When I was traveling in
Argentina, I became addicted to it, even though
its caffeine quotient is like one fifth that of a Starbucks latte. And people all over Argentina are addicted to it as
well, with many Portenos (those from Buenos Aires) opting to carry around their own gourds (follow the gourd!) that
they use to drink the stuff. And so it is that the Argentine drink of choice Yerba
Mate finally gets
some ink in the US. What is mate you ask?:
Mate is a hot tea made from the dried leaves of the Ilex Paraguariense bush, which flourishes only in the jungle
on Argentina’s border with Paraguay and Brazil. Now it is becoming even more popular, centuries after the tea was
first made by the Guarani Indians in a remote corner of South America.
It has always seemed inevitable to me that mate would come to the US, be served for a time in Starbucks, in the same
way I believe that guarana from Brazil will eventually make its way here. The thing is, if it
does, it will be a trend. As I say, there’s not enough caffeine in mate to sustain the American
lifestyle.