Both wake you up, but not in the same way. This is an honest side-by-side from people who drink coffee and mate every day.
The hard, fast hit of coffee is great for starting and treacherous by mid-afternoon. Mate rises slowly and stays, without the spike or the fall.
Caffeine, ritual, and crash
A can has less caffeine than a filter coffee and more than a tea. It also carries theobromine, which stretches the rise out: focus without the nerves.
Coffee gets the morning started; mate holds up the afternoon.
Our take: coffee to start if you like, mate to sustain. Your afternoon will thank you.