Do you know Mate?

[Temperance]

As a native Uruguayan, I grew up watching the adults around me drink it. My parents have drank it daily for as long as I can remember, and as for their addictive properties, my mother gets headaches when she doesn't drink it. (She uses the hot preparation method, never with sugar.) I drink it occasionally, usually as a means to abstain from coffee. I haven't quite noticed signs of addiction. It gives me a much more relaxed feeling than coffee, yet alert and with clearer focus. I'm making an effort to reduce the consumption of both altogether, regardless.

I was not aware of the cancer risks, nor of the metal leeching from the bombilla. The one we have is made of alpaca(the nickel silver allow) I believe. Since it is being compared to cigarettes, I wonder how much of the data is confounded by environmental/dietary toxins. But I will look more into this...

If you plan on drinking it, I suggest not adding anything extra to it, as you eventually develop a taste for the bitterness. Or maybe that's just me... my mom prefers it when it is less bitter, but never sweetened regardless.

I recall my aunt drinking it sweet... and she would add about a teaspoon of sugar per serving, which QUICKLY adds up to ridiculous amounts of sugar.

I have just recieved a KG of this stuff in the post this morning. I have been looking for a coffee alternative recently and remembered trying a small amount while in France. I have got through about 5 cups (replenishing the water each time) this morning, but think I must have underestimated the potency because I feel like I am bouncing off of the roof right now and my ability to focus is severely diminished Ive also just experienced some diarrhoea which I assume is down to the Mate. I think I will take it easy from now on!

It is typically shared among at least two people... which will space out each ingestion of caffeine as well as reduce the overall amount ingested. So perhaps drink less and drink it slower.

 

[PhoenixToEmber]

Guille actually introduced me to Mate. We've shared a gourd on a few occasions. I rarely drink it, though - only if I'm really in a special mood for it, or if I can share it with him or someone else - but when I do drink it, I find it enjoyable.

I actually prefer to sweeten it rather than drink it bitter; I add some xylitol and/or a bit of raw honey if I want it sweet (xylitol obviously being the healthier choice). I agree with Guille in that I feel it gives me a more relaxed alertness rather than the wired jittery feeling of having too much caffeine. Yet I still prefer coffee, of which I only drink one cup a day - mainly for the taste more so than for the caffeine buzz.