Tea-up

In the afternoons all across Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay you see locals carrying a thermos to meet friends. They pass a leather cup with a silver straw among them. Odd you might think, but no, they`re partaking in the most South American of rituals - mate. It`s a kind of tea made from the yerba plant and it was adapted from the Inca culture, but as I`ve discovered there`s far more skill involved than a dunk and squeeze.
You won`t find mate in most cafes, it`s reserved for the street, house, park, bench and is rarely drunk alone. I meet a patient mate drinker willing to brief me in the art of this laborious infusion. We begin filling the cup three-quarters full with the green dried leaves. We then soak it with luke warm water and repeat this three times until the tea has expanded. Next the hot water from the thermos is added and my friend makes a well for the silver straw, which has a filter at the bottom. As a newbie, I`m not given the straw until round eight of filling the leaves with hot water as it`s really strong.
When I get my turn, it`s not the most pleasant flavour. In fact, it reminds me of an overstewed green tea when you forget to take the bag out. I`m told three attempts and I`ll love it. I persevere, but it still tastes too strong and bitter. Mate doesn`t contain caffeine, but it is a stimulant and about an hour later I`m chatty and feeling really calm about everything. We`re laughing away and I`ve got tons of energy. So now I know why you don`t drink it alone, you need someone to laugh with. Although the taste could get better in my opinion, I`ll be giving mate another go. The ritual of spending an hour laughing with friends and feeling happy is ok by me, bitter brew or not.