Some friends back home have asked me about the strange looking Drink I’ve been pictured drinking a few times, chimarrão, so I thought it was time to write a guide for all the other gringos out there.
Chimarrão is a hot drink made from the green tea like erva leaf. Like tea, erva mate is rich in antioxidants and is also caffeine rich, making it a popular morning or afternoon drink around this part of the world. The plant is native to South America and was consumed by inhabitants of Paraguay for hundreds of years, and spread throughout the rest of the continent after European colonization. Brazil is now the biggest producer of the plant.
Unlike tea, rather than commonly served in bags or a tea pot, chimarrão is served by putting the loose leaves into the cuia after they have been ground down to an almost powder. Hot water is then added and the drink is then consumed through a special metal straw known as a bomba. The bomba has acts as a sieve to filter out the leaves from the straw when the person takes a sip.
Interestingly, this is a tradition that the people of the state of Rio Grande Do Sul share with their Spanish speaking neighbors and not other parts of Brazil.
Obviously you need to start with the right equipment. Cuias come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some are more like a bowl, while others are taller and almost cone like. They’re also great for gifts as they come with a huge range of decorations, often symbols of the state’s history or - as is common now - football logos.
The Bomba is usually made of metal these days (though you can find more ornamental versions with other materials) and will often have a simple decoration near the top.
The first step is to put the leaves into the cuia. This may sound easy, but you actually need to ‘stack’ the leaves to one side. This allows the bomba and the water to have room on the other side of the cuia. This is achieved by filling the cuia two thirds full of erva and then covering it (with a hand or small plate). You then hold the cuia horizontally and shake the leaves on to the bottom side. Once you remove the cover you'll see the leaves stacked on one side (hopefully).
Once you’ve got the leaves on one side, you add some cold/room temperature water, which helps to keep the erva in place.Then, with your thumb over the end of the bomba, insert it into the cuia with the sieve end at the bottom. You can then suck out the cold water and your chimarrão is ready to drink by adding the hot water.
One of the best aspects of drinking chimarrão is that it is usually done in a social setting. You’ll see friends in a park with one cuia being passed around and a thermos full of hot water for top ups. The usual way to drink it is for one person to fill the gourd with hot water and then drink until they can no longer suck anything up through the bomba. They then fill it up with hot water again and pass it on to the next person.
This goes on until you run out of hot water, or there isn’t any flavour left in the erva. If you’re with a big group you might only get a chance to drink once, but in a smaller group you may have it passed to you a number of times.
Because of the ‘wall’ of erva on the side, the drink retains flavour for longer than you’d think because you tend to get extra leaves infusing each time water is added. This does tend to result in some of the leaves never actually being part of the drink, which I’ve always thought of as wasteful, but it is just how it is!
Another oddity is that it is normal to not say ‘thank you’ (obrigado/a) to the person passing the drink to you, as that implies that this will be your last one. It is also very important to not try to move the bomba once it is in. At times the bomba can get clogged and you’re not able to suck up any of the water, however it is considered rude to try and adjust it with your hands. I’ve had a few dirty looks!
Making it yourself means buying the equipment and the erva and then attempting to follow my amazing instructions. The better option is try to meet locals. If you’re invited to a social gathering during the day in the South of Brazil (or in Uruguay or parts of Argentina) it is almost certain that you’ll be offered some chimarrão. For some people getting over the issue of sharing a cup may take some time, but if you stick around long enough they’ll likely start sharing a glass of caipirinha too and the cachaça in that should kill the germs.
2. Cover the top and while holding the cuia horizontally, shake the erva to one side of the cuia
3. Remove the cover, and while on a 45 degree angle, gently fill the cuia with cold/room temperature water
4.With your thumb over the 'straw' end of the bomba, insert the 'sieve' end into the cuia and move the cuia back to vertical
5. Suck out the cold water and discard
6. Add hot water to the cuia and drink until you cannot get any more
7. Refill the cuia with hot water and pass to the next person
8. Repeat and enjoy!
What is Chimarrão?
If you’re walking around Porto Alegre or other parts of southern Brazil you’ll notice a lot of the locals are carrying around a strange looking wooden cup. That weird cup is a ‘cuia’ and the drink is a hot beverage known as chimarrão. And gaúchos are obsessed with the stuff.Chimarrão is a hot drink made from the green tea like erva leaf. Like tea, erva mate is rich in antioxidants and is also caffeine rich, making it a popular morning or afternoon drink around this part of the world. The plant is native to South America and was consumed by inhabitants of Paraguay for hundreds of years, and spread throughout the rest of the continent after European colonization. Brazil is now the biggest producer of the plant.
