Anybody here drink mate (yerba mate)?

I love yerba mate, but I usually have to sweeten it quite a bit to be able to drink it. I usually buy it loose-leaf style in one-pound bags, and brew it in a french press coffee maker. I actually feel better after I drink it.

Wow, a topic about mate. I have had mate in Paraguay in 1986. I was in a program that sent highschoolers to Central and South American countries to give various innoculations in some of the remote villages. Anyways, the way I remember it was as follows. The mate was a very coarse looking tea that had a distinctive and pungent (not unpleasant) smell. It was drank out of a wooden cup withthe loose mate added to boiling water. We used a metal straw that had what looked like a bulb with small holes punched in to it to drink it. In order to get full flavor, the mate was pressed against the side of the cup with the straw aparatus. This truly was a cultural experience for me as the family that hosted me had family time each day that included passing around the mae cup.

I live in Uruguay, the country with the greatest consumption per capita of mate. I'm sorry to tell Chapman that I don't think he will be able to drink mate in Peru. Mate or yerba mate (ilex paraguayensis is the cientific name) is popular in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, South of Brazil and South of Chili. About its nutrients I'am reading from a package that 32 oz.of mate in 1 liter of water have: Tiamine (Vit.B1): 37.8% of Daily Values Piridoxine (Vit.B6):20.2% " " " Iron: 22.9% " " " Magnesium: 34.3% " " " Calcium: 15.4% " " "

I drink mate sometimes with friends...it is healthy and fun to do with friends. Mate boost immunity, cleanse and detoxify the blood, tone the nervous system, restore youthful hair color, retard aging, combat fatigue, stimulate the mind, control the appetite, reduce the effects of debilitating disease, reduce stress, and eliminate insomnia. Mate contains numerous vitamins and minerals.

I'm drinking some Mate right now. I'm at work, and I live and work in Romania :D Quite far from the countries where you'd normally find Mate, but I took the extra effort to get it here. Got a HUGE bag that will last me at least another 4-5 months. Some technical difficulties that I have, come from the fact that Gourds and Bombillas can't be found anywhere. So I improvised, I sealed a plastic straw at the end, with a candle flame, and burned little holes in it, with the hot end of a paperclip. Hot water from the office water cooler, and presto, Several cups of Mate every day :D 99.99% of the country is pretty much ignorant of the fact that Yerba Mate even exists :)