Yerba mate bombilla and gourd are the traditional brewing and drinking instruments that every true matero always has within arm’s reach.
In this guide, I’ll tell you all about different types of bombillas and how to choose the best one for your needs.
Here are the different types of bombillas introduced in this guide:
- Spoon Bombilla: The most common type of bombilla that can be used with all yerba mate cuts.
- Coiled Bombilla: Good for beginners. Has a spring-shaped filter and does not clog easily.
- Fanned Bombilla: Great choice for connoisseurs who want to sip mate slowly and appreciate its taste.
- Double-Action Bombilla: Combination of coiled and spoon bombilla.
- Chambered Bombilla: Has a chamber that resembles a tea ball.
- Bamboo Bombilla: A very simple bombilla made of a thin bamboo cane.
Bombilla Basics: What Exactly Is It?
A bombilla, pronounced bom-bee-shah, is the straw that is used to drink yerba mate tea.
The Guarani people in South America originally used hollow stalks and twigs as the straw for drinking yerba mate. Over time, bombillas evolved into fine straws, usually made from metal.
Harvested yerba mate leaves are dried, chopped, and ground to get the typical yerba mate product. When you brew mate tea and enjoy it the traditional way, you are drinking it from a gourd.
However, you are not supposed to sip the tea directly from the gourd, instead, you use a bombilla.
The purpose of the bombilla is to act like a straw and a filter so that you can enjoy your yerba mate tea without the leaves coming into your mouth.
Bombillas can be made with different materials and come in various designs.
Types of Yerba Mate Bombillas
Spoon Bombillas: The All-Around Favorite
Spoon may be the most common shape for a bombilla and it can be used with any type of yerba mate cut.
For example, Gaucho Mate is a type of mate with high powder content, and a spoon bombilla should always be used when drinking it to avoid the small particles coming into your mouth.
At the lower end of the bombilla, there is a spoon-shaped filter with small holes in it. Spoon bombillas are most common in Uruguay.
Product Recommendation: Balibetov Set of 2 Stainless Steel Yerba Mate Straws
This set includes 2 premium yerba mate bombillas made of 304 food-grade 18/8 stainless steel and a cleaning brush. The bombillas are 8.5 inches long. These bombillas are dishwasher safe.
Coiled Bombilla: For a Smooth Flow
A coiled bombilla has a spring-shaped filter and does not clog as easily as a spoon or circle-shaped bombilla.
I recommend coiled bombillas for beginners and materos who want their yerba mate to flow smoothly. When using this kind of bombilla, small pieces of leaves might come through the filter.
Product Recommendation: ECOTEAS Tea Straw Stainless Steel Spring Bombilla
The coiled bombilla below has a spring tip for easy cleaning and use. It’s 6 inches long and made of 18/8 stainless steel. This bombilla is dishwasher safe.
Fanned Bombilla: The Perfect Choice for a Yerba Mate Connoisseur
A fanned bombilla is the perfect choice for materos who really want to appreciate the fine taste of yerba mate tea!
With fanned bombillas, the tea goes through several horizontal slivers, which act as a filter. This type of bombilla has quite high resistance to the flow of liquid and thus, the mate tea comes through more slowly.
A fanned bombilla does not clog very easily and it is good for scraping out the used yerba from the gourd. Also, its shape allows you to easily maneuver the yerba inside the gourd if you need to do that.
Product Recommendation: Novomates Yerba Mate Container and Easy Clean Straw
This set includes a fanned yerba mate bombilla and a container that will keep your yerba mate tea protected from humidity. The bombilla is made of stainless steel and it’s dishwasher safe.
Other Shapes: There Are Many
There are also more shapes to choose from.
A double-action bombilla is a standard bombilla in Argentina and it combines the coiled and spoon bombilla. It has several holes at the end, as well as a spring, whose purpose is to act as a second filter.
A chambered bombilla has a tea-ball-like chamber at the end. It’s a cool-looking bombilla but it has a quite complicated design that doesn’t always work so well.
A bamboo bombilla is made of a thin bamboo cane which is slightly bent. The lower part should have some type of crevices to act as a filter. This kind of bombilla is very inexpensive and you can also easily make it yourself. If you love natural products, this might be your choice!
Product Recommendation: ECOTEAS Bamboo Bombilla Straw
This traditional yerba mate drinking straw is made of naturally insulating bamboo. Carefully handcrafted, it’s versatile in drinking your yerba mate tea from a gourd, thermos, or a mug.
This bombilla is very affordable, easy to use and clean, and it looks nice too!
Bombilla Materials – Metal or Bamboo?
Stainless steel is probably the most common material for modern bombillas. It is durable, inexpensive, and easily available. It doesn’t rust and it is easy to clean it, or you can put it in a dishwashing machine.
Nickel bombillas are also quite common since they are relatively strong and inexpensive. However, nickel can cause allergy to some people.
Silver bombilla is your choice if you want some luxury. It looks nice and elegant and is very durable. If you want to go even further you can buy a silver bombilla with some gold in the mouthpiece region.
As mentioned earlier, bamboo is a natural and very inexpensive material for bombilla. Bamboo bombilla is often used for drinking tereré (ice-cold mate). Also, wooden bombillas are sometimes used.
Which Yerba Mate Bombilla Suites Your Style and Personality?
Now that you have the basic knowledge about bombillas with different shapes and materials, you can start thinking about which one(s) you would like to use.
It is not only about the practicality and usability of the bombilla, but also the style and feel are equally important.
Choose a bombilla that suits your style and personality, or obtain several different types for different occasions!
Also, check out this guide with my favorite yerba mate brands to help you choose a good yerba mate tea.
Yerba Mate Bombilla FAQ
What is a bombilla?
Bombilla is a straw that is used to drink yerba mate tea from a gourd. This is the traditional way of enjoying mate tea. Bombillas are usually made of metal (eg. stainless steel, silver) and they have some type of filter in the end to prevent the pieces loose leaf yerba mate from getting inside the straw.
What type of mate bombilla is best?
Choosing the best yerba mate bombilla depends on the type of mate tea you drink, especially the cut, and your personal preference.
Spoon bombilla is the most common and can be used with all cuts. Coiled bombilla is suitable for beginners because it doesn’t clog easily.
How can I clean my bombilla?
After you are finished drinking your yerba mate tea, remove the bombilla from the gourd and rinse it with clean water. For thorough cleaning, heat some water to boil and add a bit of vinegar. Next, disassemble the bombilla if that is possible and place it in the hot water water 5 minutes. Then clean it with a brush and assemble it again.
I hope you found this article useful. If you have any questions or comments you can post them in the comments section below.
Hi there,
After reading your post, I really wanted to leave a comment, just to say you did a great job.
I knew nothing about these straws at all. I found it very interesting and something people will really be happy to learn about.
The way straws are becoming so popular now, I found your content very relevant and engaging.
Good Job.
Hi Coralie! Thanks for your comment and happy to hear that you found my article interesting.