---
title: How to Brew Yerba Mate in a Moka Pot (And Whether It's Worth It)
description: Yes, a moka pot brews yerba mate. Here's what I tried, and a few recommendations on other coffee makers to try to find a good brew.
image: https://res.cloudinary.com/cekiuehr/image/upload/e_upscale/c_fill,ar_16:9,g_auto,w_1200/f_auto,q_auto/blog/featured/how-to-brew-yerba-mate-in-a-moka-pot
---
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Yerba Mate Guides
# How to Brew Yerba Mate in a Moka Pot (And Whether It's Worth It)
Josh Caliguire · Oct 6, 2026
*I research and test everything I recommend. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission on purchases through my links. Your price stays the same, and I get to buy more brewing gear to test. Win-win.*
Yerba mate in a moka pot works. It surprised me too.
I've run yerba mate through an [AeroPress, a French press, and a drip machine](https://www.joshcaliguire.com/blog/4-ways-to-brew-yerba-mate-with-the-coffee-gear-you-already-own-ranked?hsLang=en), I like to experiment. Of course I love the traditional way, but as a coffee lover with a lot of apparatases I've collected, I wanted to try the moka pot next.
Worth a try. Maybe not several, and not the daily driver. But if you're like me, you couldn't help but try!
## What You'll Need
A standard stovetop [moka pot](https://amzn.to/4gxToVJ), loose leaf yerba mate, and water. That's it. No bombilla, no gourd, no special filter required.
## The Method
**Fill the water chamber to the valve line.** Same as you would for coffee. Don't guess, don't overfill.
**Pack the basket with yerba mate, don't tamp it.** Use a heaping basket, roughly 15 to 18 grams for a standard 3-cup pot. Fill it level and let it sit loose, no need to press it down the way you would with coffee grounds.
**Screw the top on tight and set it over low to medium heat.** Higher heat pushes water through faster, which sounds good until the mate turns bitter. Slow and steady wins here.
**Pull it off the heat the second you hear the gurgle.** That sound means the water has finished passing through and the pot is starting to push steam and air. Mate is more heat sensitive than coffee, and a few extra seconds on the burner is the difference between clean and scorched.
You can also watch it come out and turn it off halfway. When i'm in experiment mode, that is fun too.
I tried making a mate latte with it. It was good. I think there are better ways to make it, though. It was fun to do, and I certainly pissed off some coffee lovers on reddit.
## Why This Isn't My Everyday Method
The moka pot's whole design is built around pressure and heat, which is great for extracting oils out of finely ground coffee and less forgiving with loose leaf mate. There's a narrow window between "done" and "bitter," and it moves fast. My [AeroPress method](https://www.joshcaliguire.com/blog/yerba-mate-aeropress-the-cleanest-brew-youre-not-making-yet?hsLang=en) still gives me more control with less risk of ruining a batch, and it's what I reach for most mornings.
That said, if you want something concentrated and fast, or if you're already brewing coffee in a moka pot and want to try mate without buying new gear, this earns a spot in the rotation. It's also a fun stovetop alternative to a [French press](https://www.joshcaliguire.com/blog/yerba-mate-french-press?hsLang=en), which handles mate more gently but takes longer and leaves more sediment behind.
## Who This Is For
Coffee drinkers who already have a moka pot on the stove and want to try mate without a trip to buy a gourd. People who like a concentrated, espresso-style shot over a slow steep. Anyone who's already tried [brewing mate in a drip machine](https://www.joshcaliguire.com/blog/how-to-brew-yerba-mate-in-a-drip-coffee-maker?hsLang=en) and wants something stronger.
One more thing worth knowing before you start: the quality of the leaf matters more here than with almost any other method, since you're extracting it hard and fast. [Organic, unsmoked yerba mate](https://www.joshcaliguire.com/blog/organic-yerba-mate-why-it-matters-more-than-you-think?hsLang=en) brews cleaner under pressure than the cheap stuff. Worth the extra couple dollars, especially if the moka pot is going into regular rotation.
And if straight mate isn't your thing but you like the idea of running unconventional leaves through espresso gear, [rooibos through an actual espresso machine](https://www.joshcaliguire.com/blog/rooibos-in-an-espresso-machine-100.-check-out-red-espresso?hsLang=en) is a rabbit hole worth falling into next.
Give it a shot next time the moka pot's already out for coffee. Worst case, you learn it's not for you. Best case, you've got a new five minute ritual.
About Josh Caliguire
Writer, friend, and community builder splitting time between Mazatlán, Boulder, and Alberta. I write about tea, friendship, and the deliberate small choices that make life richer.
[Subscribe to the newsletter →](https://www.joshcaliguire.com/contact#newsletter)
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