinks the maté completely to ensure that it is free of particulate matter and of good quality.

When someone takes too long, others in the round (roda in Portuguese, ronda in Spanish) will likely politely warn them by saying "bring the talking gourd" (cuia de conversar); an Argentine equivalent, especially among young people, being no es un micrófono ("it's not a microphone"), an allusion to the drinker holding the mate for too long, as if they were using it as a microphone to deliver a lecture.

Traditional preparation of yerba-maté leaves involves smoking them and for this reason they contain a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), such as benzo(a)pyrene, which are carcinogenic.

[34] The Guaraní people started drinking maté in a region that currently includes Paraguay, southern Brazil, southeastern Bolivia, northeastern Argentina and Uruguay.

Some key types include: Another drink can be prepared with specially cut dry leaves, very cold water, and, optionally, lemon or another fruit juice, called tereré.

In some parts of Argentina, gas stations sponsored by yerba-maté producers provide free hot water to travelers, specifically for the purpose of drinking during the journey.

Companies such as Cabrales from Mar del Plata and Establecimiento Las Marías produce tea bags for export to Europe.

It is widespread in rural zones, and it is prepared with coca (plant) or in a sweetened tea form with small slices of lemon or orange.

The custom came from Syrians and Lebanese who moved to South America during the late 19th and early parts of the 20th century, adopted the tradition, and kept it after returning to Western Asia.

This is referred to in Brazil and a large part of Argentina as cimarrón –which also an archaic name for wild cattle, especially, to a horse that was very attached to a cowboy – which is understood as unsweetened maté.

As an alternative sweetener, natural ka'á he'é (Stevia rebaudiana) is preferred, which is an herb whose leaves are added in order to give a touch of sweetness.