I´m from Uruguay and yerba mate is like drinking water here. When you prepare it as a cup of tea it´s called mate cocido. It also can be drunk in a mate which is a recipient made out of wood or glass in which you put the yerba and little water.
I really like it but it can be a bit bitter when you first try it.
Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C
4 min, 45 sec
We use it to study too because it´s very energetic, has a lot of caffeine but it isn´t as bad as coffee, and is useful for loosing weight too