The cup (often formed out of a hollowed-out gourd, but sometimes even cow hooves), is packed with crushed leaves and twigs of mate. Hot water is constantly poured over it, and then sipped out of a metal straw that filters out the crushed tea. The hot variant has a strong bitter taste, that certainly is an acquired taste, but we were hooked on the cold version, where instead, lemon juice is poured into the cup.