drinking tea through a metal straw!

[bookerman]

I've just discovered that south Americans drink a totally different type of tea to us, AND they drink it through a straw! Intrigued, I tried it and quite liked it, but I do feel like a bit of a hippy doing it. Have I stumbled across something cool, or am I having amidlife crisis?

[bookerman]

I should've said, the 'tea' is called yerba mate and there is a while industry around it, loads of brands etc. I'm puzzled that I've not seen it before. Maybe its just not appeared in Scotland yet. Still feel like ahippy.

[DioneTheDiabolist]

Do you put milk and sugar in it?

[bookerman]

I didn't, but then I never do with tea. I'm sure sugar would work, don't know about the milk. Apparently in countries like Brazil they share it between friends. I just had it to myself, I did offer dw but she declined.

[GrimmaTheNome]

When I first knew my ILs ( early 80s) they drank mate tea - a less cool, hippyish pair you couldn't imagine. I think DHs granny had been on some health cure which was quite outre for its time (even earlier) - yoga, yogurt and beans so I'm guessing that's how they aquired the habit.

They drank it out of china teacups - never a mug and certainly not with a straw! Can't remember what (if anything) they put in it.

Somewhere in the intervening years they switched to Yorkshire Gold though

[DioneTheDiabolist]

Sorry Bookerman, but if you can't add milk & sugar, but can drink it through a straw, it isn't tea in my book.

[bookerman]

I think there are the usual claims of health benefits associated with herbal concoctions, I can imagine folk sitting around in the lotus position clutching their gourd,supping away etc. It's tea dione, but not as we know it

[JessieMcJessie]

Why is this in pedants' corner?

The cup of Yerba mate in south America is usually carried about all day and topped up from a flask of hot water. It's horribly bitter IMO. The straw often has a sort of little strainer built into the top.