Last Updated on November 14, 2025 by Krista Linares, MPH, RD
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Yerba Madre. As always, all opinions are my own. I only work with brands I trust and believe will bring value to this community. You can learn more about our editorial process and policies here.
I’ve always been a coffee gal (I’m Cuban, loving coffee was passed down to me from my father). But when I met my husband, I quickly realized he couldn’t quite hang when it comes to my coffee habits.
But I wanted to keep the tradition of relaxing together over a warm drink, so we started exploring alternatives like tea, but nothing really stuck. At least, nothing until I brought some yerba mate home.
I prepared some loose-leaf yerba mate in a gourd and invited him to sit in the courtyard with me. We listened to the birds chirping, chatted, and passed the gourd back and forth.
He became obsessed, taking some with him to work every day. And for my part, I started to rediscover my own personal connection to this drink.
This article is featured in the “Yerba Mate” issue of our zine! Read the whole issue here.
My first introduction to yerba mate
Funnily enough, my personal memories of yerba mate are from summer camp!
Many of the counselors at my camp were from Argentina. They brought so much of their culture with them to camp, from the music to the food. And sure enough, every day, one of them would have a gourd of yerba mate that they would share with the other counselors.
I didn’t quite know it yet, but I was witnessing a moment of deep cultural connection and fostering community, and it was all done over a shared gourd of yerba mate.
Being Latina myself (albeit not with Argentinian heritage) I made a connection between the ritual I was seeing, and the way some of my family’s food traditions also connected people.
It was about how sharing food or drink united people, and how that’s good for our well-being.
The nutrition of connection
Now, as a dietitian, I’m obsessed with the idea that good nutrition isn’t just about the nutrients and ingredients we eat, but also about our eating experience.
More and more research is supporting the idea that how we eat and with whom, can play a role in our well-being.
Did you know sharing meals regularly may improve your overall life satisfaction? According to a Gallup study from 2022-2023, people who share meals with other people more often, report higher levels of life satisfaction.
This same report also shows that Americans who shared at least one meal with someone the previous day reported higher levels of happiness and lower levels of pain and stress compared to those who ate all of their meals alone.
And while the research focuses on meals, the same principle likely applies to any shared time to enjoy food or drink.
Worldwide, people take breaks together with a warm, caffeinated beverage. From the Japanese green tea ceremony, to Denmark’s “kaffepause”, or afternoon tea in the UK, there’s something about taking a break with a hot drink that helps us relax and connect.
It makes sense, then, that sharing a gourd of yerba mate plays a similar role in South America.
That same energy can translate into our own routines. Whether it’s passing a gourd among friends or simply taking a quiet break together, yerba mate invites us to slow down and connect.
Bringing the spirit of yerba mate home
In my life, I’ve already started to see the special connecting effect of yerba mate take shape. My husband’s coworkers were curious, so he started bringing yerba mate to share with them.
For my part, I was taking a yerba mate break in my apartment’s courtyard and struck up a conversation with a neighbor–she wanted to know where I had gotten my gourd and what was in it!
It’s honestly amazing how quickly yerba mate started creating connections for us. It reminds me how well-being isn’t just about nutrients, but also about our sense of emotional well-being, and a shared mug or gourd can go a long way in supporting both.
This article is featured in an issue of our digital zine, titled “The Yerba Mate Issue”! Read the whole issue for more nutrition facts and original yerba mate recipes.