P

Yerba Mate Glossary

Palo santo


South American tree, also known as Bursera graveolens. Translates as holy stick from Spanish. Palo santo is a popular material for gourds because its naturally sweet, fragrant and unique smelling wood contributes to the flavor of mate.

Palos


Stems in Spanish. Palos are one of the optional components of yerba mate cut and come from ground stems of the plant. Stems add lightness, woodiness and sweetness to mate. Yerba mate cut that contains stems is called con palo and yerba mate cut that doesn’t contain stems is called sin palo.

Polvo


Powder or dust in Spanish. Polvo is one of the optional components of yerba mate cut. Polvo consists of the smallest particles of leaves and stems and it usually contributes to a more thick, dense and full-bodied mate.

Porongo


Top part of calabash. Porongo is usually used as a term to describe calabash gourds that are made from top part of calabash and have thicker walls and distinctive shape with narrow neck and wide opening. In Brazil, similarly shaped gourd is called cuia.

P.U.1


Short for Padrón Uruguayo 1, or Uruguayan Standard 1 — one of three common standards of yerba mate cut in Uruguay. Yerba mate that is marked as P.U.1 consists of not less than 90% of pulverized dried leaves, and not more than 10% of finely ground dried stems. P.U.1 is the finest cut out of three. Most popular type of cut in Uruguay.

P.U.2


Short for Padrón Uruguayo 2, or Uruguayan Standard 2 — one of three common standards of yerba mate cut in Uruguay. Yerba mate that is marked as P.U.2 consists of not less than 65% of dried leaves, and not more than 35% of dried stems. P.U.2 has a less fine cut and lower powder content than P.U.1. See con palo.

P.U.3


Short for Padrón Uruguayo 3, or Uruguayan Standard 3 — one of three common standards of yerba mate cut in Uruguay. Yerba mate that is marked as P.U.3 consists purely of dried leaves and dried stems, without any powder.