Tea Traveling Around The World!

Yerba maté is the infusion commonly drunk in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and certain parts of Chile, Bolivia and Brazil.

It was first used by the Tupi-Guaranís, an indigenous group spread all across South America. "They would crush the tree leaves, put them in the gourd with hot water, and use a hollow bamboo as the straw," says anthropologist Rodrigo Rosito.

The infusion then became popular among the gauchos (the cowboys of South America), for its energy boosting power and for being a natural source of caffeine.

Today, drinking maté is a common habit and also a social practice in the regions cited above. The gourd is still used, though the bamboo has been substituted by a traditional metal straw.

"We usually share the maté among friends or family," says Luciâni Gomes, who is originally from the south of Brazil (where the drink is called "chimarrão"). "Once somebody finishes a gourd, it is refilled and passed to the next one in the circle," she adds.

No gourd or metal straw? No problem! You can still try this infusion with Teaquilibrium's Energizing Sport Tea, in three delicious flavors.

To learn more about the benefits of this drink, check out an earlier post on the power of yerba maté.

Taken from http://teaquilibrium.blogspot.com/