Unlike tea, rather than commonly served in bags or a tea pot, chimarrão is served by putting the loose leaves into the cuia after they have been ground down to an almost powder. Hot water is then added and the drink is then consumed through a special metal straw known as a bomba. The bomba has acts as a sieve to filter out the leaves from the straw when the person takes a sip.
Is Chimarrão Similar To Mate In Uruguay And Argentina?
Yes, it is more or less the same thing. Just like coffee is still coffee despite the huge differences in flavour, preparation and serving throughout the world, Chimarrão and mate (sometimes yerba mate) are different ways to do the same thing. It is the same plant, and while the preparation can be different, the end result is very similar. Just don’t tell locals in any of the places that. As with anything in the world, the way it's done in the country you happen to be in now is obviously the ‘correct’ way to do it.Uruguayan "Yerba Mate" on the left and Brazlian Erva Mate on the right
Interestingly, this is a tradition that the people of the state of Rio Grande Do Sul share with their Spanish speaking neighbors and not other parts of Brazil.
How To Make Chimarrão
I’ll admit I’m still a novice at this. Gaúchos are very particular about how to make Chimarrão and even after a year I’m struggling to get my head around it.Obviously you need to start with the right equipment. Cuias come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some are more like a bowl, while others are taller and almost cone like. They’re also great for gifts as they come with a huge range of decorations, often symbols of the state’s history or - as is common now - football logos.
The Bomba is usually made of metal these days (though you can find more ornamental versions with other materials) and will often have a simple decoration near the top.
A Bomba
The first step is to put the leaves into the cuia. This may sound easy, but you actually need to ‘stack’ the leaves to one side. This allows the bomba and the water to have room on the other side of the cuia. This is achieved by filling the cuia two thirds full of erva and then covering it (with a hand or small plate). You then hold the cuia horizontally and shake the leaves on to the bottom side. Once you remove the cover you'll see the leaves stacked on one side (hopefully).
Once you’ve got the leaves on one side, you add some cold/room temperature water, which helps to keep the erva in place.Then, with your thumb over the end of the bomba, insert it into the cuia with the sieve end at the bottom. You can then suck out the cold water and your chimarrão is ready to drink by adding the hot water.
How To Drink Chimarrão
As they are with preparation, Gaúchos are very particular about the rules of drinking chimarrão too.One of the best aspects of drinking chimarrão is that it is usually done in a social setting. You’ll see friends in a park with one cuia being passed around and a thermos full of hot water for top ups. The usual way to drink it is for one person to fill the gourd with hot water and then drink until they can no longer suck anything up through the bomba. They then fill it up with hot water again and pass it on to the next person.
This goes on until you run out of hot water, or there isn’t any flavour left in the erva. If you’re with a big group you might only get a chance to drink once, but in a smaller group you may have it passed to you a number of times.
Because of the ‘wall’ of erva on the side, the drink retains flavour for longer than you’d think because you tend to get extra leaves infusing each time water is added. This does tend to result in some of the leaves never actually being part of the drink, which I’ve always thought of as wasteful, but it is just how it is!
Another oddity is that it is normal to not say ‘thank you’ (obrigado/a) to the person passing the drink to you, as that implies that this will be your last one. It is also very important to not try to move the bomba once it is in. At times the bomba can get clogged and you’re not able to suck up any of the water, however it is considered rude to try and adjust it with your hands. I’ve had a few dirty looks!
Where To Drink Chimarrão
The only real downside to chimarrão for a gringo is that,because of its social nature, it isn’t something that is easy to try. You can’t just go to a cafe and ask for one, you need to make it yourself or hopefully be invited by some locals to join them for some.
Making it yourself means buying the equipment and the erva and then attempting to follow my amazing instructions. The better option is try to meet locals. If you’re invited to a social gathering during the day in the South of Brazil (or in Uruguay or parts of Argentina) it is almost certain that you’ll be offered some chimarrão. For some people getting over the issue of sharing a cup may take some time, but if you stick around long enough they’ll likely start sharing a glass of caipirinha too and the cachaça in that should kill the germs.
Recap: How To Make Brazilian Chimarrão
1. Fill the cuia two thirds full of erva2. Cover the top and while holding the cuia horizontally, shake the erva to one side of the cuia
3. Remove the cover, and while on a 45 degree angle, gently fill the cuia with cold/room temperature water
4.With your thumb over the 'straw' end of the bomba, insert the 'sieve' end into the cuia and move the cuia back to vertical
5. Suck out the cold water and discard
6. Add hot water to the cuia and drink until you cannot get any more
7. Refill the cuia with hot water and pass to the next person
8. Repeat and enjoy!
