mate

The Forcattos welcomed me to Argentina with a mate gourd! Mate is the traditional hot drink of Argentina. Over years of friendship with Walter and Adriana I have shared mate at many of their family gatherings in California. So, I have acquired a taste and appreciation for the drink and custom. It is a drink shared with family and friends. It is a staple here throughout the day...casually hanging out or during meetings, etc. Walter beings his mate, yerba, and thermos of hot water with him regularly when we spend time with the youth on the streets. Serving mate is an art and a science. Here are eight steps I found online. Below is a description from Wikipedia.

"Mate is traditionally drunk in a particular social setting, such as family gatherings or with friends. One person (known in Spanish as the cebador) assumes the task of server. Typically, the cebador fills the gourd and drinks the mate completely to ensure that it is free of particulate matter and of good quality. In some places passing the first brew of mate to another drinker is considered bad manners, as it may be too hot or too strong; for this reason the first brew is often called mate del zonzo (mate of the fool). The cebador subsequently refills the gourd and passes it to the next drinker who likewise drinks it all, without thanking the server. The ritual proceeds around the circle in this fashion until the mate becomes lavado ("washed out" or "flat"), typically after the gourd has been filled about ten times or more depending on the yerba used (well-aged yerba mate is typically more potent, and therefore provides a greater number of refills) and the ability of the cebador. When one has had his fill of mate, he or she politely thanks the cebador passing the mate back at the same time.

The drink has a pungent taste like a cross between green tea and coffee, with hints of tobacco and oak. Some drinkers like to add sugar or honey, creating mate dulce (sweet mate), instead of sugarless mate amargo (bitter mate). It is considered bad for the gourd (especially for the natural (squash or wood) ones) to be used for mate dulce so it is normal for households with drinkers of both kinds to have two separate gourds."