Trying to kick that coffee habit?

If your one of those people that cannot function early in the morning without that cup of coffee and have developed an addiction that you can´t kick, maybe its time to look for some alternatives.

Mate (formally known as – Yerba Mate) is the drink for you. Today at Elebaires, Valeria taught the students about one of the national drink of Argentina, Mate. The health benefits associated with Mate make it the clear alternative to the post caffeine crash many get with coffee. Vendors claim it can, “boost immunity, restore youthful hair color, delay aging, combat fatigue, control the appetite and eliminate insomnia,”

Mate (pronounced mah-te) in Spanish is a tea-like beverage made from steeping dried leaves of yerba mate in hot water. Mate is served with a metal straw (la bombilla) in a hollow gourd. The end of the bombilla is flared, with small holes or slots that allow the brewed liquid in.

What interested the students the most, was the rules associated with drinking mate. Mate is traditionally drunk in a particular social setting, such as family gatherings or with friends. The whole group uses the same gourd and bombilla. The person who serves the mate is called el cebador. Typically, el cebador fills the gourd and drinks the mate completely to ensure it is of good quality. In some areas, if you pass the first gourd to another person it is considered bad manners. The gourd is then refilled and passed to the drinker on the right of el cebador. The second person drinks all of the mate and there is no need to thank el cebador. You have to thank el cebador once you are full. The bombilla makes a loud sucking noise if there is no liquid left. This is not considered rude.

After learning all about the rules, the students went on to try this new drink. Many faces looked slightly disgruntled after their first sip but were willing to give it another go to act like Portenos!

Hop down to one of Buenos Aires’ famous souvenir markets and get yourself a gourd!