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Mate is the national drink here in Uruguay, has been for a century or two :) (and for 500 years in Paraguay). And it was a fad in California some years past. (
by GFischer 12y ago
Mate is the national drink here in Uruguay, has been for a century or two :) (and for 500 years in Paraguay).
And it was a fad in California some years past. ("According to a major retailer of mate in San Luis Obispo, California, by 2004, mate had grown to about 5% of the overall natural tea market in North America")
But I'm surprised at the speed it's propagating in Europe.
Many say it's much better suited for prolonged concentration than coffee, almost every single university student here drinks it, so I'm not surprised that German hackers are taking advantage of its benefits too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_(beverage) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_(beverage)
There's a Congress on Yerba Mate and its health effects and benefits going on right now (from the 8th to today)
http://www.infoyerbamate.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=119:congreso-sudamericano&catid=80:novedades&Itemid=496 http://www.infoyerbamate.com/index.php?option=com_content&vi...
- damian2000 12y agoIs there much difference between the effects of mate and standard black tea? Because there's almost the same amount of caffeine in a strongly brewed black tea as there is in coffee. http://www.theguardian.com/news/2013/nov/27/caffeine-compared-coke-coffee-aspirin-chocolate-tea http://www.theguardian.com/news/2013/nov/27/caffeine-compare...
- raverbashing 12y agoWell, to be fair it's traditionally drank in a kind of tea preparation (in the broad sense of an infusion, not in the strict sense of a tea plant) It's mixed with hot water (or cold) than drank through a filter/straw
- code_chimp 12y agoI've had it the traditional way, but it's more efficient at the office to use a French press.
- huhtenberg 12y agoNevermind the tea. How does it compare to modafinil?
- swah 12y agoIts not entirely unlike tea. You can see plenty of pictures of children tasting it, I doubt it has any major effects besides having to pee often. https://www.google.com/search?q=crianca+chimarrao&num=20&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=6zVuU7L_IYS-sQTwo4DICQ&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=702 https://www.google.com/search?q=crianca+chimarrao&num=20&sou...
- modathrow 12y agoNothing compares to modafinil but modafinil. Modafinil is a glorious stimulant gifted to humanity by the gods themselves.
- NIL8 12y agoModafinil: Pros - gets stuff done, cuts the chit-chat, and all without a hint you're taking medication. Cons - life without it.
- mbrutsch 12y agoEasier to obtain, I'm sure. What I wouldn't give for a Modafinil scrip...
- cpioneer 12y agoI love modafinil. I found more information here: http://nootropicsiq.com http://nootropicsiq.com
- diego_moita 12y agoSouthern Brazilian here. I drink "tererê" (mate prepared as iced tea) quite often and find the effects to be quite similar, although the taste is very different.
- tbueno 12y agoThe same in the south of Brazil. Mate is more than a simple tea for us, people drink it everyday and everywhere, in the "original form" (hot, in a gourd shell, share between a group of people).
- swah 12y agoUruguayans normally drink it alone but Gauchos (southern state of Brazil) drink it in a circle of friends. I actually would like to drink one "Chimarrão"[1] just for me - so I don't have to get up all the time to pass it to the next assigned person[2] - but its considered rude. So I just stay with coffee... [1] http://s2.glbimg.com/L_hWuULy3EKaRQyKY4-5jCPBfr0=/top/s.glbimg.com/jo/eg/f/original/2013/07/21/filho_alessandra_ambrosio_instagram.jpg http://s2.glbimg.com/L_hWuULy3EKaRQyKY4-5jCPBfr0=/top/s.glbi... [2] Its polite to respect the order after the first round --edit-- It seems that my impression that uruguayans didn't share "mate" was wrong, sorry.
- weland 12y agoIt's a wonderful drink. I've been hooked up on it for many years now and it's the perfect hacking companion. I still get my morning resurrection from coffee, but abandon it afterwards. Mate doesn't give me the jitters, doesn't burn my stomach and it's very low-maintenance compared to tea, which needs to be left just this much time before it becomes a bitter, undrinkable blargh.
- noir_lord 12y ago> before it becomes a bitter, undrinkable blargh. Try a small amount of honey, I drink a fair amount of tea (I'm English, it has to be done) and I'm one of those freaks who like it pretty stewed but if I go too far I find a drop of honey takes a lot of the edge of the bitterness.
- a1a 12y ago>>I'm English, it has to be done To be fair it's not quite right anymore: http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=british+coffee+vs+tea http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=british+coffee+vs+tea
- weland 12y agoI'm a tea junkie myself, although unlike the pretentious tea junkies I don't pretend to be insulted at the sight of a teabag. I'm ok with the normal bitterness of the tea; what troubles me is that it does occasionally happen that I drop the bag or the leaves in, start debugging, and twenty minutes of how the fuck does this even compile later it suddenly dawns on me that FUCK I'VE BEEN STEEPING THIS FOR 20 MINUTES THIS IS GOING TO MELT MY TONGUE. Mate doesn't suffer from this inconvenience. I just pour the water and forget about it, refilling it when there's no more of that sweet liquid and tossing in more leaves when that liquid is no longer sweet. Edit: that being said, your tip about adding a drop of honey is spot on! I also like my tea a bit overstewed and adding a splash of honey does take the edge of a little if I push it too far.
- crag 12y agoI had to stop drinking mate due to the sugar content (diabetes). I now favor black teas (like Earl Gray). I get the same "leveled" energy from teas.
- warfangle 12y agoI got hooked on Yerba Mate at a former employer - they kept it stocked in their meticulously curated kitchenettes. Occasionally I'll see it at a bodega and pick it up again, but I haven't found a reliable (and close-to-the-office) spot to pick them up quite a while. Stuff is fantastic.
- chm 12y agoI bought some Mate at a local store. I really liked the taste. Grassy, but in an elegant way. And it kicks less than a strong coffee, but it did seem to last longer. What I heard was that throat cancer was more prevalent in parts of Southern America where people drink Mate. The traditional way of brewing it, in a gourd with boiling water is fine. The problem comes from actually drinking it while still next to boiling temperature. Interesting.
- INTPenis 12y agoHere in Sweden I would say it's more about alternative DIY/organic & local/vegan subcultures, counter cultures, not hacking specifically. In fact, among the hackers I know, the ones who drink Club-Mate are also the ones who are involved in aforementioned counter cultural themes.
- jkrems 12y agoYerba Mate and Club Mate are two completely different beasts. Club Mate is more of a "soft drink" than an actual tea.