Yerba Mate

Yerba Mate, also known as «Jesuit Tea» or «Tea of Saint Bartholomew», is a type of holly native to Paraguay, related to Chinese holly (also known as Kudin) — but happily much less astringent.

Why does a good quarter of the world love mate? First, the drink gained fame through the Jesuits, who carried it from Paraguay to Europe and popularized it worldwide. Second, mate contains a caffeine content comparable to coffee — some enthusiasts call it «mateine», though chemically it's the same compound. Third, there's a unique way of drinking it: the leaves are packed into a dried gourd (calabash), topped with hot water, and sipped through a special filtered straw (bombilla).