{"id":1259,"date":"2015-07-03T16:28:46","date_gmt":"2015-07-03T20:28:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.davidstea.com\/en\/?p=1259"},"modified":"2019-08-26T16:36:29","modified_gmt":"2019-08-26T20:36:29","slug":"tea-around-the-world-mate-and-guayusa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.davidstea.com\/en\/tea-around-the-world-mate-and-guayusa\/","title":{"rendered":"Tea Around The World: Mat\u00e9 and Guayusa in South America"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time:<\/b> <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

Preparing the perfect cup of tea is an art form<\/a><\/span>. But depending on where you are, rituals and techniques will vary. Here, we take a look at tea culture in South America, and explore their customs and traditions.<\/p>\n

Argentinians and Mat\u00e9<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Sweet, toasty, smoky and smooth, mat\u00e9<\/a><\/span> is an important part of Argentinian, Bolivian, Paraguayan, Uruguayan, Chilean and Brazilian culture. Enjoyed by the Guarani tribe since pre-Columbian times, this South American beverage is not your average cup of tea. Packed with caffeine and other stimulants, it\u2019s the perfect drink for early mornings or long nights.<\/p>\n

Part of mat\u00e9\u2019s charm is how it\u2019s prepared. Steeped in a hollowed out gourd and sipped through a metal straw known as a bombilla, the beverage is the focal point of social gatherings. Known as the drink of friendship, friends and family will traditionally sip from the gourd and pass it around for everyone in the group to enjoy.<\/p>\n

In a traditional mat\u00e9 ceremony, one person assumes the task of cebador<\/em>. The cebador is responsible for preparing and serving the mat\u00e9, always ensuring that it\u2019s properly steeped. And while steeping technique might vary from region to region, the cebador\u2019s duty always remains the same: to ensure a rich and smooth-tasting brew.<\/p>\n

\"Tea<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/h4>\n

Mat\u00e9-tiquette <\/strong><\/h4>\n

So you\u2019re invited to a mat\u00e9 party, but don\u2019t know how it\u2019s done. Don\u2019t worry\u2026 we\u2019re here to help. When passed the gourd, don\u2019t feel rushed. The mat\u00e9 is there for you to enjoy at your leisure. Once you\u2019re ready to pass the gourd on, simply thank the cebador. This indicates you\u2019ve had enough mat\u00e9, and the gourd can be presented to the next person. And if you\u2019re ever unsure of what to do, let the cebador take the lead. If necessary, they\u2019ll refill the gourd and pass it to the next drinker.<\/p>\n

Kichwa and Guayusa<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Discovered by the Kichwa people of Ecuador, guayusa<\/a><\/u> has strong ties to dreams and spirituality. In fact, legend has it that the tribe prayed for a plant that would teach them how to dream. Lucky for them, their prayers were answered when a pair of Kichwa twins had a vision. They awoke one night and saw stairs leading up to the heavens. At the top of the stairs, their ancestors presented them with guayusa, a plant that would help their people connect with the dream world. Generations later, it\u2019s a fundamental part of Kichwa culture.<\/p>\n

\"Guayusa\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Steep now in the fire<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Guayusa is a drink of hospitality and welcome. And as with mat\u00e9, drinking guayusa is largely a social event. Every morning before sunrise, Kichwa families gather around a fire, sip guayusa, and share their dreams, knowledge and stories. As we saw above, dreams are incredibly important to the Kichwa, as they help guide present and future decisions. This simple morning ritual reinforces their culture and traditions.<\/p>\n

The Night Watchman<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Revered as one of South America\u2019s super-leafs, guayusa is said to have many powers. Often referred to as the \u201cNight Watchman,\u201d the plant is renowned for its ability to keep you awake and alert.\u00a0<\/strong>If a woman rubs guayusa leaves before preparing them as a tea, it\u2019s also said that the man who drinks the infusion will fall in love with her. Some even believe that guayusa has the power to ward off snakebites. But we wouldn\u2019t recommend putting that one to the test.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reading Time:<\/b> <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>Preparing the perfect cup of tea is an art form. But depending on where you are, rituals and techniques will vary. Here, we take a look at tea culture in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1263,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55,537,201],"tags":[121,203,450,202],"class_list":["post-1259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-tea-101","category-tea-around-the-world","tag-guayusa","tag-mate","tag-tea-101","tag-tea-around-the-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.davidstea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.davidstea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.davidstea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.davidstea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.davidstea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1259"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blog.davidstea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1259\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11036,"href":"https:\/\/blog.davidstea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1259\/revisions\/11036"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.davidstea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.davidstea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.davidstea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.davidstea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}