Matty´s Mate

This is Matty énjoying´his first experience drinking Mate, a green tea sipped from a leather gourd via a metal straw, or ´swizzle stick´as we like to call it. Mate consumption is observed with almost religious fervour in Brazil, Argentina and especially Uruguay. People walk around with their cup, straw and a thermos flask full of hot water to top up the tea leaves. There are special satchels for transporting the various cumbersome paraphernalia and holders in cars for on-the-go mate-ing. We wondered what all the fuss was about until we tried it. Now we know that it´s obviously an acquired taste.