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Yerba mate, drug epidemic.

Dexenthes

Aristoloingulamata
Is there anyone on Terraforums who drinks Yerba Mate?

I used to drink a lot of coffee and the occasional energy drink. I would have multiple coffees everyday, I'm sure there are many of you that understand what I mean. ;)

I gradually just saw Guayaki's Yerba Mate in the grocery store a few times. I bought my first bag of loose leaf mate two years ago or so. Tried it through a french press and drank it for a while on and off, still mostly drinking coffee (or even mixing the two :0o:). Until back in September this year, I decided that I had had enough with coffee, it just felt like a drain on me. So I ordered Five pounds from Guayaki, a gourd, and a bombilla.

Albeit it still contains caffeine, which is the crux of this caffeine epidemic that is sweeping across America, I love me some mate.

I'll drink it cold, warm, hot, frozen, old, or perhaps mixed with berry juice. It feels incredibly healthy and is to me essentially liquid food. :hail:

And on the plus side, Guayaki contributes amazingly to the fight against deforestation of the Amazon. www.guayaki.com Sorry it's a source, but they don't sell carnivorous plants. :p

Anyway, the down-side is that I get a weird, inquisitive, and on occasion, indignant reaction from 98% of all people that I encounter while utilizing my fair trade hand carved gourd. I understand because it is so unfamiliar in our culture, but after the hundred somethingth time someone asks, "lol wutz that disgusting looking crap?"

I wonder... "Am I the only person who drinks this awesome stuff?!" :banana2:

DSCN5789.jpg
 
Is it tasty?
I'm so scared to try it, but I totally want to!
 
It tastes like.... Hearty, delicious goodness. They have flavored kinds, or you can mix it with juice or something, but I just drink it straight cold not even heating it up or anything.

It certainly grew on me. Not many people say, "ew" their first time drinking it, but there have been one or two.

If you're in Portland, I'm sure there are some off the chain Mate bars around somewhere. :lol:
 
I know of a few places that have it.
I'll have to nab some between classes tomorrow.

If I choke and die, it's on you. >:D
 
If you choke and die from drinking mate you weren't meant for this beautiful green world. :D
 
I love Guayaki! I dont have the gourd but i do buy the bottled drinks. Personally i like the pure passion flavor the most.
 
The bottled drinks are what got me started. :)

I like that one and also Pure Endurance and, heck they're actually all good.
 
I made post about Yerba years ago with the title of "Do you Mate?" :D

I bought dried gourds and carved my own cups, bought the metal straw though.

I think it's good but I do not like the favored stuff, there is various kinds like peppermint, citrus and so on, I prefer the natural flavored hedge clippings! LOL

I forget what brand I have - I dumped it into a big clamp seal container so I don't have the package anymore, might be De La Cruz it was a white bag with like a red Templar cross on it. I don't drink a lot of it, a one kilo bag lasts me about a year.
 
I love mate!! I love the way it's so sustainable to cultivate. Not only does it prevent deforestation because it can be grown in the shade; it also gives a nice kick to farmers' incomes because they can use their land for two things at once, i.e. tree fruit and yerba mate. An all around benevolent crop!

I also like the effect it has on me. While coffee contains a cocktail of caffeine and muscle stimulant (hence the intense jitters you get after, say a pot or two... trust me I know...), yerba mate has a mix of caffeine and muscle relaxants. This gives you a nice alert but mellow feeling. Makes it a great study drug too!

I had never heard of the stuff before I took a trip to Argentina in late '09. Everyone around in Buenos Aires had these weird looking gourds with metal straws and they were passing them around like peace pipes. Then when I was in Iguazu, my friend and I hung out with this shop keep in a random souvenir store on a dirt road. He made us mate in his own gourd and taught us all the associated etiquette. I came back to the US with two kilos of his favorite brand and two gourds. The ritual of drinking mate is half the fun, too!
 
  • #10
Sounds interesting, will have to try some.
Can this plant be easily grown?
 
  • #11
I drink a tea form of Yerba Mate. I like to drink it when I have a headache; it always seems to make me feel better. That thick infusion you've got there looks kind of scary, but if it tastes anything like the tea I bet it's awesome. I'll have to try it some time.

I wonder--Do you have to drink it out of a gourd?
 
  • #12
You could probably also use those metal loose tea baskets and refill the with every cup. Or just use some sort of metal straw with a filter and any regular mug or glass. The thing about mate is that it's traditionally drunk very strong, which means using lots of leaves. I fill my gourd up about 1/3 full of leaves, drink it down, add more water, etc. The first gourd full really puckers the face, but after the 2nd or 3rd refill the tea is a bit weaker and oh so delicious. I describe it as a sort of smoky green tea taste.
 
  • #13
So, what's the gourd do for the tea? What's the purpose?
 
  • #14
.............What exactly is Yerba Mate?.....and what exactly does it do?.....I did some research on it and I got more hippie mumbo jumbo than facts.....I am corn-fuzed. :scratch:
 
  • #15
It's essentially considered "Paraguayan Tea" drank as a coffee substitute, it's drank cool or luke warm, hot makes it bitter and nasty and you have to add sugar if you mix it up hot. The gourd is just the traditional cup that it's shared out of you could certainly use a coffee cup. I carved a pair of gourds just to let someone have their own cup if they visit and wanna partake in some. The metal straw's are needed since it has a filter on one end so you don't suck up the broken leaves and twigs. A kilo bag of it looks like a sack of hedge clippings! LOL

They do sell Yerba Mate powdered in tea bags too if you don't wanna go native but it's more thrilling doing it the traditional way. :D
 
  • #16
I believe Yerba mate is a plant in the same family as the holly bush.
 
  • #19
I love mate!! I love the way it's so sustainable to cultivate. Not only does it prevent deforestation because it can be grown in the shade; it also gives a nice kick to farmers' incomes because they can use their land for two things at once, i.e. tree fruit and yerba mate. An all around benevolent crop!

I also like the effect it has on me. While coffee contains a cocktail of caffeine and muscle stimulant (hence the intense jitters you get after, say a pot or two... trust me I know...), yerba mate has a mix of caffeine and muscle relaxants. This gives you a nice alert but mellow feeling. Makes it a great study drug too!

I had never heard of the stuff before I took a trip to Argentina in late '09. Everyone around in Buenos Aires had these weird looking gourds with metal straws and they were passing them around like peace pipes. Then when I was in Iguazu, my friend and I hung out with this shop keep in a random souvenir store on a dirt road. He made us mate in his own gourd and taught us all the associated etiquette. I came back to the US with two kilos of his favorite brand and two gourds. The ritual of drinking mate is half the fun, too!

Yes! +1

Sounds interesting, will have to try some.
Can this plant be easily grown?

I honestly have not heard of it being grown as a houseplant or whatnot. My guess is that you would have to treat it like a Nepenthes.

That thick infusion you've got there looks kind of scary, but if it tastes anything like the tea I bet it's awesome. I'll have to try it some time.

I wonder--Do you have to drink it out of a gourd?

Well my metal straw has slits on the end so you don't actually suck up any of the thick infusion. :p And no, you don't have to drink it out of the gourd. I just found that it was cheap and highly usable with the bombilla (metal straw). Plus it's the traditional way to do it so I figured I'd see how tradition fared and I actually really enjoy drinking out of it!

So, what's the gourd do for the tea? What's the purpose?

It has no purpose just like a coffee mug has no purpose. :p

Huh...and it's not toxic?

Quite the contrary! It's the healthiest stimulant in the world.
 
  • #20
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