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(I know that is supposed to hit slowly due to whatever other compounds, but its not my experience)
> ”sipping a hot, slightly bitter infusion of caffeinated leaves from a dried gourd through a filtered metal straw, before passing the gourd to their friends to share” Someone might correct me, but I believe it is only in Brazil south that “chimarrão” (how they call this drink) is drank like this, hot and shared. In Argentina and Uruguay you drink it individually. You can share the recipient with the mate in it, but…
In Paraguay it is indeed cold terere but it is absolutely shared, rarely drank solo
> ”sipping a hot, slightly bitter infusion of caffeinated leaves from a dried gourd through a filtered metal straw, before passing the gourd to their friends to share” Someone might correct me, but I believe it is only in Brazil south that “chimarrão” (how they call this drink) is drank like this, hot and shared. In Argentina and Uruguay you drink it individually. You can share the recipient with the mate in it, but…
Plus there is always San Pedro’s or San Jaun’s cup. I forget the guys name it’s the guy who saved the Indios, when you first make terere you leave it sit and this is for that guy and also to let the horrible first taste soak into the first sip.
Also as I found out it’s really bad manners to stir the spoon / straw thing.
Interesting that its basically caffeine - but the culture of drinking mate is more similar to "smoking a cigar" ie slow time for deep thinking. (I know that is supposed to hit slowly due to whatever other compounds, but its not my experience)
"how did it captivate so many millions of daily drinkers around the world?"
Unlike coffee beans it's trivial to produce, you basically just chop leaves and dry them, possibly with smoke.
Unlike coffee there are no adrenergic heebie-jeebies, only a rather strong and 'pure' caffeine high. Supposedly there's a mineral content that'll be nice to the nervous system too.
There are rumours about it causing stomach and mouth cancer, with some studies seemingly supporting this and some countering that it might just be the practice of drinking a very hot infusion. Making a cold infusion works fine, at least with regards to the drug effects.
I'm not too worried about the cancer stuff and usually keep a kilogram or so in the cupboard in case I run out of more expensive caffeine sources.
> ”sipping a hot, slightly bitter infusion of caffeinated leaves from a dried gourd through a filtered metal straw, before passing the gourd to their friends to share” Someone might correct me, but I believe it is only in Brazil south that “chimarrão” (how they call this drink) is drank like this, hot and shared. In Argentina and Uruguay you drink it individually. You can share the recipient with the mate in it, but…
Source: born and raised there :)
Interesting that its basically caffeine - but the culture of drinking mate is more similar to "smoking a cigar" ie slow time for deep thinking. (I know that is supposed to hit slowly due to whatever other compounds, but its not my experience)
Also, it differs from coffee in that it contains many mineral salts that avoid the process of dehydration caused by coffee, which just makes you pee a lot and doesn't have these beneficial mineral salts.
Interesting that its basically caffeine - but the culture of drinking mate is more similar to "smoking a cigar" ie slow time for deep thinking. (I know that is supposed to hit slowly due to whatever other compounds, but its not my experience)
Also, it differs from coffee in that it contains many mineral salts that avoid the process of dehydration caused by coffee, which just makes you pee a lot and doesn't have these beneficial mineral salts.
1. Coffee doesn't have a net negative hydration effect.
2. Both coffee and yerba mate appear to contain "mineral salts". And you certainly piss drinking the latter just like you do drinking any liquid.
> ”sipping a hot, slightly bitter infusion of caffeinated leaves from a dried gourd through a filtered metal straw, before passing the gourd to their friends to share” Someone might correct me, but I believe it is only in Brazil south that “chimarrão” (how they call this drink) is drank like this, hot and shared. In Argentina and Uruguay you drink it individually. You can share the recipient with the mate in it, but…
People from the north of Argentina also drink tereré, with cold water or juice.
What's different from Brasil is the yerba they use, here is dried, there is not.