On Yerba Mate

I would like to explain a recent drink discovery. My new choice beverage mainly has its origins in Argentina, but can also be found in other South American countries. It is known as Yerba Mate, and is normally drank out of gourd or wooden matero with a metal straw or bombilla. I started drinking after a friend from the US visited Argentina, and decided to buy one herself. My matero is made from a dense wood from the Bolivian Amazon region, hopefully it wasn’t logged illegally.

My matero. The crack in the side has formed over time. I eventually hope to buy a gourd matero or maybe even a metal one, and I also wish it was bigger. 

                There are certain customs surrounding the ritual of drinking Yerba Mate. The drink is usually shared between several individuals, creating a connection between each person as the matero is passed around the circle. I associate some of the sharing qualities that Yerba Mate displays with chewing coca leaves, although the customs are quite different. Chewing coca within a group is not as rule heavy, but both have origins in the indigenous cultures of South America. Yerba Mate having its origin within the Guarani people, and coca having its roots within the western part of South America, mainly the Andean region.

About a quarter to a third of the matero is filled with Yerba Mate, then very hot water is added after. 

                A few rules pertaining to the sharing of Yerba Mate include the person who brought the YM takes the first drink; this is to make sure the ratio of YM to scalding out water is proportionally correct, of course this depends on the person. Never say “thank you” if you want to drink more; saying “thank you” implies that you don’t want anymore. This can be a problem for overly grateful persons. The person who owns the matero always refills the matero. Within some groups, the amount of time taken to drink the matero dry is limited, but I tend to be tranquilo to this aspect. If one of the members in the group doesn’t completely drink the matero dry, the owner of the matero must finish it before refilling it for the next person. Never move the bombilla, if you do, the YM has to be prepared again (sediment will enter the drink mix, making the drink unappealing). I feel that some of these rules are subjective; I believe a trip to Argentina is in order to learn the etiquette surrounding YM.

                I have nearly forgotten the allure of chewing coca after having started to drink YM, which I consider a blessing. The adverse effects of coca are much stronger than those of YM. Chewing coca can lead to the receding of gums and enamel decay, so the allure of drinking YM in place of chewing coca is obviously more alluring, of course you couldn’t say that to an avid coca chewer. Ha!