What is the proper way to make a cup of mate?
Mate = the ritual

Mate = also means the gourd or wooden cup you use 

Yerba = the ground up tea

bombilla = metal straw

termo = thermos with hot water, not boiled


Fill the mate with yerba about 3/4 of the way
Place hand over the mate and shake anyway you would like. The goal is to remove the dust because the straw will not be able to filter this out. 
Fill the mate with a small amount of water on one side and pack the yerba into one side creating a 1/4 empty space
Pour water into the empty 1/4 and insert bombilla covering the top to prevent tea or water from entering (just like cover a regular straw and inserting into a cup to prevent liquid from entering)
The "servidor" is the person in charge of serving the mate. This person takes the first cup and tests the water temp, rids the cup and bombilla of any dust or bits of yerba that go through the bombilla the first sips. 
*Note- it is an insult if you are to pass the first testing round to a guest. 
Each mate full of water is per person. A good servidor will pour water over only part of the dry section of tea in order to allow each person a tasty mate. 
Continue serving, wetting more and more of the dry tea section each serving until all is wet and the taste begins to wither. 


Video Reference: How to prepare and serve mate correctly