Club Mate is the only caffeinated soda that isn't overly sweet, doesn't give me a bad stomach and doesn't make me jittery. The first time I had it was at a CCC event in 2002, and back then, it was really obscure. In the last 5 or so years though, it has became a staple in Berlin, and you can get it at practically every corner shop.
How a German Soda Became Hackers' Fuel of Choice
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Re: How a German Soda Became Hackers' Fuel of Choice
#22It's all lovely and shit, but once you hook up on Club Mate and leave Germany you feel quite damned. I feel the same about Savanna Dry (South African Sider) but in recent years they expanded the market quite dramatically hope germans will do the same :)
Yes, it's damn difficult to get it outside of Germany, but well... if you're really hooked up on it, you'll always find a way :).
It gets way harder if you travel a lot. To get some delivered within EU should be fairly easy there are plenty of individuals doing cargo delivery business with insanely low prices but if you in asia or africa you out of options...
Re: How a German Soda Became Hackers' Fuel of Choice
#23Seems like a "submarine"
Re: How a German Soda Became Hackers' Fuel of Choice
#24Seems like a "submarine"
Re: How a German Soda Became Hackers' Fuel of Choice
#25If it's so good why shouldn't someone Kickstarter a company to make something similar in the US? Seems like a real opportunity. Just advertise on HN and profit.
I think it is similar in that are many cola options, but only one Coca-Cola. Although there are many mate alternatives as well, the mystique surrounding Club Mate and its recipe is what makes it stand out from the rest.
Re: How a German Soda Became Hackers' Fuel of Choice
#26"The golden soda has become essential nourishment for anyone in Berlin involved in hacktivism, club culture, dance music, tech—just about everyone in the city under the age of 40."
What a ridiculous sentence.
Re: How a German Soda Became Hackers' Fuel of Choice
#27Seems like a "submarine" http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html
Maybe. But it is also interesting. I upvoted this because the "every Hackerspace in the world drinks Club Mate" phenomenon is real, and I'm happy I could learn more about the stuff I drink all the time ;).
Re: How a German Soda Became Hackers' Fuel of Choice
#28If it's so good why shouldn't someone Kickstarter a company to make something similar in the US? Seems like a real opportunity. Just advertise on HN and profit.
Man I have given this serious thought before. Anyone else? Get in touch if you want to kick some ideas around. I don't know the first thing about distribution, but I'm interested in brewing craft sodas, and I could make a kickass website for it.
Re: How a German Soda Became Hackers' Fuel of Choice
#29Or tea. Probably the hackers second choice.
If I look at the company I work for, it's quite diverse.
Munich: human-made espresso and beer. I haven't seen much tea.
Düsseldorf: machine-made espresso, Club-Mate and a variety of tea.
Don't know what they drink in Frankfurt.
The tea drinkers in Düsseldorf are not yet very sophisticated. What most of them failed to understand: absolutely excellent Japanese green tea is available - due to s strong Japanese community.
Many of these trends are actually from Hamburg. The CCC originated in Hamburg. New drinks like the Flora Power mate and 1337MATE are from Hamburg.
http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/web/leetmate-hackerbrause-aus...
Re: How a German Soda Became Hackers' Fuel of Choice
#30I'd like to stress what the article says about the difference to other caffeinated drinks. I drink coffee a lot, since it is more easily available, but I prefer club mate if I can get some. For work it is much better than coffee. I tend to get very shaky and restless from coffee, my leg will start bouncing after a lot of programming (i.e. concentrated work periods in front of a computer). With mate the caffeine rush is much better, I stay more focussed and can concentrate more easily. I am not as restless. Yet it is possible to overdose. One bottle can last for hours, I bet the guy in the article could look through time after 10 bottles a day. If you can get it, try it!