El Fuego is the quintessence of Paraguayan yerba mate. Careful selection of the healthiest leaves of Ilex paraguariensis from a prestigious plantation located in Paraguay and the traditional fire-drying process make it an excellent yerba mate with an intense flavour and high natural caffeine content.

Intense, smoky, dusty, slightly astringent, clearly bitter, strongly stimulating, rich in natural caffeine, high quality, efficient. El Fuego is a proposition for true connoisseurs and hard characters – lovers of complex and sophisticated yerba mate, who are not afraid of challenges and the taste of real Paraguayan yerba mate.

HOW IS EL FUEGO MADE?

El Fuego is made according to the Paraguayan tradition of yerba mate production, developed over the years. Ilex paraguariensis grows on a plantation located in the Itapúa region, in the south of the country. Its growth is supervised by experienced plantation workers who know the climate, conditions and needs of the plant very well.

HARVESTING

The plants are hand-picked by the planters, who carefully select the plants, choosing only the best and most valuable leaves and twigs, and discarding rotten and decayed ones.

DRYING

After briefly drying the plants directly over the fire flames, Ilex paraguariensis is taken to a drying room where it is smoked with hot wood smoke from a special oven, at a temperature of 80°C. This method, called barbacuá, has been used for centuries and the process takes about 20 hours.

SEASONING

The carefully dried leaves of Ilex paraguariensis are ground very finely, together with the twigs, bagged and put in storage, where they “mature” for 2 years and gain strength. 

PACKING

The El Fuego packet is a traditional, dusty elaborada, with lots of twigs, rich in natural caffeine. The best quality, exclusively natural additives are added to the flavoured compositions, which emphasise the unique, strong character of Paraguayan yerba mate.