Tea

A new-found friend in a South American country was kind enough to give me a gift of mate tea. Mate is a traditional drink in some countries, generally shared amongst a group. The tea is steeped directly in hot water (no tea bags) and is drank from a hollowed-out gourd using special straws called bombillas. Interestingly, the tea has several interesting properties which Americans should pay attention to. And, surprisingly it tastes pretty good with a little Knob Creek :-)