The 'Mate Latte' Rhyme, Fated or a Coffee Shop Travesty?
Photograph from Aokettun on Flickr
Ever since I spent a summer in South America, I’ve had a special place in my heart for mate—yes, it rhymes with “latte”—the spicy, earthy tea that Argentines guzzle like we North Americans do coffee. Walking down the streets of Buenos Aires, it’s not uncommon to see busy professionals with a silver mate gourd in one hand and a thermos of hot water in the other.
The yerba mate plant has high levels of “mateine," a stimulant that, despite its name, is chemically identical to caffeine. Yet many people, for reasons not quite understood, find mateine easier to take. It’s a great boost of energy without the jitters, shakes, and stomachaches that a strong cup of joe can bring.
Recently, mate has made the migration up north. Tea bags are now available in most grocery stores, and some coffee shops (usually those with tattooed baristas and vegan-heavy menus) have introduced mate lattes. I’m a huge fan—and not just because it rhymes. The smoky, autumn-tasting tea goes perfectly with milk and a little sugar: like chai, but more exciting. Yet there’s still a purist inside me, her heart in the Southern Hemisphere, who doesn't want to condone this traditional drink’s transformation into just another trend on the Starbucks horizon.
What do you think? Should tradition be left alone? Or is our impulse to innovate, adapt, and American-ify okay, when it tastes this good?
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14 Comments:
Mate with milk? Munificently marvelous.
Good also brewed very strong with a spoonful of sweetened canned condensed milk stirred in a la cafe Vietnamese-style.
foodvox at 10:12AM on 09/11/08
I am glad to see it in the United States in any form. If it takes a mate latte to warm people's hearts to mate, so be it. It paves the way for straight up yerba mate.
Emsev333 at 11:01AM on 09/11/08
Just hot water would probably be my preference, since I'm not a huge fan of milk. However, I'd like to try it both ways to really decide.
Any introduction of something new & different to our palates is a good thing, I think. You'll always have those people who bastardize things to suit their tastes, but that doesn't mean we should keep it from them. (Just pity them-lol)
I'm going to go hunt some down-any brands to recommend?
gastronomeg at 11:09AM on 09/11/08
Guayaki is my favorite brand - they've got plain Yerba Mate as well as a Mate/Rooibos blend (both are delicious). Not only that, but it's fair trade and they work with local villages to sustainably farm the leaves and give back to those communities.
http://www.guayaki.com/
codeblue at 1:56PM on 09/11/08
When cultures cross paths, they exchange things. If they didn't, the Italians wouldn't be using tomatoes today. I see absolutely nothing wrong with finding an ingredient in another culture and using it in a new way. I also think it's a good idea to preserve the old recipes and traditions, if not in common use, at least in the historical sense.
So, yeah, make mate ice cream if you want to, or use it to smoke your pork chops. That doesn't make the traditional drink less important, it just a
adds to the overall diversity of the product.
dbcurrie at 1:56PM on 09/11/08
Gastronomeg, I'm a big fan of Guayaki and Pixie mate. Both of them also have mate blended with tea, fruit and rooibos among (and a few other combinations) that are just as tasty as the traditional mate.
I prefer yerba mate made the traditional way, but if I'm at a cafe and am not quite in the mood for coffee, the mate latte can be quite nice.
MikeA at 2:00PM on 09/11/08
Matte Latte = abomination.
Plus I think they taste funny.
unarata at 2:08PM on 09/11/08
I grew up on Mate cocido con leche. Mate is our miracle drink. We (Argentinos) eat too much meat everyday and Mate is very good for the digestive system. I read something the other day in the NYTimes about a Mate cocktail:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/fashion/07shaken.html?ex=1378526400&en=cd89daa0dbd87ce6&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
andacagar at 3:35PM on 09/11/08
I prefer mine strong, hot, and sipped through a bombilla. I love the taste; somewhat earthy, and a bit smoky. It's a lot like tea, some want it sweet, some want milk, some like it cold (very nice on hot days), and many prefer to have it flavoured (mint, fruit etc). I've even heard of people using Kool-aid with their mate, but I hope that's rare. I'm not sure us North Americans can mess about with mate any more than the South Americans already have. Hmmm, time to fill the thermos.
sumonesmum at 4:07PM on 09/11/08
guayaki is also my brand of choice. although recenlty i notice the tea bags are not as well maufactured and the tea bags rip if you're not careful pulling them from the envelopes (a lot of times the edges are pressed in with the envelope seams). in any case, i love yerba mate after a day of gorging. it helps me digest and settles my stomach while being tasty all at the same time.
bionicgrrl at 4:27PM on 09/11/08
A nice introduction to mate is the Republic of Tea's 'mate latte' flavored tea- it's made with cocoa and mate, and has a nice vanilla undertone. It's also good for the caffeine rush without the sometimes-harsh mate flavor, which can be too intense some mornings.
bialy at 5:20PM on 09/11/08
Me encanta mate con manzanilla!
marinelm at 10:10PM on 09/11/08
I'm with dbcurrie - there's value in both traditional foods/ recipes and in taking the ingredients from many places and creating new recipes.
emisara at 11:55PM on 09/11/08
I adore mate, both in traditional and more modern forms. I've also had mate chai and that was amazingly good.
I'm suddenly intrigued about mate ice cream - I've always loved green tea ice cream.
robin170 at 7:54AM on 09/12/08