yerba mate

[viaChgo]

Just tried yerba mate for the first time yesterday. I liked it. The flavor is not my favorite among teas but it was still enjoyable. Maybe I wasn't sure what to expect. And it had a nice, pleasant caffeine kick that was different from a coffee or black tea.

Other than being from South America, I don't really know anything about yerba mate.

[lostmyshape]

good stuff, kindof grassy tasting, but it depends on the brand and how old the tea it. it's traditionally drunk from a hollowed out gourd with a metal straw/filter contraption called a bombilla.

there were a lot of south american students at my college (Carnegie Mellon University) who would drink it. it's a communal drink that's passed and sipped from 1 gourd/bombilla. first time i saw people drinking it, i thought it was some sort of drug they were passing around.

it almost is. the caffiene kick knocks me over. forget that redbull crap. if i want to stay up late, gimme some mate!

[Lonnie]

My Peruvian colleagues at Syracuse University swear by yerba mate. They say it gives you the kick of caffeine without the ill effects, and that it's very healthful. Check out this site: http://yerbamate.cc/ The English is charming, as it is clearly a translation. Scroll down and look long the left for the link to The Yerba Mate Legend.

Lonnie

[newsbabe]

if you didn't like the flavor, try it with some honey or raw sugar. i go black with coffee...never adding sugar or cream, but the the yerba mate, it seems to work.

[Tea Guy]

I didn't like yerba at first, but it's definitely grown on me. For a little more info, check out the article I wrote about it:

Confessions of a Reluctant Yerba Mate Drinker

http://www.epicurean.com/articles/yerba-mate.html

[Philanthrophobe]

I didn't like yerba at first, but it's definitely grown on me. For a little more info, check out the article I wrote about it:

Confessions of a Reluctant Yerba Mate Drinker

http://www.epicurean.com/articles/yerba-mate.html

←

Great article--and very helpful tips about seasoning the cuia. I just got a cuia/bombilla from my sister-in-law and had no idea how to use them, but I knew SOMEONE on eGullet would know! (I absolutely heart this site.)

Regarding yerba mate, I really like Teavana's Mate Vana .

Edited February 23, 2006 by Philanthrophobe (log)

[Chris Amirault]

Tazo has a lemon maté and a maté tropic; I like the former quite a bit.